Dax from SST - content that has nothing to do with your tool can still convert

Aug 13, 2023

Dax Raad, the creator of SST, an open-source framework for serverless applications on AWS, dives into innovative marketing strategies. He highlights the surprising success of making entertaining content unrelated to SST to attract developers. Dax shares insights on creating a parody inspired by 'Between Two Ferns' to promote SST, emphasizing the effectiveness of niche humor. He also discusses the importance of understanding content distribution on platforms like YouTube and the need for a dedicated marketing approach to stand out in the dev tools space.

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ANECDOTE

Engineering The Comedy

Dax studied Zach Galifianakis episodes, extracted joke patterns, and filled blanks with real details about Fred.
The script felt mechanical to him but worked when the team reacted positively.

ADVICE

Control Laughter With Resets And Editing

Reset your faces between takes to avoid escalating laughter affecting delivery.
Use editing to craft the final awkward responses and preserve timing.

INSIGHT

Specificity Multiplies Humor

Ultra-specific jokes land much harder with the right audience.
Specificity can make otherwise niche material extremely funny.

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Dax Raad is building SST - an open-source framework that makes it easy to build serverless apps.

What Is SST? 0:00
- The theory in January was to make content that has nothing to do with SST and still convert people. Dax validated the theory within the first hour.
- Dax tells us a little bit about SST, a framework for building applications on AWS, and how it works.
The importance of marketing and content. 2:42
- The focus now has to be on marketing.
- The top of the funnel is when someone has no idea who you are.
Pitching the idea to his boss. 5:16
- Dax pitched the idea and Fred Schott was immediately down. He spent a day just watching every single episode of Between Two Ferns and wrote down all the patterns of jokes.
- He learned a lot from the first one, and is doing another one today at 230.
How much goes into the show? 8:04
- The original show is fully done and edits, and that is true of the one that video was made. The video was not close to what actually happened, but it was his response to the video.
- The original is very specific and it's funny how specific the jokes are.
The importance of having a unique angle. 10:40
- For most companies, announcing an integration is not the most exciting thing to announce.
- The bar is incredibly low, and the expectations are super low.
Invest more in marketing and content. 12:35
- They are looking to hire a comedian or someone who makes good content on YouTube.
- They are planning a series A, and are looking for people who are talented and can help them.
Educational vs entertaining content. 14:57
- The only way to capture someone like you is through a different angle.
- The theory in January was to make content that has nothing to do with SST and still convert people into trying out SST.
- Finding an angle that is genuine for yourself.
How he got over the hump of clickbait. 17:54
- He went through the same hump that everyone goes through when trying to publish content on youtube.
- He was sent a video by a guy who was very successful on youtube and he was explaining why he does what he does.
The importance of having a good content. 20:51
- Youtube is an amazing place. People will watch it if it's good.
Marketing is a huge lever. 23:20
- They are a very small company. They are able to do a lot given their small size and they are going to continue to be a small company, so they need to find ways to find leverage anywhere they can.
- They are excited about what they can invest in.
- Dax would love to work with someone who is good at filmmaking and editing to keep it engaging and keep it fun. He also thinks about shows that are authentic.
- Key takeaways for anyone listening, remember that if you're building a company you do need to do marketing.

Links:
- SST https://sst.dev/
- Dax's twitter https://twitter.com/thdxr
- Between Two Nerds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I2Xep0GTQY&ab_channel=SST