Lenny's Podcast · Aug 27An inside look at Deel’s unprecedented growth | Meltem Kuran Berkowitz (Head of Growth)
Grew from under $1M ARR in July 2020 to $57M at the end of 2021 and $295M while staying profitable. Growth came from free answers on Reddit and Quora, intent-ranked SEO content, long-tail paid ads, and a product that delivered on its promise, with every channel judged on revenue.
Tips
- Track keywords on Reddit and Quora and answer buyer questions for free▶ 8:04Deel set this up on day one; early on it was about 15% of the funnel, and it is under 5% today as other channels grew.
- Answer the question fully first, then mention your product▶ 13:18Deel never automates these replies; founders and every team member still jump in, and the team stops once enough people have answered.
- Rank SEO keywords by buyer intent with a traffic light system▶ 18:49This is the framework Deel's content team uses to decide what gets published and what does not.
- Write SEO content so the reader's Google search is over▶ 17:00Deel's EOR explainer, which covers what it is, what it is not and its limits, is one of its best performing content pieces.
- Check what Google already serves before choosing a keyword▶ 20:32Searching 'EOR' returns enhanced oil recovery, not employer of record, so Deel would never rank for the bare term.
- Split content output between new articles and updates to existing ones▶ 24:41The content team is about eight people and drives roughly half of Deel's growth.
- Build a fast, findable website before spending on paid ads▶ 27:04A website that loads in four plus seconds cannot support a successful paid ads program.
- Write a one-liner that could not describe any other business▶ 28:09
- Make the website editable and A/B test value propositions fast▶ 28:56
- Add long tail ad platforms once the big four or five are covered▶ 29:31Together the long tail platforms make up about 30% of Deel's overall lead flow.
- Skip awareness campaigns in early B2B and mine bottom of funnel first▶ 32:42She expects tapping the bottom of the funnel to take six to eight months minimum before awareness ads make sense.
- Partner with sources buyers already trust for recommendations▶ 35:17
- Refresh ad creative monthly to beat creative fatigue▶ 40:35
- Judge paid channels by revenue a year out, not lead volume▶ 41:09
- Vet an early company's team mix to judge its product▶ 43:40No acquisition channel works if the product does not live up to expectations; Deel's product could do what it said and more.
- Hire growth people who commit to closed revenue KPIs▶ 47:30
- Hire for 'little hands' and check when big-company hires joined▶ 47:58
