No Hacks: The Mindset Behind Digital Optimization and Growth

Slobodan (Sani) Manić
  • 5.0 (7)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
No Hacks: The Mindset Behind Digital Optimization and Growth

Welcome to No Hacks, the podcast where expertise meets creativity to revolutionize digital experiences. Hosted by industry veteran Slobodan (Sani) Manić, this engaging series tackles marketing, conversion rate optimization (CRO), and user experience (UX) without relying on gimmicks or shortcuts. In each episode, join Slobodan as he engages in candid conversations with top leaders and innovators from tech, business, and design fields. Discover real stories, lessons learned, and breakthrough moments that highlight how to create impactful and transformative online experiences. No Hacks goes beyond traditional best practices, challenging the status quo by exploring the psychology behind what truly works. Delve into real-world case studies and explore innovative strategies that push the limits of possibility in the digital landscape. If you are a developer, designer, marketer, or a digital enthusiast, No Hacks provides smart, thoughtful strategies for long-term success. Learn to think differently, innovate creatively, and build meaningful digital experiences. No shortcuts, just expert insights and genuine solutions. Subscribe now to join us one episode at a time as we unravel the true elements of designing transformative digital experiences. Two Formats, One Mission: 🎙️ No Hacks Podcast (long-form interviews) – In these seasonal episodes, I sit down with top experts in marketing, tech, and business to discuss the principles and stories behind successful optimization. We go beyond the surface to explore what really works—and why, on Wednesdays. 🍪 No Hacks Snacks (short-form insights) – Need quick, actionable advice? These under-10-minute episodes deliver practical tips and insights from a wide range of guests, on Mondays and Fridays. Subscribe and join No Hacks on this journey to make the internet a better, more thoughtful place, one episode at a time.

  1. [S03E11] No Juniors, No Google, No Chill: Survival Tips for the AI Shake-Up with Erin Weigel and Lukas Vermeer

    JUL 2

    [S03E11] No Juniors, No Google, No Chill: Survival Tips for the AI Shake-Up with Erin Weigel and Lukas Vermeer

    What does life look like when search engines, junior tech jobs, and even human therapists start losing ground to generative AI? In this lightning-charged round-table, host Sani sits down with experimentation legends Erin Weigel and Lukas Vermeer to test-drive a future that’s already creeping into the present. In this episode you’ll hear: “RIP Google SERPs?”. Lukas explains why he’s stopped opening SERPs and lets ChatGPT do the leg-work instead, and what that means for SEO as a profession. Therapy by chatbot. A frank debate on the ethics of replacing licensed counselors with LLMs, complete with Erin’s tale of an AI that literally narrated its own fake empathy. The vanishing ladder. Why companies are skipping junior hires, how that starves tomorrow’s seniors, and whether YouTube “mentors” can fill the gap. Layoffs, wage pressure & the fourth AI hype-cycle. Erin argues that generative tools are becoming the C-suite’s favorite excuse to “do more with less,” accelerating job insecurity across tech. Blackout reality check. Sani recounts a one-day power failure that froze an entire city, highlighting just how thin our digital safety net really is. Off-grid plans & doom-prep kits. From Raspberry Pi LLMs to a solar-powered farmhouse in France, the crew swaps tongue-in-cheek tips for surviving an AI-augmented apocalypse. About the guests Erin Weigel is the former principal designer at Booking.com, now charting the blurry boundary between human-centered design and AI-generated “V-Zero” mock-ups.Lukas Vermeer is the ex-director of experimentation at Booking.com and Vista; known for turning data questions into live product experiments. Both Erin and Lukas started the same day at Booking.com, one of many shared origin stories they unpack. --- If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend! No Hacks website YouTube LinkedIn Instagram

    43 min
  2. [S03E10] Behavioral Design Secrets from YouTube, Google, and Duolingo with Katie Dove

    JUN 5

    [S03E10] Behavioral Design Secrets from YouTube, Google, and Duolingo with Katie Dove

    Why don’t users do what they say they’ll do? Why does great UX still fail sometimes? And what do the world’s top companies know about behavior that most of us miss? In this episode, Sani sits down with Katie Dove, behavioral designer at Irrational Labs, to break down the Three B Framework, a powerful behavioral design tool used by teams at Google, YouTube, and Duolingo. They unpack how context shapes decisions, why psychological friction is often invisible, and what it really takes to drive engagement through design. If you work in UX, CRO, product, or marketing, this episode will change how you think about user behavior forever. 🔍 What we cover: Why values don’t always predict behavior (and why that’s okay)The Three B Framework: Behavior, Barriers, BenefitsThe difference between logistical and psychological frictionReal-world case studies: Google AdWords, ClassPass, Duolingo, top banksHow to identify the right behavior to optimizeThe psychology of mental models, defaults, and motivationWhy asking users what they want often leads you astrayRapid-fire insights on irrationality, app design, and moreGuest: Katie Dove Behavioral designer and partner at Irrational Labs Katie leads behavioral design projects for companies like Google, YouTube, and leading financial institutions. At Irrational Labs, she helps teams apply behavioral science to real-world digital products and services. 🔗 IrrationalLabs.com 🔗 Follow Katie on LinkedIn --- If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend! No Hacks website YouTube LinkedIn Instagram

    33 min
  3. [S03E09] Know Your Customer, Grow Your Brand: Email Marketing Masterclass with Omar Lovert

    MAY 29

    [S03E09] Know Your Customer, Grow Your Brand: Email Marketing Masterclass with Omar Lovert

    What separates email campaigns that convert from those that get ignored? It all comes down to understanding your customers, deeply. In this episode, Sani welcomes back Omar Lovert for a masterclass on customer-centric email marketing. Together, they unpack why AI can’t replace real customer insight, how to use RFM segmentation to identify your most valuable users, and the frameworks that top-performing brands use to map the customer journey and boost lifetime value. From tactical tips on optimizing welcome flows to the underrated power of post-purchase emails, this is your blueprint for building human-first marketing in a world increasingly driven by automation. 🧠 You’ll learn: Why customer research still beats AI-generated contentHow to segment your audience with RFM scoringThe role of jobs-to-be-done interviews in crafting better campaignsHow to use NPS and support signals to improve retentionWhy your first-time customers are your biggest opportunityWhether you’re a DTC marketer, retention strategist, or email geek, this one’s packed with value. --- If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend! No Hacks website YouTube LinkedIn Instagram

    41 min

  4. MAY 8

    [SOLO] Magician vs. Conductor: How to Build (and Fix) Products with AI in 2025

    Heads-up: I use some salty language. Nothing hateful, just passionate about this topic. Skip if that’s not your vibe. It’s 2 AM, your side-project just went viral, and the signup flow is on fire. Do you keep “vibe-coding” blind prompts, or step up as the conductor who actually knows the score? In this first-ever solo episode, I unpack why “anyone can code with AI” is 2025’s biggest myth and show you how to turn large language models into the ultimate co-pilot instead of a ticking time-bomb. Key Takeaways Illusions break at scale. Vibe-coding can get you an MVP, but you’ll pay interest when production fires start.Your new super-power isn’t “no knowledge,” it’s “faster knowledge.” LLMs shrink the gap between “I don’t know” and “I can ship.”Learning beats prompting. Prompting is great, prompt-and-probe is better. Use back-and-forth to understand, not just generate.Career moat = curiosity. The people who thrive next year aren’t the ones with the fanciest prompts; they’re the ones who ask better questions and close their gaps daily.7-Day Knowledge-Gap Challenge Pick one concept you avoid (CSS Flexbox? Indexing in Postgres?).Spend 15 min/day grilling an LLM: “Explain it like I’m 7… now show real-world code… now debug this snippet…”Log what surprised you, then share your aha momentsCall to Action Try the challenge. Tag me with your progress by next week.Rate & Review. If this episode saved you from a 2 AM meltdown, drop a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on your favorite app.Share. Forward the LinkedIn post or the episode link to one builder who still thinks vibe-coding is a strategy.--- If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend! No Hacks website YouTube LinkedIn Instagram

    13 min
  5. [S03E08] Data Minimalism, Experimentation, and Ethical AI with Matt Gershoff

    APR 27

    [S03E08] Data Minimalism, Experimentation, and Ethical AI with Matt Gershoff

    In this episode, Sani sits down with Matt Gershoff, CEO and Co-founder of Conductrics, to talk about how being intentional, not just fast, leads to better experimentation, better customer relationships, and better outcomes. Matt shares the wild story of how a machine learning summer school (and donkeys in pajamas!) helped spark Conductrics. They unpack why "just in case" data collection is broken, why data minimalism matters now more than ever, and how companies should rethink experimentation in the AI age. What You'll Hear [00:00] Introduction [00:03:05] What Makes Conductrics Different [00:09:01] Being Intentional with Experimentation [00:09:54] The Problem with "Just in Case" Data Collection [00:17:06] Why Data Hoarding Feels So Different Digitally [00:25:43] Rapid Fire: Quick Takes with Matt [00:38:07] Intentional Data Collection in A/B Testing Where to Find Matt Connect at Conductrics.comOr find him on LinkedIn and the Test & Learn Community SlackAbout Matt Gershoff Matt Gershoff is the CEO and Co-founder of Conductrics, a leader in privacy-first experimentation technology. With a background in econometrics, database marketing, and artificial intelligence, Matt is passionate about helping businesses build smarter, more customer-focused decision systems — without losing sight of ethics or intentionality. 🔗 Find Matt online: Conductrics WebsiteMatt's LinkedIn--- If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend! No Hacks website YouTube LinkedIn Instagram

    44 min

  6. APR 22

    Google Doesn’t Need Your Blog Posts Anymore, Here’s What to Do Instead with Jono Alderson

    Is content marketing finally dead? In this no-BS conversation, I’m joined by digital strategist Jono Alderson to unpack the new reality of SEO, content, and how Google’s evolution is leaving traditional marketing behind. Jono explains why so much content is now obsolete, how search is changing with AI, and why the only real path forward is to be more human, more trustworthy, and more brand-driven than ever before. 🔥 What We Talk About: 00:00 – Is content marketing dead? Jono kicks off with a bang. 00:46 – “Solved query spaces” and why Google doesn’t need your blog posts anymore. 02:46 – The AI-powered future of search: recipes, risottos, and synthetic content. 04:55 – What actually still works: EEAT, branding, and building trust. 07:45 – The ironic truth: in the age of AI, being human is your biggest asset. 🧠 Key Takeaways: Why pumping out blog posts is no longer a growth strategyWhat “solved query spaces” mean for your SEO futureWhy Google’s zero-click answers are here to stayHow to compete through trust, brand, and true expertiseWhy your best marketing move might be… local radio?🔗 Links: Jono's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonoalderson/ --- If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend! No Hacks website YouTube LinkedIn Instagram

    10 min

  7. APR 15

    Is the Internet Dead? The Rise of Bot-to-Bot Web & the Decline of Human Content with Anne Berlin

    In this episode of No Hacks, host Sani is joined by technical SEO strategist Anne Berlin to explore one of the most disturbing and fascinating topics on the web today: the Dead Internet Theory. Is most of what we see online actually created by bots, for bots? What happens when the web becomes a wasteland of AI-generated slop and abandoned digital ruins? Anne draws on her extensive experience analyzing crawl logs, server stats, and digital infrastructure to reveal how bot traffic is outpacing real users, and what that means for the future of human-centric content. If you’ve ever wondered why the web feels “off” these days, this one’s for you. 👤 About the Guest: Anne Berlin Anne Berlin is a Lead Product Strategist and Senior Technical SEO at Lumar, with over a decade of experience in digital strategy, enterprise SEO, and content performance optimization. Anne specializes in high-scale technical audits, crawl budget efficiency, and structured data for large websites, including e-commerce and news publishing giants. She’s a passionate advocate for reclaiming the human web and brings a cross-disciplinary lens to digital decay, combining SEO, DevOps, and sustainability insights. She's previously led digital strategy for organizations like Kaplan and the Lupus Foundation of America and holds a Master’s from Georgetown University. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – What is the Dead Internet Theory? 00:24 – The rise of bots: from content creation to consumption 01:04 – How bots degrade user experience 01:44 – Why most web pages are unread by humans 02:25 – From Geocities to AI slop: the lost human web 03:06 – Budget cuts and digital burnout 04:01 – The hidden energy cost of web inefficiencies 05:37 – Cross-functional SEO: solving crawl waste 06:33 – One endpoint, a transatlantic flight's worth of carbon 07:25 – 60% of web traffic is non-human 08:01 – Are we too late to save the web? 09:42 – Join the crusade: building a human-led internet ✅ Key Takeaways Dead Internet Theory suggests that bots, not humans, dominate the web today—both as content creators and consumers.Anne estimates 60% of web traffic is bot-based, with only 40% appearing human.Many web pages are published without ever being seen by a human, often as part of programmatic SEO.Neglected code and crawl bloat have energy and environmental costs, with one exposed endpoint equating to a transatlantic flight in carbon emissions.The solution lies in cross-training and collaboration across SEO, DevOps, infrastructure, and security to reduce digital inefficiencies and prioritize meaningful content.Anne advocates for a return to a human-first web, where real people matter more than algorithms.--- If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend! No Hacks website YouTube LinkedIn Instagram

    10 min
  8. [S03E07] Growing Smarter, Not Louder: The 1-1-1 Framework for Early-Stage Startups with Ward van Gasteren

    APR 3

    [S03E07] Growing Smarter, Not Louder: The 1-1-1 Framework for Early-Stage Startups with Ward van Gasteren

    Growth doesn’t have to mean being everywhere at once or chasing every shiny new tactic. In this episode of No Hacks, I talk with Ward van Gasteren — one of Europe’s first growth hackers — about how to grow smarter, not louder. Ward shares his go-to method for helping early-stage startups: the 1-1-1 Framework — one audience, one channel, one message. We dig into how founders and product teams can stop spreading themselves too thin, avoid early-stage overwhelm, and finally find traction through focus. Ward explains the difference between growth and traditional marketing, how to approach experimentation, and why most companies waste time on strategies that don’t serve their stage. Whether you’re building a company, a product, or even a podcast — this conversation will help you cut through the noise and grow with clarity. Topics Covered: How to stop doing too much and focus on what worksThe 1-1-1 Framework for early-stage clarityWhy founders waste time on channels that aren’t readyThe role of experimentation beyond A/B testingChoosing the right growth metrics and north starWhy organic social is rarely a growth engineBuilding scalable systems after early tractionAI’s impact on speed (but not necessarily quality)How podcast growth follows the same principles as startup growthAbout the Guest: Ward van Gasteren is a growth consultant and one of Europe’s first professional growth hackers. Through his platform Grow with Ward, he helps early-stage startups create growth strategies that actually work — without burning out in the process. Ward has worked with companies across industries to simplify how they think about growth, run smarter experiments, and scale what’s already working. His 1-1-1 Framework has helped founders build real traction by focusing on the right things — not everything. Timestamps: 00:00:00 – What does a growth consultant really do?00:06:07 – Breaking down the 1-1-1 Framework: one audience, one channel, one message00:10:27 – Brand-building vs. selling: when organic social actually helps00:15:30 – Ward’s favorite growth tool (and why he’d ditch GA4)00:20:07 – Growth vs. Marketing: different teams, different goals00:25:08 – How AI tools help with speed, but not necessarily with strategy00:30:24 – Getting honest customer feedback and applying “The Mom Test”00:35:16 – Ward’s growth program and where to follow his workConnect with Ward:  → Website: https://growwithward.com → LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wardvangasteren/ --- If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend! No Hacks website YouTube LinkedIn Instagram

    37 min
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5
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7 Ratings

About

Welcome to No Hacks, the podcast where expertise meets creativity to revolutionize digital experiences. Hosted by industry veteran Slobodan (Sani) Manić, this engaging series tackles marketing, conversion rate optimization (CRO), and user experience (UX) without relying on gimmicks or shortcuts. In each episode, join Slobodan as he engages in candid conversations with top leaders and innovators from tech, business, and design fields. Discover real stories, lessons learned, and breakthrough moments that highlight how to create impactful and transformative online experiences. No Hacks goes beyond traditional best practices, challenging the status quo by exploring the psychology behind what truly works. Delve into real-world case studies and explore innovative strategies that push the limits of possibility in the digital landscape. If you are a developer, designer, marketer, or a digital enthusiast, No Hacks provides smart, thoughtful strategies for long-term success. Learn to think differently, innovate creatively, and build meaningful digital experiences. No shortcuts, just expert insights and genuine solutions. Subscribe now to join us one episode at a time as we unravel the true elements of designing transformative digital experiences. Two Formats, One Mission: 🎙️ No Hacks Podcast (long-form interviews) – In these seasonal episodes, I sit down with top experts in marketing, tech, and business to discuss the principles and stories behind successful optimization. We go beyond the surface to explore what really works—and why, on Wednesdays. 🍪 No Hacks Snacks (short-form insights) – Need quick, actionable advice? These under-10-minute episodes deliver practical tips and insights from a wide range of guests, on Mondays and Fridays. Subscribe and join No Hacks on this journey to make the internet a better, more thoughtful place, one episode at a time.

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