December 8, 2024 • 45min
Seth Godin's best tactics for building remarkable products, strategies, brands and more
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career
Key Takeaways
- Building a Brand: A brand is not a logo - it's a promise. The key is to make a difficult, remarkable promise and consistently deliver on it
- Four Critical Strategic Choices that determine your future:
- Choose your customers (smallest viable audience)
- Choose your competition (defines boundaries)
- Choose your source of validation (who you're trying to please)
- Choose your distribution (impacts product design)
- Systems Thinking: Strategic thinking means seeing the invisible systems that shape behavior and markets
- Tension is essential for great strategy and innovation - not stress, but productive tension around delivering on promises
- Being Remarkable means creating something worth making remarks about - focus on what you want customers to tell others
Introduction
Seth Godin is a legendary marketer, teacher, entrepreneur and author of more than 20 books including Purple Cow and Permission Marketing. He writes one of the most popular blogs in the world (approaching 10,000 consecutive daily posts) and continues to shape how we think about marketing, brand, product development and creating lasting change.
Topics Discussed
Building Good Taste and High Standards (05:17)
Seth defines good taste as "knowing what other people want just before they do." It's not about personal preferences but about understanding what will resonate with others.
- Quality means meeting spec - not perfection or luxury
- High standards mean continuously improving the spec in service of users
- Focus on delighting the end user, not pleasing your boss
- The goal is to exceed customer expectations, not achieve perfection
Seth's Journey as a Product Manager (09:48)
Seth shares his origin story working at Spinnaker Software developing computer games based on science fiction novels.
- Became a de facto product manager by building relationships with engineering
- Created an internal newsletter highlighting engineering contributions
- Learned that "marketing is the product" - they're inseparable
- Successfully shipped multiple "gold" products through intense collaboration
Common Product Development Mistakes (14:09)
Seth outlines several critical mistakes product managers often make:
- Lack of empathy - blaming users instead of improving the product
- Poor project management - running out of time/money
- Missing network effects - not building viral growth into the product
- Focusing on features rather than user benefits
Building Brands in the Age of AI (16:00)
Seth discusses how AI companies can differentiate themselves:
- AI will soon stop being a feature - like electricity
- Focus on making and keeping specific promises to users
- Example: Claude AI builds trust through kindness and humility
- Avoid making absurd promises you can't consistently deliver on
Using AI as a Writing Assistant (19:04)
Seth shares how he used Claude AI to help write his latest book:
- Used AI to identify gaps in his lists and arguments
- Had AI review chapters for unsupported claims
- Maintained authenticity by writing all content himself
- AI served as a "patient editor" for refinement
The Four Critical Strategic Choices (22:40)
Seth outlines four key decisions that shape a product's future:
- Choose Your Customers
- Define your smallest viable audience
- Understand their characteristics and needs
- Accept the implications of serving them
- Choose Your Competition
- Defines boundaries of operation
- Determines competitive dynamics
- Shapes product decisions
- Choose Your Source of Validation
- Decide whose approval matters
- Align internal stakeholders
- Focus on serving end users
- Choose Your Distribution
- Distribution affects product design
- Commit to specific channels
- Understand channel constraints
The Role of Tension in Strategy (27:38)
Seth explains why tension is essential for great strategy:
- Tension differs from stress - it's productive uncertainty
- Creates anticipation around delivering on promises
- Drives innovation and improvement
- Helps engage users emotionally
The Purple Cow Concept (29:15)
Seth discusses his famous concept of being remarkable:
- "Remarkable" means "worth making remarks about"
- Focus on what you want customers to tell others
- Example: Google's simple two-button interface
- Success often comes through word-of-mouth
Safe is Risky (33:11)
Seth explains why playing it safe can be dangerous:
- Systems create fear to protect themselves
- Question why something feels scary
- Consider which systems you're challenging
- Calculate risks vs potential rewards
Understanding Systems (34:56)
Seth emphasizes the importance of understanding systems:
- Systems govern human interactions
- They can become self-reinforcing
- Identify toxic system patterns
- Look for opportunities to change rules
Better Waves Make Better Surfers (37:07)
Seth shares this metaphor for success:
- Choose opportunities carefully
- Wait for the right moment
- Don't settle for mediocrity
- Success often comes from timing
Rebranding vs Re-logoing (38:10)
Seth discusses the Jaguar rebrand and Tesla Cybertruck:
- Changing logos ≠ rebranding
- Focus on customer traction over buzz
- Build on existing brand equity
- Create remarkable experiences
Empathetic Leadership (43:07)
Seth shares his philosophy on leadership:
- Paint a picture of others' desired future
- Focus on serving, not entitlement
- Help people achieve their goals
- Lead through empathy
Conclusion
Seth Godin provides a masterclass in strategic thinking, emphasizing the importance of making and keeping remarkable promises, understanding systems, embracing productive tension, and making conscious choices about customers, competition, validation, and distribution. His insights remind us that success comes not from following conventional wisdom but from creating something truly remarkable that serves others' needs.
