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Hi there 👋
In this week’s email, you’ll see all my favorite new products of the year. I love new tech products. It was hard to whittle the list down. Speaking of cool products and fun lists, I am very grateful to the team at Hi5 for turning one of my recent emails about 1:1 questions into a template. You can check it out here.
Kevan
P.S. I was a guest on the Supermanagers podcast where I shared my philosophy of people management and its ties to parenting. Also, Supermanagers makes these awesome illustrations of their guests — I feel like I’m starring in a Pixar movie or something!
P.P.S. If you’ve missed any of the previous “Best of” lists, here’s a recap:
This week: Best new marketing tools of 2021
Next week: Ultimate Best of 2021 (allthethings)
10 of my favorite new tools of 2021 (and how they brand themselves)
Over the past year on this newsletter list, I’ve shared stories about Oyster’s marketing tech stack, stories about cool tools and cool branding. I am always in the market to try something new (which is why Product-Led Growth has been such a boon for tinkerers like me!).
This list of new favorite tools contains some tools that are brand new on the scene in 2021 and others that only made their way onto my radar this year.
The ones I’ve used myself:
Clay
Figjam
Glide
Statushero
Bubbles
The ones I’ve bookmarked because I’m excited to have a reason to use them
Outseta
Around
Endgame
Dovetail
Reprise
Hope you enjoy the list. And if you have any new tools you love, please let me know!
1. Clay - https://clay.earth/
What is it? A CRM for regular people (e.g. not for your sales org). I’d been looking for a CRM for quite some time, and Clay has done the best job of fitting my unique needs: syncing to my LinkedIn and Gmail and reminding me when it’s been awhile since I’ve talked to someone.
How do they position it?
Headline: Be more thoughtful with people.
Subhead: Introducing Clay, the beautiful and private home for all your relationships. Populated from the ground up using your calendar and social history, Clay is the most stunning, powerful way to remember who you’ve met—and what matters to them.
Main CTA: Get Started
2. FigJam - https://www.figma.com/figjam/
What is it? It’s like Figma’s version of Miro (or any other whiteboard tool out there). I use it for wireframing and mind-mapping. The website is particularly original, too — you can interact and draw on the hero section’s canvas.
How do they position it?
Headline: An online whiteboard for teams to ideate and brainstorm together
Main CTA: Get started for free
3. Glide - https://www.glideapps.com/
What is it? No-code tool for building websites from spreadsheets! I’m currently working on a brand health dashboard for Oyster.
How do they position it?
Headline: Create powerful apps and websites, without code.
Subhead: Using basic spreadsheet skills, you can make incredible things with Glide.
Main CTA: Enter your work email [Get Started]
4. Statushero - https://statushero.com/
What is it? Remember idonethis from back in the day? It’s like the next-gen version of asynchronous team standups.
How do they position it?
Headline: Sync up your team. See the big picture.
Subhead: Status Hero is a work communication tool that turns async check-ins and project management data into concise, insightful reports.
Main CTA: Start a trial
Secondary CTA: Take a tour
5. Bubbles - https://usebubbles.com/
What is it? Like a mini Loom. You can record feedback for your using your screen, video, or audio.
How do they position it?
Headline: Less meetings, more work done
Subhead: Collaborate using screen, video, and audio messages so you can work on your own time. No account or installation needed 🎉
Main CTA: Create a bubble - it’s free
Secondary CTA: Learn more
6. Around - https://www.around.co
What is it? Zoom alternative.
How do they position it?
Headline: Zoom out.
Subhead: Meetings don't have to crush your soul. Discover radically unique video calls designed to help hybrid-remote teams create, collaborate and celebrate together.
Main CTA: Try for free
Secondary CTA: Download
7. Outseta - https://www.outseta.com/
What is it? Membership software if you want to build a new product and monetize … without having to learn any complicated code
How do they position it?
Headline: All-in-one membership software
Subhead: Payments, authentication, CRM, email—it's all here. Outseta gives no-code creators the tools to monetize their website, SaaS product, or online community in minutes.
Main CTA: Sign up for free
Secondary CTA: Read our sales pitch
8. Endgame - https://www.endgame.io/
What is it? The PLG glue between product activity and sales opportunities. Endgame is doing some cool things in the PLG space, particularly for companies that have a large sales-assist motion and need to tie their user engagement into qualified leads.
How do they position it?
Headline: Welcome to product-led sales
Subhead: Endgame lets you connect the dots between user behavior and sales opportunities, without expensive data scientists or engineers.
Main CTA: Get access →
9. Dovetail - https://dovetailapp.com/
What is it? Repository for customer research and customer data.
How do they position it?
Headline: Where customer research lives
Subhead: Make sense of all your customer research data in one intuitive, collaborative, and searchable research repository.
Main CTA: none!! (at least, not in the hero section)
10. Reprise — https://www.getreprise.com/
What is it? Product tours and demos for products that don’t easily lend themselves to a self-serve experience.
How do they position it?
Headline: The #1 Full-Funnel Product-Led Growth Platform
Subhead: Create and share product tours and demos, perfectly customized for each step of your funnel.
Main CTA: Get Reprise
Secondary CTA: Take a Tour
About this newsletter …
Each week, I share playbooks, case studies, stories, and links from inside the startup marketing world. If you enjoy what’s in this newsletter, you can share some love by hitting the heart button at the top or bottom.💙
About Kevan
I’m a marketing exec who specializes in startup marketing and brand-building. I currently lead the marketing team at Oyster (we’re hiring!). I previously built brands at Buffer, Polly, and Vox.
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