I recently caught up with Pippin Williamson, who as many of you know was a prominent figure in the WordPress world for over a decade. He founded Sandhills Development and created popular plugins like Easy Digital Downloads before selling to Awesome Motive a couple years back. (Watch my previous interview on YouTube.)I was curious to hear what Pippin’s been up to and also get his thoughts on the WordPress ecosystem since his exit. A few things stood out that I thought would interest you all:First off, Pippin was very clear that his reason for moving on from WordPress boiled down to prioritizing time with family. After so many years of plugin development, he felt burnt out from being on that relentless “hamster wheel” of building and maintaining products. He had zero regrets about leaving.When it came time to sell Sandhills Development, Pippin made finding the right steward for his team and products a top priority over price or other factors. He felt confident Awesome Motive was the best fit given their product focus. Although he does wish there had been less team turnover resulting from the acquisition.And while Pippin keeps a very casual eye on WordPress these days, he did note how interesting it was to return to using it purely as an end user rather than a developer. Even being removed for a couple years, he immediately noticed some of the lingering friction between core, plugins, and the overall user experience.Anyway, those were just a few WordPress-related nuggets I wanted to share. Let me know if you have any other thoughts or reflections on Pippin’s time in our community!Visit Pippin’s Brewery: Sandhills Brewing ★ Support this podcast ★

North Commerce is a new ecommerce solution built specifically for WordPress. I recently had the chance to speak with Kelley, founder of North Commerce, to learn more about his motivation for building the platform and how he aims to position it in the WordPress ecosystem.Kelley started developing North Commerce at the end of 2021 after recognizing limitations with existing ecommerce options like WooCommerce and Shopify. He was particularly inspired by the potential of the WordPress block editor and Gutenberg to enable fast, flexible ecommerce experiences.Over the past year, North Commerce has steadily built up a community of users and refined the platform based on their feedback. They now aim to be a premium all-in-one ecommerce solution for WordPress, with a pricing model starting at $99 per year. This recurring revenue will support continued development and help them deliver dedicated support and community for merchants at higher revenue tiers.Going forward, Kelley wants to optimize North Commerce as a block editor-first platform that takes full advantage of forthcoming advances like full site editing. He believes this approach will make it the fastest, easiest ecommerce solution available. At the same time, he wants to maintain simplicity and prevent “feature bloat”. Add-ons and extensions will be made available but not activated by default.Key TakeawaysNorth Commerce aims to be a simplified alternative, not a replacement, for WooCommerce. It wants to provide another competitive ecommerce option tailored for WordPress.The platform is built natively for WordPress, using PHP, JavaScript and WordPress best practices like a custom ORM system. This is to maximize flexibility, integration and avoid the limitations of off-the-shelf SaaS platforms.They chose a paid model starting at $99/year to support an all-in-one feature set and higher-touch support at higher revenue tiers. This contrasts with most free/open source WordPress plugins.North Commerce wants to be the fastest ecommerce platform by using the block editor, full site editing and modern WordPress capabilities. Simplicity is also a key goal.Links Mentioned:North Commerce site: https://northcommerce.com North Commerce pricing: https://northcommerce.com/pricing/ North Commerce free demo: https://instawp.io/northcommerce ★ Support this podcast ★

WP Minute+ News Round Table Episode 1. This will be a monthly series on WP Minute+ Podcast.Read the full shown notes: https://thewpminute.com/?p=12987Get the weekly newsletter: https://thewpminute.com/subscribeSupport the show! https://thewpminute.com/support ★ Support this podcast ★

Building a thriving suite of digital products is no simple feat. In this episode of The WP Minute Plus, host Matt Medeiros dives into the challenges and opportunities with WordPress entrepreneur Christian Raiber.After getting his start by recognizing the potential of passive income through WordPress themes, Christian has built an impressive portfolio of niche plugins. He shares the method to his madness - how he identifies overlapping user segments to solve pressing problems. Christian also provides hard-won advice on balancing vision with user needs as products scale and evolve. Whether you're just getting started with your first commercial plugin, or looking to expand your product lineup, don't miss Christian's insights on the WordPress business landscape. Tune into the full episode to level up your product building game.Full show notes: https://thewpminute.com/?p=12929 ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s WordPress 6.4 release day, and I’m really excited for this new version of WordPress. I think it’s one of the most important releases for WordPress, especially through its new default theme, Twenty Twenty-Four. I also think this is a first milestone release of an”Apple way” of releases.Meaning, just like iPhones and MacBooks, updates are iterative, and not groundbreaking at every release. I see WordPress settling into a similar feature/update cycle similar to Cupertino. So when I say it’s important, I mean, will this next year of development, building off 6.4, continue to bring WordPress into the future?Read the full blog post here. ★ Support this podcast ★

Katie Keith from Barn2 joins the podcast to discuss her recents success running a WordPress & WooCommerce plugin business.Key TakeawaysTransitioning from client services to product business takes forethought about your ideal lifestyle and abilities.Know if you want to manage a team before diving in. Build a remote team culture by regularly checking in, being flexible, and celebrating shared wins – not just revenue goals.SEO success requires a balance between optimization best practices and creating content real humans love. Don’t over-optimize.Consider both logic and marketing impact before splitting brands and websites. Domain authority has tangible value.Providing bundled offerings can ease plugin pricing fatigue for customers with diverse needs.YouTube and content marketing are powerful sales drivers.Invest in what already works for your business.Chapters0:00 Intro1:00 Katie’s background3:00 Transitioning from agency to product company8:00 Remote team culture10:30 SEO strategies13:00 Document Library Pro success15:00 Evaluating business models17:00 The state of WooCommerce21:00 Matt’s SEO frustrations23:00 Marketing through content25:30 Plugin pricing and bundles28:00 Lifetime licenses debate31:00 Podcasting strategies35:00 Investing in YouTubeImportant LinksBarn2 Plugins – https://barn2.com WP Product Talk PodcastEllipsis Marketinghttps://twitter.com/KatieKeithBarn2https://thewpminute.com/support ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of WP Minute+, Justin Ferriman discusses his business ventures, including founding LearnDash and his latest project, BrightGrowth.We’ll also discuss GapScout, an AI tool for software businesses to analyze customer reviews, which didn’t go the way he had hoped. He’s now selling GapScout due to development hurdles and legal issues with review site policy changes, leaving him with a small taste of failure.Ferriman has pivoted to consulting, using his strengths in marketing and strategy to coach startup founders, offering personalized advice and roundtable discussions, despite the approach’s intentional lack of scalability.His key advice for WordPress entrepreneurs is to leverage personal strengths, be passionate about work, and be discerning in client and service selection for maintaining high standards.Key TakeawaysJustin explains how he is now selling his business GapScout after running into challenges building complex AI technology and changes to review site terms and conditions.The GapScout experience left Justin feeling defeated but taught him to focus on what really energizes him in business.Justin has transitioned to coaching and consulting for startup founders, playing to his strengths in marketing, growth strategies and maximizing profits.He is being very selective about who he works with through warm outreach and relationship building vs trying to scale massively.For WordPress entrepreneurs, takeaways are to focus on your strengths, cut out parts of business you dislike, and be selective about services you realistically can deliver at a high level.Justin leverages Medium for content marketing and gets great organic reach without having to worry about blogging or SEO himself.Overall it’s a story of reinvention, lessons learned from failure, and the importance of playing to your strengths as an entrepreneur.Important linksLearnDash – Justin’s previous business that was acquired: https://www.learndash.com/ GapScout – Justin’s latest business that is now for sale: https://www.gapscout.com/ Bright Growth – Justin’s current coaching/consulting business: https://www.brightgrowth.com/ Justin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinferriman WP Minute Slack Group: [https://thewpminute.com/supportMedium – Platform Justin is using for content marketing: https://medium.com/ Pressnomics Conference – Where Justin and host previously chatted: https://www.pressnomics.com/ ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of The WP Minute Plus podcast, host Matt Medeiros interviews Aaron Edwards about his AI products DocsBot.ai and Imajinn.ai.Aaron shares his background working in WordPress for over a decade, including serving as CTO of WPMU Dev. He then discusses how DocsBot allows users to train chatbots with their own company data to use for customer support, sales, and internal knowledge. Aaron talks about the process of training the bots, pricing plans for WordPress businesses, and surprises when selling to enterprise customers.Chapter Markers:0:00 – Intro1:01 – Welcoming Aaron Edwards1:03 – Using this as an AI therapy session1:24 – Aaron’s background in WordPress2:22 – WPMU Dev’s white label reseller hosting plans3:35 – Training chatbots with your own data5:04 – Using retrieval to provide factual answers8:07 – Letting chatbots index your content10:38 – Typical Doc Spot customers and use cases12:02 – The process for training a DocsBot13:15 – Bringing your own OpenAI key15:15 – Ethics of competitors using your content16:41 – Focusing on driving intent vs. informational content18:11 – AI-generated content and SEO20:23 – Creating helpful content with or without AI22:33 – Selling DocsBot plans to WordPress businesses25:26 – Surprises when selling to enterprise customers28:51 – Flexible ways to integrate DocsBot bots29:36 – Potentially expanding to other AI services32:42 – Where to find Aaron and his AI productsOther Important Links:The WP Minute Slack – https://thewpminute.com/support Aaron on Twitter – https://twitter.com/uglyRobotDev ★ Support this podcast ★

I recently had Jess Frick, Director of Operations at Pressable, on the WP Minute+ podcast. We had an insightful conversation about Pressable’s relationship with Automattic, how the company differentiates itself, and the benefits of Jetpack.I appreciated getting Jess’s insider perspective on Pressable and how they balance being owned by Automattic while still maintaining their own identity and startup mentality in the WordPress hosting space.Definitely check them out if you want managed WordPress hosting with great performance and infrastructure.Key TakeawaysPressable is owned by Automattic but operates independently with a startup mentality. They have more freedom to be “edgy” compared to other Automattic properties.Pressable builds on top of WP Cloud infrastructure created by Automattic. This gives them performance advantages that allow them to handle large websites.They work closely with Jetpack and see big value in including it for free with hosting plans. Security features are especially important.Pressable targets agencies, freelancers, and site owners who want great WordPress infrastructure without the rigidness of a company like VIP Hosting.They aim to be innovative and regularly improve the hosting experience like the recent updates to make staging -> live site migration easier.Important Quotes“We are thrilled to partner with you on this because I really believe in what you guys are doing. And I love the voice that you have in the community. It’s not like other voices.”“I think going forward, you can expect to see, more opinionated opportunities with [Jetpack] as well.” ★ Support this podcast ★

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Brian Jackson, co-founder of Forge Media and creator of the popular WordPress plugins NovaShare and Perfmatters. Brian has extensive experience building successful products and businesses in the WordPress space.In our wide-ranging conversation, we discussed several important topics relevant to the WordPress community right now:Using AI to Enhance Content CreationBoth Brian and I have begun experimenting with AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard to improve our content workflows. He uses a "hybrid approach", leveraging AI to generate ideas and drafts but still adding his own personal touch. I completely agree that carefully crafted prompts are key to getting good results from AI. Neither of us is yet comfortable publishing fully AI-written content.The Impact of AI on the Future of WordPressWe speculated about how advanced AI could enable automated site building outside of WordPress in the future. However, Brian emphasized that niche complexities of WordPress will be difficult for AI to grasp anytime soon. Monetization and Support for Plugin BusinessesBrian explained why he avoids "lifetime deal" pricing for his products, despite it being common for WordPress plugins. While tempting for short-term revenue, it removes incentive for ongoing improvement. He believes subscribers should continue supporting developers to allow constant iteration. Still, he limits sales to just the major Black Friday promotion each year.Key TakeawaysAI can help generate ideas and drafts, but human refinement is still neededWordPress niche complexity means AI won't replace it soonJavaScript skills are critical for WordPress developers now"Lifetime deal" pricing removes incentive for ongoing developmentLimiting sales promotes sustainable growth over quick cash grabsQuotables"I don't think a lot of people know a hundred percent. You can't say yes or no, you know, will Google know this is written by me or not?""WordPress is just a mess, to be honest, for the people that are in the weeds every day, like grinding, like they know how messy WordPress is.""If you have a good product, like why do you need to constantly push sales? It doesn't make sense. ★ Support this podcast ★

Launching a WordPress website can be daunting for new users. Between learning the platform, choosing templates, setting up your homepage, and establishing an online store, it’s a lot to take on. This is where Bluehost’s WonderSuite comes in.In today’s episode, Matt interviewed Jocelyn Hendrickson, a Senior Product Manager at Bluehost, WordPress Commerce. We went deep into their WonderSuite product, especially how it impacts WooCommerce users. She gave great insight into how this new offering simplifies the website creation process for their customers.In a nutshell, WonderSuite provides tools and guidance to get your WordPress site up and running smoothly. No more staring at a blank page wondering what to do next.Jocelyn explained that WordPress experts like us understand the platform because we’ve been using it for years. But for beginners, it can be really confusing trying to figure everything out.This is where WonderSuite comes in with features like templates to choose designs, placeholder content to match your theme, and a support portal for asking questions when you get stuck.One of the key components Jocelyn highlighted is WonderCart, which makes setting up an online store a breeze. You don’t have to build promotions and sales pages from scratch anymore. WonderCart uses AI and pre-made templates to do it for you.As Jocelyn put it, WonderSuite and WonderCart remove the burden of launching a customized, functional WordPress site. Instead of getting overwhelmed, you have tools to guide you through the process.The next time you’re ready to recommend WordPress to a beginner user, keep Bluehost and WonderSuite in mind. Especially if you’re not going to be there to help them along every step of the way. ★ Support this podcast ★

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jon Clark, Marketing Automation Specialist at StellarWP, who also has his own YouTube channel called Jon Automates where he discusses movies, pop culture, and video games. In this fun and insightful episode, Jon shares his expertise on email marketing automation, creating entertaining YouTube content, and his thoughts on recent video games like Elden Ring.At StellarWP, Jon focuses on managing email marketing automation across their suite of WordPress products. He discusses best practices like avoiding email sends on Fridays, finding the optimal times to reach engaged audiences, and using dynamic content and segmentation to create more personalized, relevant messaging. Jon emphasizes focusing on whether an email campaign will entertain or provide value rather than just chasing metrics.On his YouTube channel, Jon prioritizes creating entertaining content on movies, trailers, and pop culture over optimizing for the algorithm. He collaborates with a close group of "YouTube friends" who cross-promote each other's channels. Jon purposefully avoids "rage channels" and politics to foster a positive community where different opinions can be shared openly. He's considering starting a second channel focused just on creative film projects and cinematography.Listeners can find Jon online on YouTube and Twitter. ★ Support this podcast ★

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Nyasha Green about her experiences in the WordPress community. Nyasha is a talented developer, writer, and podcaster who has contributed tremendously to WordPress over the years.In our conversation, Nyasha shared some great insights for new WordPress developers just getting started. Here are 3 key takeaways from our discussion:Learn WordPress development through YouTube and Twitter. Nyasha explained how she learned WordPress and Gutenberg through YouTube videos and people live-tweeting their learning journeys. YouTube is a valuable resource for picking up WordPress skills. Following WordPress experts on Twitter can also connect you with people willing to teach and walkthrough concepts.Contribute to WordPress in small ways. Nyasha talked about how anyone can contribute to WordPress, even in small ways like providing support, designing assets, and testing. Look for teams and projects seeking help wherever your skills allow you to pitch in. The process may seem intimidating but start small.The WordPress community welcomes new developers. Nyasha stressed the WordPress community warmly welcomes both new developers and non-developers. It’s important to make new people feel comfortable when they lack knowledge on technical topics. Go out of your way to support and guide newcomers positively.It was great having Nyasha share her open, honest perspectives on the WordPress community and new developer experience. Be sure to listen to our full conversation on the podcast and follow Nyasha on Twitter! ★ Support this podcast ★

Bluehost has launched a new suite of products called WonderSuite to improve the onboarding experience for new WordPress users. The goal is to simplify the initial setup process and eliminate common pain points that can be frustrating for beginners. WonderSuite includes tools like WonderTheme for easy customization, WonderBlocks for premade layouts, WonderCart for ecommerce features, WonderStart for tailored site building, and WonderHelp for AI-powered assistance. These features provide guardrails and helpful guidance so first-time users aren't overwhelmed learning WordPress.WonderSuite makes use of AI in a couple ways. WonderHelp allows users to ask plain English questions and receive step-by-step tutorials. WonderBlocks uses AI to generate initial content tailored to the user's business, like a flower shop. The key is the AI is assistive, not taking full control. Users still have flexibility to modify all settings and content. Overall, WonderSuite aims to smooth the learning curve so new users can focus on their business instead of web development. It provides an easy onramp while still building on WordPress as the foundation. ★ Support this podcast ★

I’ve been skeptical about the AI tools I see emerging in my Twitter feed.So many of my WordPress friends are using these tools to code, write articles, build websites, and even develop their own AI products. But I’ve been struggling to catch on. Until I saw a thread from Kim Coleman in Post Status about her success with better prompts in ChatGPT.So like any podcasters would do — I invited her on the show to learn more.The Right Prompts Unlock AI’s PotentialBoth Matt and Kim initially struggled to get good results from ChatGPT and similar AI tools. They found the content too generic and not helpful for their WordPress needs. The breakthrough came when they learned to craft detailed, structured prompts to give the AI more context. Instead of just saying “summarize this blog post,” they give background like: “You are an expert WordPress content creator. Summarize this blog post in a conversational tone for our podcast listeners.” Kim shares prompts she uses to turn video transcripts into step-by-step tutorials, and to turn technical changelog notes into readable blog posts. Carefully shaping the prompt helps the AI stay on track.Trying New AI Tools Yields Mixed ResultsMatt has had more success using Claude.ai instead of ChatGPT to generate show notes by giving it two separate interview transcripts. The key is uploading both transcripts at once so the AI doesn’t confuse information between interviews. Kim experimented with some tools like ContentScale and others where you fill out forms instead of chatting. She didn’t find these as effective as crafting her own prompts in a chat interface. They agree that graphic and video AI tools like Midjourney are not yet ready for marketing assets, though they see potential in the future.AI’s Role in WordPress’ FutureThere is some debate around integrating AI directly into WordPress products. If it’s just a basic tool that pastes in text, it may not add much value and could even backfire if it provides bad results. More complex integrations like LifterLMS using AI as a “coach” to guide course creation show more promise. This takes into account the human goals instead of just spitting out generic content. Matt and Kim agree responsible humans are still needed to oversee AI tools, but they will likely continue shaping parts of the WordPress workflow. Using the right prompts unlocks the benefits while avoiding potential downsides.Important linksHere are the important links we mention throughout the conversation:ChatGPT (chat.openai.com)Claude AI (claude.ai)ContentScale (contentscale.com)Midjourney (midjourney.com)Canva (canva.com)LifterLMS (lifterlms.com)Paid Memberships Pro (paidmembershipspro.com)The WP Minute Podcast (thewpminute.com) ★ Support this podcast ★

(Note: I had to record on Zoom and the audio quality isn't the greatest. Sorry about that!)In this podcast episode, Matt and Clifton discuss Clifton's role as a web expert and his journey with WordPress. They talk about Clifton's YouTube channel and his approach to teaching WordPress step by step. They also touch on the evolution of website building using WordPress, the benefits of themes like StudioPress, and the introduction of Gutenberg. They discuss the future of WordPress, the concerns of agency owners, and the power of the WordPress developer ecosystem. Clifton shares his motivation for creating educational videos on his YouTube channel and his plans for the future. They also discuss video production techniques and the importance of prioritizing education in content creation. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode, Matt chats with James, an industry veteran in WordPress, about his new initiative TeamWP. They delve into James' experiences and insights, revealing the need for a more robust approach to team-building and culture within WordPress businesses.James introduces TeamWP, a service aimed at fostering healthier and more productive work environments within these businesses. He discusses how they aid in obtaining candid feedback from employees, maintaining confidentiality, and promoting a psychologically safe space for open communication.James shares his philosophy on company culture, underscoring the importance of balancing hard work with celebration and relaxation to avoid burnout. He also highlights some of the models and principles that he's developed over 15 years in the industry, including the Open Team framework and an employee engagement survey.This engaging discussion ends with James emphasizing that his approach is interactive and guided, striving for sustainable improvement over quick fixes.Important linkshttps://twitter.com/jamesgirouxhttps://teamwp.co/https://thewpminute.com/support ★ Support this podcast ★

To honor WordPress’s 20th anniversary David Bisset has invited four charming and entertinaing community members to talk about some highlights in it’s history. Primary topics include: how WordPress has made an open source for the general community, what proposal or feature of WordPress over the years didn’t get attention or appreciation it deserved, and what WordPRess event has been the most noteworthy?Just like other conversations - there is quite a few memory of about the community and forgotten WordPress features. Join us and you may recognize some of the things shared!ShownotesGuests w/ Shared linksFrancesca MaranoHelen Hou Sandí appearance at WCEU2016 (“not 2017 as I mentioned”) https://youtu.be/Nl6U7UotA-M?t=2380“Multisite Roadmap that, I believe, was not given a fair chance” https://make.wordpress.org/core/roadmap/multisite/[Feature project] “Updates on updating the updaters with Outcome 2 committed yesterday”The Women of WordPress. “It's hard to mention just a few, because luckily there are many and hopefully many more to come. But if I had to pick only 3, Josepha Haden Chomphosy, Underrepresented in tech (gaming the system here :grimacing: ) and myself”.Twitter: @FrancescaMarano Maitreyie ChavanIntroduction of REST API Endpoints in WP 4.7 - https://wordpress.org/news/2016/12/vaughan/An all-women and non-binary release WordPress 5.6 - https://make.wordpress.org/core/2020/03/11/all-women-release-squad/Launch of Learn WordPress - https://wordpress.org/news/2020/12/introducing-learn-wordpress/WordCamp Asia 2023 - https://asia.wordcamp.org/2023/we-did-it/https://twitter.com/maitreyie_chttps://www.linkedin.com/in/maitreyie/ Jason Cosperhttps://wordpress.org/news/2008/10/usability-testing-report-25-and-crazyhorse/https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/post-formats/WordCamp 2016: “The Camp That Started It All” https://sf.wordcamp.org/2006/ Managed WordPress Hosting: “This is where WP moved upmarket… Sites started outgrowing and graduating from shared and VPS hosting and WordCamp talks and tracks started talking about the "business of WordPress".https://wpwatercooler.comhttps://simian.rodeo/@boogah Joshua Woldttps://joshuawold.comhttps://onboardwp.io ★ Support this podcast ★

To honor WordPress’s 20th anniversary David Bisset has a friendly chat with four prominent but cool community members to talk about some highlights in it’s history. Primary topics include: Memorial WordPress Release, a WordCamp or WordCamp Experience, and the most notable State of the Word Announcement from Matt. Guests also share other moments that stood out to them and what the future might hold.ShownotesGuests w/ Shared linksEric KarkovackWordPress 1.2 "Mingus" added the plugin architecture:https://wordpress.org/news/2004/05/heres-the-beef/ WordCamp Philadelphia 2011 - My first WordCamp. I loved the informal nature of the event and meeting other attendees. It opened my eyes to the WP community.https://philadelphia.wordcamp.org/2011/ 2014: The advent of WordCamp US, and other “anchor” camps worldwide, using Slack instead of IRC for communication:https://wptavern.com/matt-mullenwegs-state-of-the-word-highlights-internationalization-mobile-and-new-tools-for-wordpress-contributors  @karks88https://www.karks.com/https://www.speckyboy.com/https://www.thewpminute.com/ Jeff ChandlerRae Moreyhttps://www.therepository.email/https://wptavern.com/wordpress-5-6-simone-includes-new-twenty-twenty-one-theme-and-improved-editor https://peterwilson.cc/wordpress-5-6-released/ (Peter Wilson, Awesome Motive-sponsored core contributor)https://europe.wordcamp.org/2015/ https://torquemag.io/2017/12/state-word-2017-recap/ Ken Elliottbkreative.netblackpresswp.comtwitter.com/kennethspeaks ★ Support this podcast ★

Robby McCullough of Beaver Builder joins the podcast to chat about the future of page building in WordPress and at his company. Robby and his team have just celebrated 9 years running the Beaver Builder plugin, changing the page building landscape as WordPress users know it. He's excited to press forward into his next chapter of WordPress products with the Assistant plugin. Think of it as the glue to connecting your multiple WordPress websites across the cloud, sharing templates, blocks, and other data. https://twitter.com/RobbyMcCulloughhttps://twitter.com/BeaverBuilderhttps://assistant.pro/https://wordpress.org/plugins/assistant/https://thewpminute.com/support ★ Support this podcast ★