In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups
In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups

In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups

Cody Schneider

Overview
Episodes

Details

In the Pit shares what founders and marketers are seeing from the front lines. Join host Cody Schneider for personal brain dumps and conversations with business leaders to learn the strategies and tactics being used to acquire first customers, scale growth, and build thoroughbred marketing organizations. Listen down. Level up.

Recent Episodes

how to hack marketing costs with viral short-form content
FEB 24, 2025
how to hack marketing costs with viral short-form content

In this episode, Alex Heiden, co-founder of Get Payd, dives deep into the powerful world of marketing arbitrage and how brands can leverage short-form content to generate millions of views at a fraction of traditional advertising costs. With the rise of platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, Alex explains how brands can exploit the current "TikTokification" of content to build top-of-funnel awareness for B2B, prosumer, and consumer products alike.

He shares detailed strategies on running performance-based creator campaigns, optimizing CPMs (as low as $1 vs. $9 on traditional platforms), and structuring competitions that incentivize high-performing content creators. Plus, Alex breaks down how brands can identify top creators for long-term partnerships and generate viral content that attracts organic replication from other creators.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - Introduction to marketing arbitrage & today's topic
  • 03:42 - What is Get Paid? Bringing TikTok Shop strategies to digital businesses
  • 05:19 - How TikTok's creator commission model works
  • 06:12 - Two campaign models: CPM deals vs. competitions
  • 10:44 - Results: Cost-effective campaigns with $1–$3 CPM
  • 14:14 - Case studies: Viral success with day-in-the-life content
  • 17:00 - The shift from outbound to inbound marketing
  • 22:54 - Why the "For You" page changes everything for discovery
  • 28:08 - Scaling: From $5K test budgets to $50K monthly spends
  • 35:22 - The ripple effect of viral content and organic replication
  • 42:25 - How Get Paid incentivizes creators and brands alike

Key Points:

  • Marketing Arbitrage Explained: How to get $1 CPMs vs. $9 on traditional ad platforms
  • Short-Form Content Strategy: Run competitions and pay-per-view campaigns to maximize exposure
  • Creator Incentives: Structuring payouts for maximum engagement and competitive motivation
  • Organic Growth Tactics: How viral videos lead to a snowball effect with unpaid content replication
  • B2B & B2C Impact: Why short-form content isn’t just for consumer brands

Notable Quotes:

  • "The only way to grow products quickly is by finding and exploiting marketing arbitrage." – Alex
  • "Discovery isn’t about followers anymore—it’s about creating good content that the algorithm wants to show." – Host

Key Takeaways for Founders:

  1. Shift ad budgets from traditional channels to short-form creator campaigns for massive reach at lower costs.
  2. Run competitive campaigns to organically motivate creators to produce viral content.
  3. Focus on specific features or outcomes in your short-form content for maximum clarity and effectiveness.

Sponsors:

  • TalentFiber.com – Hire the best offshore marketing talent.

Connect with Alex:

Ready to scale your marketing with short-form content? This episode is a masterclass in how to do it right.

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45 MIN
Milliseconds Makes Millions: Slow Page Speed is Burning Your Ad Budget
FEB 20, 2025
Milliseconds Makes Millions: Slow Page Speed is Burning Your Ad Budget

In this episode, I chat with Lukas from The Nice Agency, a Shopify site speed optimization expert. They discuss why page speed optimization is one of the most overlooked yet impactful factors in improving return on ad spend (ROAS) and conversion rates for e-commerce businesses. Lukas shares insights from his agency’s experience, debunks common myths about automated page speed tools, and reveals the best technology stack for high-performance Shopify stores.

Key Topics Covered:

  • Why page speed optimization is a game changer for your e-commerce business.
  • How bloated app stacks slow down your site and kill conversion rates.
  • The biggest scams in the Shopify site speed industry and how to avoid them.
  • The impact of page speed on SEO, paid ads, and overall user experience.
  • A breakdown of the best tools and apps to use for a high-speed e-commerce store.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - Introduction to Page Speed Optimization & Guest Introduction
  • 03:45 - How Lukas Got Into Site Speed Optimization
  • 08:30 - Common Mistakes That Slow Down Shopify Stores
  • 13:20 - The Scam Behind "Instant" Speed Optimization Services
  • 19:45 - The True Impact of Site Speed on Conversion Rates & ROAS
  • 25:10 - Case Study: How Speed Optimization Increased Sales by 17%
  • 30:00 - The Best Page Speed Optimization Tech Stack
  • 35:50 - Free Tools to Test Your Website’s Speed
  • 41:00 - The Best Shopify Themes for High Performance
  • 45:30 - How to Get a Free Site Speed Audit from The Nice Agency
  • 50:00 - Where to Find Lukas & Final Thoughts

Show Notes & Resources:

Connect with Lukas & The Nice Agency:

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30 MIN
This Simple Ecom Funnel Increases AOV and ROAS by 3x
FEB 13, 2025
This Simple Ecom Funnel Increases AOV and ROAS by 3x

Automated SEO and CRO for ecommerce -  https://www.landingcat.com/ 

Build 10,000+  pages in days not months. Keyword research, page creation, and continuous conversion rate optimization. Go click the link man you'll be stoked you did.

Learn more at - https://www.landingcat.com/ 

In this episode, we dive deep into funnel optimization with Sanjay, Head of Growth at Replo, a powerful landing page builder for e-commerce brands. Sanjay shares the most effective funnel structures, tactics, and landing page strategies that have been proven to increase conversions and maximize Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). From listicle-style pre-sell pages to upsells right before order shipment, this episode is packed with actionable insights for e-commerce brands looking to scale.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction and importance of funnel optimization
01:30 – Meet Sanjay, Head of Growth at Replo
02:19 – The most effective funnel right now: Listicle to collection page
04:10 – Psychology behind listicle-style pre-sell pages
07:13 – Optimizing landing pages: Headlines, GIFs, and trust badges
10:39 – Micro-yeses and shortening the funnel
13:06 – Funnel variations for high-ticket vs. low-ticket items
17:54 – Ad creative strategies that work: Ugly ads, hook-jacking, and storytelling
25:34 – Mid-funnel retargeting and objection handling
27:28 – Using landing pages for post-purchase upsells
30:46 – Subscription models and long-term upsell strategies
34:22 – Unlocking wholesale channels with cold email and automation
39:24 – Where to find Sanjay and final takeaways

Key Insights:

Listicle to Collection Page Funnel: The highest-performing funnel structure involves an ad driving to a listicle-style pre-sell page, which then directs customers to a curated collection page.

Psychology of a Soft Sell: Instead of hard-selling in the ad, build intrigue and educate potential customers before presenting them with an offer.

Mid-Funnel & Post-Purchase Optimization: Address objections with targeted content, increase AOV through post-purchase upsells, and leverage subscription-first models to drive long-term revenue.

Winning Ad Formats: Engaging hooks like UGC-style "fake podcasts," news-style ads, and "ugly" handwritten-style creatives outperform traditional polished content.

Cold Email for Wholesale Growth: How e-commerce brands can tap into boutique retailers using automation and personalized landing pages.

Notable Quotes:
"The best performing ads don’t sell, they educate and entertain first."

"People buy into transformations, not just products. Sell the vacation, not the plane ride."

"Most brands don’t optimize their funnels, but just doing this can 10X your ROAS."

Resources & Links:
Replo: https://www.replo.app/
Sanjay on Twitter/X: https://x.com/Sanjayatplay

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39 MIN
ai built prototypes: going from idea to mvp in under an hour
FEB 3, 2025
ai built prototypes: going from idea to mvp in under an hour

Sub to my email newsletter for growth tactics - https://investorupdate.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Brought to you by...

Talent Fiber: Hire global talent for your growth marketing positions - https://talentfiber.com/

Today, we're diving into the process of turning a product idea into reality using AI tools. My guest Jay, founder of Casper Studios, walks us through the workflow from initial concept to creating a product requirements document (PRD) and then generating a visual prototype. We discuss how AI is revolutionizing product development by allowing ideas to be rapidly transformed into mockups and prototypes.

We explore a specific product idea for an AI-powered infographic generator, examining the market opportunity, target users, and potential features. Jay explains how to conduct effective discovery calls with clients, create comprehensive PRDs, and use tools like V0 to quickly produce visual designs. Throughout the episode, we highlight how AI is dramatically accelerating the product development cycle, allowing founders and product teams to validate ideas faster than ever before. This new paradigm is changing how products are conceived, designed, and brought to market.

Timestamp
(0:00) - Intro

(0:10) - Strategy for Validating Product Ideas

(0:42) - Uncovering Product Ideas and Creating PRDs

(3:00) - Guest Introduction: Jay from Casper Studios

(10:14) - Discussion on AI Infographic Generator Concept

(16:13) - Importance of Visually Appealing Content

(32:57) - Overview of Product Requirements Document (PRD)

Host Links

Personal email newsletter - https://investorupdate.beehiiv.com/subscribe

https://twitter.com/codyschneiderxx

https://www.linkedin.com/in/codyxschneider/

https://codyschneider.com/

https://inthepitpodcast.com/

Guest Links

Twitter/X - https://x.com/JSingh_08

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaysingh10125/

casperstudios.xyz

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65 MIN
landing page masterclass: why your beautiful website is killing your startup growth
JAN 27, 2025
landing page masterclass: why your beautiful website is killing your startup growth

Sub to my email newsletter for growth tactics - https://investorupdate.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Brought to you by...

Talent Fiber: Hire global talent for your growth marketing positions - https://talentfiber.com/

Let's dive into the pit and talk about one of the most overlooked things in growth marketing - copywriting. Today I have on my friend Jordan Mix from Late Checkout and we're gonna give you a masterclass on how to actually talk about the thing you're building and write well. Especially for those founders fresh out of Y Combinator who are slinging word salad and getting way too cute with their messaging.

We rip through some startup websites, dissecting their copy and showing how to make it more effective. It's all about conveying specific ideas with as few words as possible, focusing on the outcomes people are shopping for - more time, more money, or more status. We demonstrate how to cut the jargon, speak directly to customer pain points, and create messaging that can't be copied. Remember, in this AI world with infinite options, you can actually do way less - write fewer words, ship less designs - and accomplish way more. 

Timestamps
(0:00) - Intro

(00:01:03) - Importance of Landing Pages

(00:02:28) - Copywriting in Growth Marketing

(00:03:08) - The Overlooked Nature of Copywriting

(00:09:44) - Principles of Good Copywriting

(00:18:04) - Common Mistakes in Google Ads

(00:30:09) - Analyzing Y Combinator Startups' Websites


Host Links

Personal email newsletter - https://investorupdate.beehiiv.com/subscribe

https://twitter.com/codyschneiderxx

https://www.linkedin.com/in/codyxschneider/

https://codyschneider.com/

https://inthepitpodcast.com/

Guest Links

Twitter/X - https://x.com/jrdnmix

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-mix1/

https://shopdowithin.com/

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63 MIN