Userlist

How Userlist Mastered SaaS Email Automation and Achieved Impressive Growth

January 11th, 2025

Founded By

Jane Portman

Monthly Revenue

$100K

Founders

Employees

6 (est.)

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2017

Customer

B2B

Founded By
Jane Portman: Monthly Revenue
$100K: Founders
3

Employees
6 (est.): Profitable
Yes: Year Started
2017

Customer
B2B

Who is Jane Portman?

Jane Portman is the co-founder of Userlist and a seasoned UI/UX designer originally from Russia. She transitioned from a role as a creative director and UI/UX consultant to a successful entrepreneur, launching Userlist in 2017 alongside her co-founder Benedikt Deicke. Jane is also a podcaster and author, having written four books, and she skillfully balances her professional endeavors with being a mother of three.

What problem does Userlist solve?

Userlist helps SaaS companies automate their customer messaging by providing a simple way to send personalized, behavior-based emails, eliminating the struggle of keeping users engaged and saving time spent on manual follow-ups.

Userlist Homepage

How did Jane come up with the idea for Userlist?

Jane Portman co-founded Userlist in 2017 after experiencing frustration with existing email automation tools while running her previous SaaS project, Tiny Reminder. She identified the need for a tool that not only provided email automation but also offered behavior-based messaging capabilities tailored specifically for SaaS companies. Her hands-on experience with SaaS products and her background as a UI/UX consultant gave her a unique perspective on the challenges that SaaS companies face in keeping users engaged and properly onboarded.

Jane's turning point came when she noticed a gap in the market for a tool combining user-friendly email automation with advanced user segmentation and data-driven messaging. She and her co-founder, Benedikt Deicke, who had also been working with her on Tiny Reminder, collaborated to build a solution that addressed these needs. They conducted thorough research and refined their approach based on feedback and their understanding of the industry's complexities.

The process was not without its challenges. They faced difficulties in clearly conveying their product's value and navigating the crowded space of email marketing tools. However, iterative development and persistent customer research helped them refine their idea and find a more precise product-market fit. This journey taught them the importance of patience and persistence, ultimately leading to the development of a targeted and effective solution for SaaS businesses.

How did Jane Portman build the initial version of Userlist?

Building Userlist, an email automation platform specifically for SaaS companies, began with Jane Portman and her team focusing on developing a lean and efficient system tailored for post-signup user engagement. Initially, they relied on their backgrounds in UI/UX and engineering to create an MVP. This early version prioritized essential features like behavior-based messaging, which differentiated Userlist from larger, more cumbersome enterprise tools. The development process involved continuous refining based on user feedback and a strategic stripping down of features to focus on email automation, which was more manageable for their bootstrap operation.

Userlist was developed without a rigid schedule, allowing the team to prioritize quality over deadlines, though it meant delays in delivering certain features. The journey from conceptualization to a functioning product was challenging, especially considering inefficiencies in integration setups and the technical complexity of a SaaS email automation tool. However, the team's unwavering focus on customer needs and making iterative improvements led to a robust and user-friendly platform. They managed to balance the intricacies of designing an intuitive user interface with ensuring high functionality, all while addressing the inevitable roadblocks that come with building a sophisticated software product.

What was the growth strategy for Userlist and how did they scale?

SEO

Userlist significantly expanded their SEO efforts in 2021. Initially, they had unintentional SEO practices and only shared updates about their products. However, recognizing the potential of SEO, they doubled down on creating content with the help of a trusted advisor who audited their website and developed an extensive content plan. They also started producing targeted SEO articles consistently. This renewed focus on SEO began showing results as individual content pieces started ranking well, boosting organic traffic to their site.

Userlist Blog

Why it worked: The structured approach to SEO and creating well-researched, niche content helped Userlist capture organic search traffic. Bringing their documentation under the main domain and securing a .com address also contributed to improved SEO results, driving more visitors to their site.

Blog and Content Marketing

Userlist strategically uses their blog to drive growth by providing in-depth, high-quality content specifically targeted at SaaS companies. The blog includes expert guides and niche-specific content that addresses common challenges faced by their audience. This content is not only informative but is based on the real experiences and challenges shared by their users. The blogs are designed to cater to both new and existing customers, providing value and positioning Userlist as an authority in the industry.

Why it worked: Offering deep, useful content helps establish authority and trust within the industry. By addressing real-world issues faced by their target audience, Userlist ensures the content is relevant and valuable, leading to increased engagement and brand visibility. Additionally, such content aids significantly in SEO, compelling readers to share the posts, which furthers their reach.

Done-for-You Services

Userlist found success by offering done-for-you services to their customers. This approach tailors specific onboarding and email marketing campaigns directly for the client, easing the set-up process and ensuring their product is used to its full potential. The services were relatively easier to sell and provide immediate value to customers who lacked the expertise or resources to effectively implement Userlist's tools.

Why it worked: SaaS products, especially those dealing with complex automation, often require thorough integration and setup. Offering professional services ensures customers fully integrate the product and see value faster, reducing churn. The ease of selling services at a premium price also supports revenue growth, as high-value clients are more likely to renew their subscriptions when they see results.

Refined Email Marketing

Userlist leverages email marketing to maintain engagement with potential and existing customers. They provide valuable content, not just product updates, through this channel, ensuring recipients receive genuine, helpful information. For SaaS companies with freemium models, Userlist advises not to upsell too early and recommends nurturing users before encouraging paid conversions.

Why it worked: By effectively segmenting and targeting their audiences with behavior-based emails, Userlist ensures that communication is relevant and timely. This personalized approach leads to higher engagement rates and conversions. Additionally, segmenting users based on their engagement stage means Userlist can tailor messaging, providing content that's most likely to lead to conversions or renewals.

What's the pricing strategy for Userlist?

Userlist employs a pricing strategy with tiered plans starting from $99/month, focusing on behavior-based messaging for SaaS products, and offers free templates to aid customer onboarding.

Userlist Pricing

What were the biggest lessons learned from building Userlist?

Evolve Your Customer Success Strategy: Userlist's journey involved refining their customer success approach through multiple phases, highlighting the importance of adapting strategies to better meet customer needs and improve onboarding experiences.
Hire Smart for Support: Initially seeking proactive customer success roles, Userlist found real value in hiring technically savvy support staff who could provide immediate and effective assistance, enhancing customer satisfaction.
Offer Done-For-You Services: Transitioning to providing services like email setup and sequencing proved effective. This not only offered additional revenue streams but also ensured customer onboarding success by leveraging in-house expertise.
Framework Development as a Marketing Tool: By creating structured frameworks from consulting experiences, Userlist was able to enhance their market positioning and provide clear, valuable onboarding solutions to customers.
Consistent Content Quality Pays Off: Focusing on high-quality, insightful content marketing has been an effective strategy for Userlist to drive inbound interest and establish authority in a niche SaaS tool market.

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