#90 | Always start by testing your best variation with Zach Lebovics

Also powering past things that didn’t work

Apr 18, 2024

Welcome to Experiment Nation’s Newsletter! Every week Rommil Santiago, the founder of Experiment Nation, shares interviews with CRO experts, instructional conference sessions, reports, and events. We hope you find this useful for your Conversion Rate Optimization practice - and if you do, kindly tell a friend!

In this issue

Lastest Interview: Always start by testing your best variation with Zach Lebovics
Community: Get FREE access to 2 experimentation events!
Throwbacks: Sebastian Bernhardt on Best Approaches and the fun of connecting with the Experimentation Community; and Emily Lonetto on powering past things that didn’t work and the importance of focus
Jobs: Experimentation Job Listings of the Week
Shoutouts: The Certified CROs of the week

Always start by testing your best variation with Zach Lebovics

Zach Lebovics shares insights on experimentation and product management. He discusses the importance of documenting assumptions, testing the best-case scenario first, and understanding that experiment failure isn't solely tied to the outcome. Zach also shares personal experiences and learnings from working in companies like Zynga, Ritual, and Tonal, providing valuable tips for product managers.

Watch the full interview

Episode links:

Zach's Etsy shop link: www.mindfulmix.co
Zach's Team Hub on Coda link: https://coda.io/@zach-lebovics/tonals-product-team-hub

From the Community

ONE WEEK LEFT!
See why PRODUCT x MARKETING = GROWTH

On April 25, Optimizely is bringing product and marketing teams together! When they work closely together, they make customers happy and grow the business.

Here are just a couple of sessions to look forward to:

Rallying siloed functions to drive mobile app optimization with Juliana Jackson, Data Strategy & Experimentation Practice Lead at Media.Monks
How to remove roadblocks in scaling low-maturity experimentation programs with Shiva Manjunath, Senior Web Product Manager, CRO at Motive

During this event, you’ll also learn:

Why aligning product and marketing teams is essential to unlocking growth and efficiency.
How to maintain momentum and become a truly data-driven organization.
How to excel on both the people and the tools side of experimentation.

Explore the complete agenda and register at www.optimizely.com/test-and-learn/

Upcoming Event:
CRO Trends that need to stop

On May 13, Experiment Nation is holding a week-long event entitled "CRO Trends that Need to Stop". It will feature speakers from around the world sharing their opinions of CRO trends that have jumped the shark and what CROs should do instead. Here are just some of the sessions to look forward to:

Stop villainizing HIPPOs with Nima Yassini
Stop Cherry-Picking Metrics with Jyoti Singh
Stop designing first and writing copy after with Magdalena Baciu
When not to listen to customers with Tim Thijsse
7 Reasons You're Losing Sales By Being Too Smart with Khalil Guliwala
Stop Ripping Off Test Ideas From the Internet with Tracy Laranjo 🍊
The myth of low-hanging fruit with Deborah O'Malley
Stop testing stuff you see in case studies with Amrdeep Athwal

If you'd like access to our event once it goes live, fill out our anonymous CRO survey:

This Week’s Throwbacks

Sebastian Bernhardt on Best Approaches and the fun of connecting with the Experimentation Community

Sebastian Bernhardt shares his journey and insights in the field of CRO. Here are 5 takeaways:

Continuous Learning: Sebastian's journey showcases the importance of evolving skill sets. From agency work to academia, he's always seeking new challenges and ways to push the boundaries.
Talent Development: Hiring CRO talent isn't easy, but Sebastian highlights the value of nurturing raw talent. Educating and coaching individuals with broader marketing backgrounds can lead to a skilled team.
Global Perspective: Despite regional differences, Sebastian emphasizes the need for Germany to amplify its voice in conversion optimization. It's a call to action for the community to collaborate and elevate the field.

Read the full interview:

Read the interview

Emily Lonetto on powering past things that didn’t work and the importance of focus

Emily Lonetto speaks about powering past challenges and the importance of focus in startup growth. Here are some of the takeaways:

Prioritize Genuine Relationships: Emily emphasizes the significance of finding your first users by engaging with active communities relevant to your product.
The Power of Prioritization: In the whirlwind of startup growth, prioritization becomes paramount. Setting clear objectives and key results (OKRs) helps teams focus their efforts where they'll make the most impact.
Embrace Experimentation: Startups excel at dropping ego in favor of experimentation. Unlike in large corporations where ideas can get lost in bureaucracy, startups foster a culture of collaboration, speed, and regular testing.
Emily emphasizes that the best experiments are tailored to your company's unique context and audience.

Read the full interview:

Read the interview

Latest Experimentation Jobs

From the community

Senior Product Manager - Experimentation Growth at Optimizely (Remote, Amsterdam Area)

This week’s Certified CROs

Congratulations to the amazing CROs for recently passing Experiment Nation's CRO Qualification Exam!

Luke Jarrett
Maximillian Li
Taciana Cristina Serafim

About the exam
The exam was crafted by industry veterans and covers the areas that CROs should be knowledgeable about. It takes less than 25 minutes to take. If you'd like to get certified, learn more here:

Take the exam