Growth Newsletter #085
Welcome to the 1023 new marketers and founders who joined last week!
This week we're covering storytelling, ad pages, and B2B testimonials.
This week's tactics
It’s 3 am and you need a video ad done by tomorrow
Sponsored by Superside.
When you don’t have time to waste vetting freelancers on gig platform, Superside is the smooth operator you can rely on.
Trusted by 450+ ambitious brands, Superside is the #1 creative-as-a-subscription service designed with marketers and creatives in mind. By combining the top 1% of creative talent from around the world with purpose-built design ops technology, Superside helps companies grow faster.
Grab a free call here and see for yourself how Superside can hook you up with your creative needs.
How to get more B2B case studies and testimonials
Insight from Superpath’s Slack community.
Case studies and testimonials are B2B conversion gold.
Now, more than ever, B2B buyers are relying on the opinions and expertise of peers to make purchase decisions.
But customers don’t always jump at requests for case studies and testimonials. Not because they’re unsatisfied or unwilling—they just have other priorities.
To get more and better case studies (and prevent ghosting), try these tactics:
- Tell customers that inaction translates into approval. For instance: "We'll send a draft of the case study for approval once it's ready. From there, you'll have [time frame] to review. we’ll follow up and if we don't hear back by [date], we'll take that as your approval.” Bold, but it works.
- Highlight the promotional benefits. If your company has an audience, present the case study as a way for customers to get in front of more people. Example: "If you’re down, we’ll promote the final piece through our channels—you’ll reach [# of people].”
- Framing helps here. You can pitch this as a “customer spotlight.” Mention you’re looking for their take on industry topics and how your company has helped them on their mission.
- Offer something in return. Offer a discount or exclusive access to product upgrades. Or offer any assets used to produce your case study, like any recordings or graphics your team creates.
Don’t start your storytelling at the beginning
Insight from Andy Smith and Wes Kao.
One of the biggest mistakes we see startups make when it comes to storytelling:
Starting stories at the beginning.
Entrepreneur Andy Smith even calls this one of the “seven deadly sins of startup storytelling.”
Instead, start where it gets interesting. Here’s a great graphic from Wes Kao illustrating the point:

Smith argues that an interesting story arc matters much more than chronology.
“…the stuff you need to hook people doesn't tend to happen early on. Events need to build, one after the other, emotionally rather than sequentially.”
This applies to any form of storytelling, from your about page to video ads to blog articles. Cut the exposition. Get right to what’s exciting or resonant.
A marketing example: The first line of this gut-punch of a video: “There’s a Rang-tan in my bedroom, and I don’t know what to do.”
How do you know where to start? Smith recommends a classic plotting technique you’ve probably seen in a movie: Write your story elements on Post-It notes, then move them around to find your opening. If it’s sensory and intriguing, it’s probably a solid starting point.
Where to send your traffic: PDPs or sales pages?
Insight from Demand Curve.
Marketers often argue about whether it’s better to send ad traffic to product detail pages (PDPs) or dedicated sales pages.
The answer?
It depends. Here are three factors that’ll help you make a decision:
- Ad format. Text-based search ads capture demand while visual formats like Facebook and Instagram create it.
- Your product and industry. Some products, like jewelry and apparel, are self-explanatory—PDPs usually perform well. Innovative products often need more explanation, which sales pages provide.
- User intent. People at the top of the marketing funnel need more information (dedicated landing page) than people at the bottom (product page).
An example:
Ritual sells multivitamins for women. They run ads on Facebook/IG as well as Google search. Using Ahrefs and Facebook’s Ad Library, you can see how the ads’ destination pages differ.
- Facebook ads → dedicated landing pages and homepage
- Search ads → homepage, PDPs, product collections
Why the difference?
If people are Googling high-intent keywords like “best womens vitamin,” it makes sense to send them to a PDP. But on Facebook, where people aren’t scrolling with the intention of buying vitamins, a dedicated landing page helps get new prospects into the funnel.
Use ad format, product, and intent to create a hypothesis of where to send your ad traffic. Then test it.
Community Spotlight
News and Links
News you can use:
- For businesses that rely on Instagram Shopping, get ready to pivot. Instagram plans to scale back and switch users to “Tab Lite,” a simpler version of the shopping page.
- Interested in building your business’s Twitter presence? Check out Twitter’s free Flight School workshops. Expect tips on its Professional Profiles features and how to prep for the holidays.
- Google finished rolling out its helpful content update last week. Here’s a helpful primer if you’ve noticed any changes in your traffic/rankings.
What's happening: We’re less than a month out from Growth Summit 2022. Wondering what sessions will be like?
- Brian Dean (Backlinko) will explain how he optimizes for Google's algo.
- Alex and Leila Hormozi will teach you how to use sales to scale your company.
- Nathan Baschez (Every) will show you how to grow a media brand.
If you’re into growth, we’ve got a session for you. Get your free ticket and learn alongside 10,000+ operators behind the world’s fastest-growing startups. Claim your free ticket.
Topic we’re hearing a lot about*: Community capital
Republic is a community capital platform that helps founders raise money, engage their community, and market their company at the same time. Through Republic campaigns, companies have tripled user bases, sold millions worth of product, gained press coverage, connected with VCs, and raised follow-on rounds at great terms. Founders have raised over $1B on Republic.
Apply here to get $1,000 worth of credit toward a fundraising campaign—only for DC readers.
* Sponsored
Something fun
From @skeleton_claw






