Ramli John

Author of Product-Led Onboarding (+30K copies sold) | First Round Fast Track Mentor | Content Director at Appcues.

⭐️ Follow me for helpful tips to onboard, delight, and keep your customers coming back to your product.
📔 Author of Amazon #1 bestselling book "Product-Led Onboarding." 👉 𝙎𝙀𝘼𝙉 𝙀𝙇𝙇𝙄𝙎, Founder of GrowthHackers.com: "Product-Led Onboarding is 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 embarking on the critical activity of improving their user onboarding." 


⚡️ I use my multi-disciplinary skills in marketing, design, and software development to help product-led SaaS companies analyze their whole customer's journey and funnel to identify growth opportunities to 2-3X their MRR. 

Often, that means designing and implementing experiments to increase activation rate (trial-to-paid or free-to-paid conversions), decrease churn rate, or increase average revenue per user (ARPU)

If you asked my friends and colleagues how they would describe me, they'd say I'm resourceful, proactive, and entrepreneurial

►► CONTACT INFO
▷ Send a connection request
▷ Write me a note at ramli [at] ramlijohn.com

Founder

A weekly show and newsletter for marketers looking to level up their marketing and career. I interview world-class marketers to uncover the secrets, strategies, and frameworks behind their wins. In each episode, guests reveal three things:  (1) a marketing power-up,  (2) a real-world example of that in action, and (3) a power-up that’s helped them take their career to the next level.

Ramli "RJ" John

16 weeks ago, I could barely run 3K. Sunday, I ran my first half-marathon! I treated my training like growth experiments. 3 things that worked:


(Yes, I'm a nerd. My wife says I'm obsessed. I agree! 🤣)

Experiment 1: Fuel Strategy (Finding the Right Gel)

My biggest fear? Runner's trot. Google it if you dare.

I tested different energy gels to fuel a 2+ hour run. Honey Stinger caused stomach issues. Not fun.

I tried Maurten, GU, SiS, gummy bears, and baby applesauce.

Switched to Kronos, a Canadian maple-based gel. No issues and felt great.

The lesson? Test before it matters.

Your users won't tell you about embarrassing problems, but they'll quietly churn because of them.

Experiment 2: Continuous Running vs. Galloway Run-Walk-Run

I tested the Galloway method (run 90 seconds, walk 30, repeat). My splits were consistent. I felt fresher.

But I went with continuous runs that gradually increased speed.

Why? Simplicity. I didn't want to think about timers at kilometer 18 when my legs were screaming.

Same with product growth. The "optimal" solution isn't always the one users will stick with.

Experiment 3: Nose Breathing Technique

Two quick inhales through the nose, one long exhale. Sounds weird, right?

It dropped my heart rate. Made hard runs feel manageable.

A small technique change made a massive difference.

Just like when you change one small design tweak and retention jumps 15%.

In the end, I crossed the finish line in 2:19:01.

My "A goal" was just to finish. My "B goal" was somewhere between 2:10 and 2:30.

Mission accomplished!

It was fun running this one with Wes Bush and Catherine Hughes, M.Ed, PhD.

And honestly? I'm addicted. Already signed up for the full Toronto Marathon in May. Let's see what happens.

Every experiment started with "this should work."

Then I tested what actually worked for me. Then I kept what I could sustain for 21 kilometers.

Same process with product work. Best practices are starting points. Real users show you what actually works. Then you optimize for what they'll stick with.

—

What's something in your life right now that you're treating like an experiment?

Ramli John ⭐️

Building a community for AI Product Leaders. Founder @ Delight Path. 2x best-selling author. New book “Eureka” now available. Author of “Product-Led Onboarding” (+40K copies sold).

If I could grab coffee with my 21-year-old self, I'd give him 3 networking tips that took me 19 years to figure out.

Last week, I met someone new to the industry. They made every mistake I made early on.

Here's what I wish someone had told me:

1. Give more than you take.

Early in your career, you don't have much to give. What you CAN give:
→ A genuine thank you
→ Updates on how their advice helped you
→ Buying coffee when you can afford it

As you gain influence, you can give more. Just this week, someone I barely know sent me a Starbucks gift card out of nowhere. Didn't ask. They just wanted to say thanks for advice I gave months ago.

That's what happens when you give first.

2. Go beyond work topics.

Most people treat networking as transactions. It's short-term gains, immediate asks.

But real relationships are built on more than work:
→ Ask about their hobbies
→ Remember their kids' names
→ Check in about that marathon they mentioned

When I ask someone, "How's Cam doing?" and they're surprised I remembered their son's name? That's not a networking tactic. That's being a decent human who actually listens.

3. Turn online into offline when you can

If someone's in your city, make time to meet.
→ Not a 30-minute "networking coffee."
→ An actual hangout  for breakfast, a walk, whatever feels natural

Five years ago, Kirsty McConnell just started at Chameleon. She helped promote my first book, Product-Led Onboarding, when almost nobody knew who I was. Last week, she flew from Barcelona to Toronto. We met, not for networking but as friends.

We talked about marathon training, family adventures, and life moves. The professional stuff came up, but it was secondary.

That shift from transaction to friendship? That's when your "networking" becomes more about relationship-building.

Networking is simple: be genuinely helpful, stay in touch, and show up when you can.

If you're ever in Toronto, let me know. There are some great coffee spots I'd love to show you.

What's one networking lesson you wish you'd learned earlier?

—

PS. 🔖 Bookmark this for when you're wondering how to build real relationships, not just collect connections.

PPS. I'm building a private community space for 25 experienced product leaders (VPs, Directors, and Heads of Product) to connect about life and the latest hot topic... AI in product. It's called the Product Leaders Lab. If that's you, I'd love to connect.

933 product leaders registered. 415 showed up live. That's 44% attendance (avg is 25%). The AI Product Leaders Summit exceeded everything I hoped for!


But the stats aren't what got me. It's the messages after yesterday's summit:

"Great Summit today Ramli! You provided huge value in the community!"

"Thanks, Ramli, this was a very enjoyable, educational and interactive summit! Great speakers and hosting! 👏👏"

"So well done! The speakers/content were top notch, where I just wanted more!"

Hosting a 5 hour live event drained my batteries. But messages like those made it all worth it.

Here are the biggest takeaways from 16 product leaders:

→ Every single session came back to customer research and knowing "why"
→ Lauren Creedon shared Goldcast's actual product org chart and AI roadmap (transparency level: 100)
→ Time-to-value matters, but product growth is now more than ever focused on time-to-trust
→ Product leaders opened up about the specific AI tools they're using to enable and upskill their teams
→ And a ton more (I'm writing a blog post about it!)

Thank you to every product leader who showed up—from 143 different companies. You made this what it was.

Thank you to the speakers who brought real strategies, not theory:
Janna Bastow, C. Todd Lombardo, Nesrine Changuel, PhD, Netali Jakubovitz, Christine Itwaru, Lauren Creedon, Bernadette Fisher, Mariana Danylak, Deepti Pradeep, Lauren Schuman, Jacob Bank, Betsy Shaak, Vivek Balasubramanian, Partho Ghosh, Ryan Barry, Colin Matthews, and Matthew Abersfeld.

You shared what actually worked (and what didn't). That's what made this valuable.

Thank you to Userflow, Goldcast, and LogRocket for sponsoring and making the giveaways happen.

One more thing:

I announced something BIG yesterday. Something I've been quietly building the last few weeks. I shared it live at the summit.

I'll share more tomorrow. Can't wait!

What was your biggest takeaway from the summit?

I've had the same conversation 30 times in the past few weeks. Different product leaders. Different companies. Same exhaustion...


Here's what I heard:

🔥 "I'm exhausted from constant firefighting."
🙅‍♂️ "I need to learn to say no with confidence."
😵 "AI is changing things so much. It's hard to catch up."
🤔 "I need more space for strategic thinking than being stuck in the weeds."

Product leaders are stuck firefighting when they want to be two steps ahead. 

AI's moving fast, expectations are moving faster, and we're supposed to have all the answers while coaching our team and keeping execs confident.

And when we finally pause? It's hard to find people who actually get what it's like to sit in our seat.

The truth is that we don't need another framework or AI playbook.

We need space to think, connect with peers who get it, and build our leadership practice.

That's why I'm excited to finally announce the Product Leaders Lab. 🧪

A private community I'm building for experienced product leaders (CPOs, VPs, Directors, Heads, Group PMs, etc.) who want to stay ahead and lead through change with confidence.

Inside the Lab, you'll get:

→ Cabin Crews: Small groups of 5-6 peers for honest conversations and accountability
→ Workshops & AMAs: Leadership topics like setting strategy, managing up, and leading through AI-driven change
→ Co-Labs: Bring a challenge, leave with clarity and support
→ The Leadership Library: Resources on defining success, influencing without authority, and building teams that scale

I'm also intentionally building for diversity. The industry is male-dominated, and I'm aiming for at least 50% of members to be women. There's real value in creating a more balanced space where different perspectives shape the conversation.

I'm opening 25 Founding Member spots right now.

Apply by November 25 to help shape the Lab.

✅ Apply now → https://lnkd.in/gHrG7AaB

I've already said yes to a handful of product leaders:

→ Betsy Shaak, VP of Product at Voxpopme
→ Luis Caceres, Product Director at Spotify
→ Brent Beatty, VP of Product at 7shifts
→ Michelle (Reiman) Wright, CPO at Kurtosys

Want to join them? That means only 21 spots left.

—

PS. Know a product leader who needs this? Tag them below. They'll thank you for it!

My AI tool stack saves me 156 hours a year. That's 21 working days that I get back with my 3-year-old son, Zane...


Most product leaders I talk to use AI randomly. Chat here, summarize there, no system.

Here's what actually works for me (my 6-tool AI tool stack):

1. Claude (Projects)

Every client gets a project. Half-marathon training gets a project. Evening journaling gets a project.

I have everything in my life organized in Claude projects. That way, it has context about me and produces a richer, more accurate output.

This approach is way more powerful than prompt-and-pray.

2. Better Dictation (Text-to-speech AI tool)

I talk faster than I type. Always have. This voice-to-text helps me write posts, emails, and (yes) even books by speaking my thoughts. The ROI paid for itself after writing 3 client emails.

The best part is that it's a one-time payment (not a subscription!). Oh, it also helps that it uses ChatGPT for accurate transcription.

3. ClickUp (AI needs structure)

AI is only as good as your data structure. I codify every workflow in ClickUp, including deliverables, presentations, and tasks.

The AI can then actually help, rather than hallucinating random suggestions.

4. Fathom.ai  (Meeting notes)

This records my client calls and lets me chat with the transcripts afterward. I use it to recap client requirements, pull exact quotes for proposals, and craft follow-up pitches

Saves me from frantically searching "wait, what did they say about their onboarding drop-off rate?"

5. Lex Page (Long-form writing copilot)

This helped me write my new book, Eureka. It's built specifically for long-form content, not just quick prompts. When I'm stuck on a chapter or a framework explanation, Lex helps me think it through without losing my voice.

6. Mem (My second brain)

I dump thoughts here, and it organizes them automatically. Then it funnels insights into my calendar, links to relevant projects, and surfaces patterns I wouldn't have seen.

It's like having a research assistant who actually remembers what you said 3 months ago.

The Pattern is that each tool solves one specific friction point in my workflow:

→ Claude = thinking partner
→ Better Dictation = speed up input
→ ClickUp = structure the chaos
→ Fathom = never lose context
→ Lex = write without losing your voice
→ Mem = organize thoughts automatically

The result is 2-3 hours back every week.

That's time I spend with my family, not typing the same client email for the 47th time.

What's your AI stack look like? 
What am I missing?

—

✅ PS. Bookmark this stack for when you're drowning in admin work and need those hours back. Future you will thank me.

PPS. If you like this, I'm hosting the AI Product Leaders Summit next Tuesday, 11/18. I have product leaders from Adobe, Slack, and Google sharing their daily AI Toolkit.

Register via the last page of the document.

Ramli John's 6 AI Tool Stack

Excited to be hosting the AI Product Leaders Summit on 11/18. 
Here's why I'm genuinely excited about this..


I've been watching product leaders navigate AI for the past year. Some thriving, most overwhelmed. Everyone's trying to figure out the same things: 

How do we build AI products users love? 
How do we structure teams for AI success? 
How do we get CEO buy-in without overpromising?

This summit brings together people who are doing this work right now:

→ Christine Itwaru ( VP of Product and Design at Beamer/Userflow) on building AI-first product teams
→ Lauren Schuman (VP of Product Growth at Close) on maintaining PLG principles while integrating AI
→ Partho Ghosh (VP of Product at Uberall) on getting product-CEO alignment
→ Jacob Bank (Founder at Relay.app, Former PM at Google) on the AI toolkit that actually matters

Plus product leaders who work or have worked at Adobe, Slack, Spotify, Microsoft, and more.

No vendor pitches. No theory. Just real strategies from people actively building AI products and leading teams through this transformation.

November 18th, 10 AM to 3:30 PM EST. Free and virtual.

Register for free: https://lnkd.in/gcCwnvvA

What's your biggest question about leading AI products?

—
PS. Thanks to the sponsors Userflow, LogRocket, and Goldcast for making this event possible and giving away over $4,000 in prizes, including a product onboarding audit, an AI prototyping course, and books from speakers.

PPS. Tag a product leader who needs to see this.

+10K AI tools exist right now (and growing). What are product teams actually using to ship features? That's a question we're answering at the AI Product Leaders Summit.

Not what's trending on Product Hunt. Not the flashiest new thing. 
The tools product teams are actually using day-to-day.

I'm bringing together some stellar product leaders to tackle this topic and more:

→ Matthew Abersfeld (LogRocket's CEO, ex-Google Chrome PM) on frontend monitoring for AI product experiences
→ Mariana Danylak (Director of PM, Growth at Slack) on what her growth team uses to ship AI features
→ Jacob Bank (CEO of Relay.app, ex-Google Gmail/Calendar PM) on the tools that matter for product leaders
→ Deepti Pradeep (Director of PM, Growth at Adobe) on the tools driving growth for Photoshop and Lightroom

What frameworks help you decide what to build? What prototyping tools are worth learning? How do you monitor AI features in production?

Real tools. Real workflows. No vendor pitches.

November 18th, 10 AM - 3:30 PM EST. Free and virtual.

Register for free: https://lnkd.in/gcCwnvvA

What AI tool has actually made your team more productive?

—

PS. I'm giving away a $1,450 seat for Colin Matthews' "AI Prototyping for Product Managers" course to a live attendee! I took the course and loved it.

He'll also be joining us for the panel, "The AI Toolkit for Product Leaders!"

PPS. Tag a product leader who needs to see this toolkit session.

SaaS Company? I’ll rewrite your vague landing page into a clear, conversion-focused page in 7 business days.

There’s only one reason your page is not converting as well as it should…

Visitors only get to the “aha moment” AFTER they sign up or book a demo

They DON’T understand how your product can make or save them $$$

They DON’T understand why is 10x better than what they are using right now

They DON’T understand it’s actually super easy to get started and set up

So if all of this is unclear, why would they convert?

They won’t.

All of this needs to be clearly explained on your landing pages.

----

👉 WHAT I DO:

We will rewrite your ENTIRE page from scratch into a clear, conversion-focused page.

We will do the research for you.

We will advise you on the positioning problems you’re having.

We will provide clear suggestions for the layout and images to ensure the best result.

All of this within 7 business days.

The best part? You pay per page (no-commitment).

------

👉 WHY ME?

✅ Worked with 140+ SaaS companies over the last 6-7 years

✅ Only work with B2B SaaS - never changed niche

✅ High capacity - I have a team to help me fulfill the work you need

✅ Pay per page - Unlike any other agency you can test things one page at a time.

-----

👉 NEXT STEPS:

DM me for examples, pricing, or any other detail you’d like to know.

Or email me: pedro@cortes.design

Pedro Cortés

This SaaS hero is SO CREATIVE

The entire page is near flawless 👇

The hero headline is already strong…
But the visual is what takes it to the next level.

It literally swaps the face in the hero to show what a “personalized sales room” looks like.

That makes it 10x easier to understand.

💡 Pro tip: Use visuals to support the promise in your headline. Not just stock graphics or abstract illustrations.

Here’s what else makes this page great:

✅ The demo GIF shows exactly how the tool works
✅ The problem section nails the pain points
✅ The CTA after the demo is insanely strong:

“You nailed the demo, now what?” → Boom, friction removed.

✅ Visual social proof (with actual faces!)
✅ Integrations are shown clearly — no fluff, just practical use cases

👉 What I'd tweak:

That problem section? I'd show an actual messy sales email vs the clean sales room page.

The integration section? I’d show the top 3-5 examples of what automations can be created with the main integrations.

It would make the visitor picture themselves using it instead of understanding it on a high level.

---

Overall, Arrows is a textbook example of a landing page that sells every section.

Let us know what you think in the comments!

AI SaaS always make this copy mistake

This page could have been AMAZING 😭

👉 Examples, Examples, Examples

Robin AI is basically “ChatGPT for legal teams.”
But here’s the problem with the landing page:
It doesn’t answer the real objections lawyers have.

Let’s break it down 👇

✅ The headline is fine

❌ But there’s no clear visual showing a real legal question
 (Lawyers don’t ask basic stuff — they ask complex, high-stakes questions.)

❌ It doesn’t say where the data comes from (what jurisdiction it’s trained on for example)

❌ It doesn’t mention hallucination prevention

❌ It doesn’t show that answers are sourced + linked back to the law

❌ It doesn’t promise data security — like not training LLMs on your private documents

❌ It doesn’t explain how internal contracts are protected

And the examples?
Way too simple.

If you want to impress lawyers, don’t show “What laws govern this contract?”

Show the kind of question they’d normally ask a senior partner or post in a legal forum.

💡 This page could have been 3x longer — and lawyers would have read every word.

All it needed was more realism, more trust, and way more proof.

Best SaaS social proof I’ve ever seen. 😍

No fluff. Nothing I’d change.

And I never say that. 😎

Here’s why it’s PERFECT 👇

✅ Video testimonials — with faces, names, logos
Each one is super personal. The person is clearly the one using the product.

✅ Short & clickable
They’re not 30-minute monologues. Just 1–2 minutes each — and the thumbnails are actually clickable.

✅ Tabs you can scroll through
You’re not forced to watch just one testimonial. You get a scrollable library of stories, instantly visible.

✅ Specific metrics & concrete results
No vague “it helped us a lot” type quotes.

It’s all like:
“Increased qualified demos by 32%”
“Saved us 8 hours per rep every week”

✅ Big, known companies
The logos build instant trust — and the quotes make the results believable.

✅ Every single objection is answered
Setup time, internal buy-in, ramp-up speed, usage — all of it is covered in just one or two videos.

This is how social proof should be done.

Most SaaS pages just throw a bunch of random logos or a single quote below the fold and call it a day.

This section does the complete opposite.

It’s structured.

It’s high-converting.

It’s hard to ignore.

Example from Arrows

What do you think about this section?

I use AI to write like an industry insider.

SaaS copywriting isn’t just about writing well.
It’s about using their words, not yours.

Here’s how I make sure every page I write sounds like it came from inside the company 👇

Step 1:
On every onboarding call, I dig for real language, not just product info.

I want to hear how they talk about their product.

Not just the features, but the acronyms, phrases, nicknames, even the stuff they say by accident.

Step 2:
I drop the transcript into ChatGPT.

It pulls out every industry term, technical word, insider phrase, and weirdly specific jargon.

Step 3:
I run a custom GPT that takes my draft copy and replaces generic phrases with exact terms their users expect to hear.

It’s like layering on the voice of someone who’s been in the industry for 10 years.

✅ The result?
 – The copy feels 10x more credible
 – Every section sounds natural
 – And conversion rates go up because it feels real

POV: You hired me to rewrite your landing page.

Before vs After: Magai

Magai Before vs After

Awesome sign up page CRO 😍

(This something I haven’t seen before) 

Suggests a higher plan BEFORE you start the trial

It tells me what I’m missing out…

And it reminds me I can try it for free during the trial.

Why not try it? What a great offer!

If you’re confident people will get addicted to that feature, then this will work great for you.

----

Have you seen any other company do something similar?

Let us know in the comments 👇

SaaS Landing Page Teardown: Granola

This page is so good that even a “vitamine” type product feels like a painkiller.

Checkout their “old way vs new way” comparisons…

They're on point!

I’m a copywriter.

But I DESIGNED this element, just to prove a point!

Here’s why 👇

The client needed a long homepage.

We’re talking about a full breakdown of every feature…

But without breaking it into separate pages (yet).

So I had two choices:
❌ Let the page feel overwhelming
✅ Or fix the navigation to make it feel smooth and intentional

I went with the second.

I rebuilt the layout from scratch — just to show the team what a fixed nav bar could do.

📌 You land in the hero
📌 Click a tab
📌 It scrolls straight to the section you care about
📌 No one feels like they’re drowning in info

It’s something most SaaS companies never do.
And it’s impossible to explain in a static doc or wireframe.

But now?
There’s zero back and forth.
The design team knows exactly what to build.
And the client gets a better-performing page from day one.

This is why I don’t just write words.

I build flows, fix structure, and design with the copy in mind.

Want a landing page that feels short, even if it’s long?
Send me a DM.

This SaaS landing page is aggressive AF.

But it works. Mostly.

Let’s break down what Distribute did right (and what could make it 10x better) 👇

The page opens with a bold promise:

👉 “Your 3-hour follow-ups done in 30 seconds.”

It’s punchy. It’s direct-response style. It’s specific.

But… the visual explanation below doesn’t justify the claim well enough.

✅ A looping GIF that shows:

Call ending

AI creating the deck, email & page

The rep hitting “Send”

Would have been WAY more effective than a bunch of tabs.

There’s also a huge focus on the result:

➡ “Our deal velocity increased by 40%”
➡ “Used to take hours, now it takes minutes”

Love how tangible these are. Every testimonial is specific. No fluff.

But here’s where things fall apart…

❌ 3 sections repeat the same benefit
❌ Overly aggressive copy can backfire (“you’re sending boring decks”)
❌ The proof section feels like a ClickFunnels sales letter
❌ The problem section is at the END — why!?

—

⚠ Reminder: What you say is more important than how you say it.

Distribute.so knows how to say it. But they miss on what to say and where to say it.

Somewhere between this style and a traditional SaaS page… is the sweet spot.

What do you think of this kind of copy?

This is a GOLD MINE for your SaaS landing pages

👉 Checking out competitor reviews

This is just as important (if not more) than analyzing your own reviews.

Usually, what’s bad about a competitor's product can help you find USPs…

And problems that people are complaining about.

Objections around searching for alternatives (like your product)...

Use this for all your landing pages!

What’s the biggest problem with writing a copy with AI?

I’m working on a way to fix it (launching early 2026)

I want to make sure I won’t miss a single issue.

What do you think sucks so much about copywriting with AI?

Founders + Marketers, let us know in the comments I’ll share a few tips too :)

This is the ultimate formula for writing copy for SaaS features.

Easier ➡️ Better ➡️ Less risk

I’ve used this formula for 100s of features so far.

Why does it work so well?

It tells you about the product, even if you skim through the page quickly.

(only 5% of your visitors actually read the page in detail so you need to present info in a way that’s super understandable)

Here’s an example 👇

Easier -> You get 11 pre-built campaigns

Better -> The email & SMS templates have been optimized for conversions

Less risk -> The templates have collected $1.2B in payments just last year

—
P.S. only use it for the most important features so that every section doesn’t look the same!

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The Battle

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Pedro Cortés

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Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ramli "RJ" John's LinkedIn Performance

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