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Diao: Horizontal products succeed when paired with targeted entry points

Sandy Diao · 20Growth: How to Build a Paid Marketing Machine: ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) 101 | The Rise of User Generated Content and How to Use It | TikTok Ads: Expectations vs. Reality | Hiring for Growth: When and Who with Sandy Diao · Oct 24, 2025 · at 58:29

Sandy Diao, former growth leader at Descript, discusses product positioning strategies for early-stage prosumer and self-service software companies.

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“I find that with these, I'll call them prosumer product or self-service products, you can actually get away with being relatively horizontal with the functionality of the product. So long as you're tailored with the entry points.”

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