Transforming Content Creation: The Lately AI Journey to Empowering Creators and Businesses
Company profile
Company business details
Motivation to build the product
The founders were motivated by the need to simplify the content creation process for businesses and creators who struggle with producing engaging material consistently. They recognized that many smaller creators lacked the resources to maintain a robust marketing strategy and sought to provide a solution that democratizes access to effective content marketing tools.Problem that their product solves
Lately solves the problem of time-consuming content creation for individuals and businesses, particularly those with limited marketing resources. The end users include content creators, small businesses, and marketers who need to efficiently manage their social media presence while focusing on engagement rather than the labor-intensive process of content creation.Their unfair advantage
Lately's unfair advantage lies in its use of AI technology to automate the content generation process, allowing users to create multiple social media posts from a single long-form piece of content, which saves time and enhances productivity.Strategies
Pre-Launch (Product Development & MVP)
Customer-Centric Product Development
In response to feedback from users and potential customers, the founder focused on developing a new product designed specifically for smaller content creators. This product aims to democratize access to AI tools, making them affordable and user-friendly for individuals without large marketing budgets. The founder's commitment to understanding customer needs led to a product that better serves the target audience.
Leveraging Personal Experience for Product Development
Kate's background in radio and her experience with marketing for large companies like Walmart informed the development of Lately's product. She recognized the need for a tool that could automate the marketing process, similar to how she managed large-scale campaigns with spreadsheets. This insight led to the creation of Lately, which automates content generation and scheduling, making it easier for businesses to manage their social media presence.
Ignoring MRR for Retention Focus
In a bold move, Lately AI decided to ignore Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) in favor of focusing on customer retention and product improvement. This shift was inspired by insights from Mark Roberge, former CRO of HubSpot, who emphasized the importance of understanding user progress over chasing revenue metrics. By concentrating on user experience and retention, they were able to build a more sustainable business model that ultimately led to increased revenue as a byproduct of satisfied customers.
Launch Stage
Leveraging Influencer Partnerships
The founder sought to leverage the influence of Gary Vaynerchuk by inviting him to discuss their product on social media. They asked Gary to share his experience with their tool on LinkedIn and Twitter, which resulted in a significant influx of inbound interest. However, despite the initial excitement, the founder noted challenges in converting this interest into sales, prompting a reevaluation of their marketing approach.
Content Automation for Social Media
Lately, under the leadership of Kate Bradley Chernus, implemented a content automation feature that allows users to generate multiple social media posts from a single piece of content, such as a blog post or podcast. This feature utilizes AI to create engaging posts, including rotating hashtags and shortened links, which significantly reduces the time users spend on content creation. For example, during a live demo, a user was able to generate 22 tweets from a single blog post in just a few seconds, allowing them to focus on engaging with their audience rather than creating content.
Learn more about Lately
The Power of AI | Kate Bradley - Founder & CEO of Lately.ai
Interview w/Kate Bradley Chernis, Founder/CEO of Lately | Social Media AI | Dan Gingiss TEM Ep 18
