Unscripted SaaS

By Jeremy Rivera

I'm interviewing SaaS founders, solopreneurs, developers and marketers who are working with, or for SaaS companies. We're exploring what makes a SaaS tick, business models, pitfalls, hard lessons and ... more

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about Unscripted SaaS:

How many episodes does Unscripted SaaS have?

The podcast currently has 4 episodes available.

Unscripted SaaS episodes:

March 10, 2025 Angshuman Rudra (TapClicks) on Data Pipelines and Market Inflection Points
In this conversation, Jeremy Rivera of Community Clean Links and SEO Arcade interviews Angshuman Rudra, a product manager at TapClicks, discussing the company's marketing operations platform, the intricacies of ETL processes, and the challenges of product management in a SaaS environment.
Angshuman shares insights on customer needs, market trends, and the importance of sales feedback in shaping product development. He's been heading up the creation and product management of their new TapDataMax product, and shared a lot of detail on the way Tapclicks views the "movement" of data. The discussion also touches on the evolving terminology in marketing technology, the role of AI in data management, and the future roadmap for TapClicks, including new features and integrations.
...more
29min
February 26, 2025Bryan Shankman
In this conversation, Jeremy Rivera interviews Bryan Shankman, co-founder and CEO of Tool Desk and LeadTruffle discussing the origins of their SaaS products, the challenges of pricing and customer support, and the strategies for marketing and future-proofing their business.

Bryan shares insights on building a successful startup in the home services industry, the importance of customer engagement, and the risks associated with relying on a platform like Jobber. In this conversation, Bryan Shankman discusses the evolution of his SaaS product, Tool Desk AI, focusing on the challenges and opportunities presented by platform dependencies, the innovative features of their AI-driven lead qualification tool, and the streamlined onboarding process for home service businesses. He also shares insights on marketing strategies and offers valuable advice for aspiring SaaS entrepreneurs.

takeaways
Tool Desk started with a focus on home services and lead qualification.
The initial product was inspired by a need for ringless voicemail systems.
Pricing is strategically set at $149/month for the Jobber plug-in.
Customer support is highly personalized, with direct communication from founders.
The company is 100% bootstrapped, allowing for thoughtful financial decisions.
Cold outbound marketing has been effective for customer acquisition.
Building a product that fills gaps in existing platforms is crucial.
Platform risk is a significant concern for businesses relying on third-party services.
Future-proofing involves diversifying product offerings and reducing dependency on a single platform.
The founders prioritize building something people want and scaling thoughtfully. The value proposition of Tool Desk AI is to fill marketing automation gaps.
Platform dependency can pose significant risks for SaaS businesses.
Tool Desk AI acts as a 24/7 sales representative for capturing leads.
AI technology is being utilized to enhance lead qualification processes.
Onboarding for home service businesses is designed to be frictionless and quick.
The AI is trained on each customer's website to provide tailored interactions.
Even if you're doing B2B, like saving commercial kitchens on cost, customer feedback is crucial for success.
Marketing strategies include cold outreach and SEO optimization.
Building a SaaS product requires a strong understanding of coding or a capable partner.
Entrepreneurs should only pursue SaaS if they have a clear market need and potential customer interest
...more
38min
February 03, 2025Vooz's Jeremy Cohen: Bootstrapping & Innovation With An Annonymous Video Platform
In this conversation, Jeremy Cohen, founder of Vooz an Omegle alternative in the anonymous video chatting space, discusses the journey of creating bootstrapping and self-motivating. He shares insights on the unique selling propositions of Vooz, including AI moderation and user engagement features.

The discussion covers the challenges of bootstrapping a startup, marketing strategies for user acquisition, and the importance of building a strong team. Jeremy also emphasizes the significance of taking action and starting with design, as well as the potential for monetization and growth in the SaaS space.

Take Aways
Vooz aims to innovate in the anonymous video chat space with AI moderation.
User engagement features like screen sharing and games are key to Vooz's strategy.
Bootstrapping has been essential for Vooz's development and team formation.
Finding motivated co-founders can be challenging but crucial for success.
SEO and PPC are primary marketing strategies for user acquisition.
Influencer partnerships can drive initial traffic but should be complemented by SEO efforts.
Monetization opportunities are abundant once a user base is established.
Starting with design helps in attracting talent and building a vision.
AI moderation is a significant technical achievement for Vooz.
Taking action and starting somewhere is vital for aspiring entrepreneurs.
...more
33min
January 16, 2025Interview With Also Asked Founder: Mark Williams-Cook
Guest Introduction
Mark Williams-Cook: Director of Kanda (formerly Candour SEO agency)
Creator of Also Asked, a search intent research tool
Publisher of Core Updates Newsletter
Host of SEO Patent Podcast
20+ years of SEO experience
Key Topics Covered
Current Google Search "Meta"
Google's algorithm favors brand-like signals over traditional relevance
Example: The Vatican website ranking for CBD gummies after being hacked
Mark describes this as "a bandaid for the shortfalls that have been magnified in Google's algorithm because of Gen.ai"
Content Creation Strategy
Video-first approach: "Start at video and work backwards" using transcription tools
Particularly effective for client information: "If you are having to get information, especially from clients, sometimes trying to get clients to write an article is like getting blood out of a stone"
Allows natural expertise to flow: "They will happily talk your ear off"
Tools turn video into written content without "regurgitating stuff"
User Knowledge Levels
Google has patents for understanding user expertise through search patterns
Demonstrated in People Also Ask (PAA) results showing different questions based on perceived knowledge
Example: Car dealership knowledge levels
Novice: "Red car under $20k near me"
Intermediate: "2024 Honda Civic MPG vs Toyota Corolla"
Expert: "Civic Type R torque curve comparison"
Google Query Classification
Google classifies queries into distinct semantic categories
These classifications determine which SERP features appear
Additional classifiers like "local intent" and "explicit local intent" work alongside these categories
Mark is developing a tool to predict which category a query falls into
Evolution of SERP Features
AI Overviews: Likely to eventually replace featured snippets
More dynamic and nuanced answers
Google reported 90% cost reduction in generating them
Featured Snippets: Currently coexist with AI overviews
People Also Ask (PAA): Critical for Google's query understanding
Mentioned in DOJ trial as part of Google's "induction loop"
Allow Google to understand different interpretations of the same query
Localization feature coming to Also Asked tool
The Future of Search
Prediction: Shift from users doing research to AI agents doing it for them
"I think we are going to have a fundamental shift of rather than people doing their own research..."
Advantage to companies that own hardware (Google, Apple, Microsoft)
Privacy concerns will diminish as convenience increases
SEO Tools Mentioned
Also Asked: Mark's tool for analyzing PAA data
Screaming Frog: For automated content analysis
ChatGPT API: For content gap analysis
Perplexity: AI search tool Mark recommends
11 Labs: Voice cloning technology (mentioned in context of potential misuse)
Storm: Stanford's agentic model for scientific paper creation
Technical SEO Insights
Google uses binary trust systems for many technical signals
"If you get them all wrong, it's not like Google will trust you a bit less. They just have a very simple thing of, well, you don't seem to know what you're doing."
Site reputation abuse handled manually rather than algorithmically
Example of PageRank evolution: still used but significantly modified from original patent
People Referenced
Mordy Oberstein: Mentioned regarding brand discussions
Gary Illyes ("Garyish"): Google representative
Danny Sullivan: Google Search Liaison
Darren Shaw: Discussed query categories with Mark
Arnoud Hellman: Provided examples of localized PAAs
Bill Slawski ("Bill Flosky"): Known for patent analysis
Olaf Kopp: Current patent analysis work
Lily Ray: Mentioned regarding Reddit in SERPs
Michael Buckby of Noah Toa
Matt Brooks of SEOteric
Commercial restaurant cost savings company:Save Fry Oil
Resources
Search Engine Land guide: Mark's guide on using Screaming Frog with Also Asked
learningseo.io: Referenced for learning about SERP features
Live Test Examples
"Jam sandwiches" query test showing AI overview replacing featured snippet
Demonstration of entity analysis with non-existent URL showing AI hallucination issues
Upcoming Developments
Query classification tool (planned release before Brighton SEO in April)
Also Asked localization feature allowing city-specific PAA monitoring
Location-specific search results using longitude/latitude data
SEO Conferences Mentioned
Brighton SEO
SERPConf
Contact Information
LinkedIn: Mark Williams-Cook
Bluesky: Mark Williams-Cook (previously on Twitter/X)
Newsletter: CoreUpdates.com
...more
1h 12min

FAQs about Unscripted SaaS:

How many episodes does Unscripted SaaS have?

The podcast currently has 4 episodes available.