Clay is redefining the B2B growth landscape and everybody is watching! It is everywhere—used, promoted, and loved by thousands. Since their 2022 Product Hunt launch, they’ve grown to 100k+ users and 2,500+ customers, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Intercom, and Notion. But what fueled their growth? With the latest funding and a spot on Forbes’ “Next Top Unicorns,” this is no ordinary startup story. In this RevCon fireside chat with Jared Robin, Varun Anand, Clay’s co-founder chatted about the tactics and strategies that fueled their rapid growth and resonated with their technical, growth-focused users. Lots of lessons, lots of strategies that work. Dive into our recap or watch the whole session here!
Trust Your Intuition
Varun’s journey with Clay started in a no-code Slack group, where he stumbled upon a product demo with zero attendees. After exploring Clay, he felt its potential and joined the team.
Clay made me feel something—it was one of the first times I felt software that truly inspired me.
Identifying a Niche and Zeroing in on Pain Points
Refining focus was key as Clay initially served too broad an audience. Varun and the team narrowed in on technical agency owners focused on data enrichment and lead generation.
The tagline was clever—‘the spreadsheet that fills itself’—but horizontal. We needed a core use case, and we found it with data enrichment for agencies.
Takeaways:
- Listen to where the pull is strongest: In Clay’s case, this was with agencies that valued data enrichment for client work.
- Narrow down use cases: Horizontal products often struggle with adoption until they solve a specific problem for a well-defined group.
By centering on agency users who felt data pain points, Clay built a loyal base that organically shared and advocated for the product.
Building a Community of Power Users
Clay’s growth loop came from users sharing workflows on LinkedIn, positioning themselves as experts and naturally promoting Clay. Letting customers drive content helps build social proof and trust, especially in the early stages of a B2B product.
We saw the loop: us helping them, them posting about it, us enabling them further. That loop drove early traction.
Strategies you can steal:
- Encourage user-driven content: Provide resources or examples that let users share workflows or product tips.
- Facilitate knowledge sharing: Hosting live LinkedIn events or setting up a Slack community allows users to exchange ideas and drive product visibility.
Experimenting with Reverse Demos and Interactive Support
Reverse demos were unique to Clay’s approach, allowing users to share their screens, work through real scenarios, and see immediate results. Solving customer’s problems and focusing on a quick win in a demo created buy-in and built confidence. Plus — seeing how users navigate the product gives raw insights that improve product design.
If we could solve a problem for someone within 25 minutes, they were bought in. It’s that hands-on support that kept people coming back.
Insight for you: Real-time problem-solving builds user trust and converts interest into active engagement.
Content as a Key Driver of Demand
Content-driven growth involved team members and customers sharing use cases and workflows on LinkedIn, giving Clay organic exposure and demand.Hosting live shows or problem-solving sessions brought the product to life and attracted potential users.
We posted every day on LinkedIn, running live shows, and solving outbound problems for our audience in real time.
Insight: By building a platform where users could display their expertise, Clay created brand advocates while expanding its market reach.
A Unique Sales Motion: Go-To-Market Engineers
Go-to-market engineers at Clay are a blend of technical and sales roles, directly solving user problems while gathering feedback to improve the product. Choosing sales team members with the same background as the target audience builds immediate rapport. Focusing on problem-solving, not selling makes users feel understood and valued.
We wanted sales engineers who looked like our customers, could solve problems on the spot, and were customer-first.
Insight: By blending technical skills with customer-first attitudes, Clay keeps sales authentic and user-focused, reflecting their commitment to real problem-solving.
Scaling with Flexibility and Fast Iteration
Fast iteration allowed Clay to prioritize short-term, actionable insights, focusing on immediate feedback to make rapid improvements. Weekly sprints and fast feedback cycles ensure the product is always evolving with user needs. Avoiding endless A/B tests lets a team move faster and stay focused on clear user feedback.
We didn’t A/B test everything—we moved fast, adapted weekly, and just kept close to our users.
Insight: Quick iteration is often more valuable than exhaustive testing.
A Focus on Signals and Triggers
The key to outbound is reaching your customer at the right moment.
Signals and triggers are Clay’s next big focus, aiming to enhance targeting by recognizing indicators like job changes or web activity to improve personalization. Targeting users at the right time (e.g., after a job change) can significantly increase engagement rates.
Insight: Personalization is most effective when timed right; by integrating signals, Clay empowers growth teams to reach prospects exactly when they’re ready.
Lessons from Clay
Clay’s journey equals listening closely to users, building communities, and prioritizing problem-solving over selling.
TL:DR:
- Build strong feedback loops with customers.
- Refine your niche early to solve specific pain points.
- Enable user-driven content and create real-time support systems.
- Focus on rapid iteration rather than perfect experimentation.
Varun’s final thought sums it up: “Ultimately, it’s about earning the trust and buy-in of your users by solving real problems in ways that surprise and delight them. That’s how Clay has grown, and it’s a principle we hold close.”
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