Carol Malakasis

Market Pull Group

"Startups strive for market pull. We help you find it" 

Hi there! At Market Pull, we help early stage founders and sales teams (Seed - A) predictably scale to their first $1M in ARR and beyond. 

But let's take a step back. You already know that 90% of early startups fail. 

And you probably know that's due to lack of product market fit (not enough traction), poor or no sales execution (no playbook), bad founding hires (wrong candidate / wrong stage), burning through your runway (is the business even viable?)

But...is it you? Do you lack sales ability / hate selling OR is it time for a product pivot?

You're losing sleep over: 

🔵 Selling to the right ICP

🔵 Transitioning from inbound to outbound sales

🔵 Successfully qualifying and closing deals

🔵 Finding the right pricing model

🔵 Selling without being 'salesy'

🔵 When to hire and train a sales team

🔵 Executing a repeatable sales motion. 

That's where we come in. 

We audit your processes, custom build your GTM strategy, teach you how to sell (founder-led selling), and help you hire, onboard, and train your first sales team. 

Our clients are able to get to their first $1M ARR and beyond, in a predictable, scalable way, and use the processes we build together for the lifecycle of their business. 

When you hire me, I am a part of your team. I am known for my directness, dedication, and aversion to BS.

If you'd like to work with me, DM me. I look forward to meeting you!

CEO & founder

SOSA

Startup Mentor

Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator

Starta VC

Sales mentor for the Spring & Fall 2023 Cohorts

Techstars

Rampd

WHO GETS RESULTS WORKING WITH RAMPD:

Founders of early stage startups at the Seed to Series A stage, who want a predictable sales system to grow their revenue operations consistently as they scale their organization.

WHAT WE DO:

There are 5 chapters to an inside sales playbook — Building, Hiring, Training, Managing and Measuring. I walk you through a systematized process on how to execute each step flawlessly over the course of an accelerator program. With me you get a Trainer, Consultant, Coach and Mentor all in one.

Managing Partner | Head of Training 

WeWork

Seated

Senior Key Accounts Partner (Series B)

- Promoted in this position to handle our top tier, key accounts.
- Consistently closed over 100% to goal
- Launched Boston, Atlanta, and Chicago market

Senior Key Accounts Associate

- Second salesperson to be hired in the team (Seed stage)
- Helped built initial script and outreach materials
- Consistently closed over 100% to goal

Senior Account Executive 

Trendy Pal

Trendy Pal is a two-way app connecting local retail shops with influencers, in order to acquire new clients and promote retention via built-in loyalty program.

- Built GTM strategy
- Trained sales team
- Recruited VP of Sales

Sales Consultant

Munch Ado

All-in-one digital solution for restaurants providing social media and e-commerce design and management, driving growth and revenue online.

Director of Account Management

When I got hired at my first sales role, selling goat cheese door to door, I did not know what “revenue” meant. Fast forward 15 years later, I am an expert at scaling revenue for Seed - Series A startups. 

I am a NY sales vet who spent the last 15 years in startup sales. 

After my brief stint selling cheese, I co-founded a CPG brand (acquired) selling handmade Horchata to local markets and Wholefoods. 

I pivoted in tech in 2012 and found my passion in building SMB startups. I’ve been part of the founding GTM team in three high growth startups (2 exits). 

I’ve made over half a million cold calls, trained sales teams, hired and onboarded hundreds of reps, and sold over $2M in revenue. 

Since 2020, I am a GTM consultant, trainer, and coach for B2B SaaS companies. I’ve helped over 100 YC companies get to their first $1M in revenue and beyond. 

.........................................................................................

The first five years of a startup's life are the most crucial. 

During this time 90% of startups fail. 

Top reasons include lack of product market fit, poor or no sales execution, bad founding hires, burning through your runway. 

I de-risk all of the above and provide you with the tools and systems to predictably scale to Series A and beyond. 

When traction isn’t there, is it really your product or…is it you? Do you struggle with selling, lack a repeatable sales process, or need a product pivot? 

You're losing sleep over: 

🔵 Selling to the right ICP

🔵 Transitioning from inbound to outbound sales

🔵 Successfully qualifying and closing deals

🔵 Finding the right pricing model

🔵 Selling without being 'salesy'

🔵 When to hire and train a sales team

🔵 Executing a repeatable sales motion. 

That's where I come in. I audit your processes, custom build your GTM strategy, teach you how to sell (founder-led selling), and help you hire, onboard, and train your first sales team. 

My clients are able to get to their first $1M ARR and beyond, in a predictable, scalable way, and use the processes we build together for the lifecycle of their business. 

When you hire me, I am a part of your team. I am known for my directness, dedication, and aversion to BS. 


If you want to work with me, DM me. You can also book a call at https://calendly.com/malakasis ☎️

Envoy

Pavilion is powered by an international community of revenue leaders from the world’s fastest growing companies. Together, we teach new skills, forge meaningful connections, and help our companies grow. 

As an Event Host, I host Executive Salon Dinners for Pavilion and drive insightful, confidential dialogues on trending topics, growth opportunities, and strategies for overcoming challenges. 

Unlock your professional potential and level up with community-powered learning for CEOs, GTM leaders, and teams. Join today at joinpavilion.com/apply-now.

My name is Hlib and we make fcking awesome SaaS product videos.
Formerly a competing powerlifter (RAW, sq 282.5kg, b 180 kg, dl 300 kg, bw @-90).
I lead the team of 12 talented Ukrainians (scriptwriters, designers, animators, sound producers, etc).

Hlib Trazanov

Fresh drop!
New product video for Janie.
Made in 3.5 weeks. 

Type: product launch video
Duration: 68 seconds
Structure: [Problem + Dream outcome] -> [Solution] -> [How it works] -> [Social proof] -> [Features] -> [CTA]

Even though it's a typography-heavy video, we still used the voice-over here. 

And more so - AI voice-over! 

It was a genious way to show the "human-like voice" that Janie uses to speak with patients, in action. 

_________________________
DM me if you want a similar product video :)

Founder @ Astra Motion | Video Marketing for SaaS/AI

How Google did their NEW video:
(published 5 days ago)
Let's break it down!

The Gemini video team cooked again! :)

It's a 1:06 min long product video, with trendy 3D UI animations, and a prompt-result concept. 

But let's take a deeper look:

1. They used a very generic [Dream outcome] for any vibe coding tool, as a hook: "You can build anything"...

but it doesn't say much tbh... can I build a rocket ship with it??

So next, they had to show a quick teaser, to:
a) give some examples
b) back up the proof with visuals

Because if you do such a broad hook without immediate backing, it becomes very vague and doesn't make sense to anybody.

2. Then comes the [Demo] part. 

They just SHOWED what's happening under the hood. The prompting, the thinking process, the UIs, the end result. 

Like a quick timelapse. I love it. It's the "meat" part of the video.

Realistic demo is another big proof in a product video space :)

3. [Use cases] - to show it can do "sooo much more". 

The easiest way to show it has "endless possibilities" without spending another 2 mins of the video? -> Swiping 20-30 other use cases in about 5 seconds.

4. Quick [CTA] with a URL (just so people can find it, because Google has so many tools, workspaces, etc.)

Overall, I think the video works and delivers well. 

- Music + fancy 3D angles - made it entertaining to watch.
- Scripting structure - made it super informative.

What do you guys think?

______________________
P.S. For product marketers: we make similar product videos, check out my page for more :)

105M views of paid traffic!!
On YouTube. By Base44.
Let's break it down.

People HATE on this ad (at least in the YT comments).

You'd hate it too, if you had seen it NON-STOP on YouTube for 1-2 months without being able to skip it... 

But it's actually a good sign. 

Because, if Base44 is still running traffic to it... it's definitely working! 

Strategy:

1. Youtube ads -> LOTs of traffic (views). Top of funnel, for awareness.
2. Retargeting ads on Meta -> conversions (second layer - demos, testimonials, case studies, customer stories).

YouTube is the best place to run videos as awareness ads. And the engagement curve is the highest there (check the screenshot in the comments below: I'm showing the stats of our recent video used in YT ads by our client). 

And without retargeting, all this "awareness" doesn't make much sense.

So Base44 "captures" and converts it on other platforms like Meta (I'll drop the link to their retargeting ads in the comments).

Now, the tactics:

1. Since Base44 are showing it to a very cold audience, they used [Dream outcome] as a hook. 
2. They teased the [end result] very early in the video. As a proof.
3. Added a [Demo] block, to "test it" on one real use case. 

In 2025, you can promise anything you want. But without [proof], nothing works anymore. 

Base44 nailed the ad video. And the content distribution strategy.

_______________________
P.S. DM me if you want a similar product ad video. We'll cover the strategy, script and animation. You'll only need to record yourself on camera.

I've gone through 5 months worth of videos by Y Combinator founders. Here's what I found.

Shocking: video type DOESN'T MATTER!!

In 4-5 months there were only about 15-20 viral videos at all. IMO, for LinkedIn it's >1000 likes per post (I can share a doc file with links for some inspiration).

And I couldn't find any "special" product video type that performed better than the others.

There were all kinds of videos:
- hype videos (dynamic animation, no VO)
- founder demos (live action + screencast)
- 3D commercials, etc. etc.

But there IS still something worth knowing.

The videos that went viral, had 1 or more of these 3 things:

1. Simple positioning. 

Most of their posts start with:
- "Tinder but for jobs"
- "Lovable but open-source"
- "Cursor but for video editors" etc.

It's very clear and simply presented. People get it from the first few words.

2. "Big moment" announcement.
- "We're opening the beta for 100 teams"
- "We just hit X in ARR"
- "We just raised $25M"...

LinkedIn loves that. And I always recommend our clients not to start the product launch post with a [Problem], but better with the announcement: "We've spent 2 years building this! It's finally here... Comment X to get Y free credits, for the first 1000 users only." -> smth like this.

3. Revolutionary product. 

It's obvious, but the PRODUCT ITSELF is responsible for 80% of the virality of a video. And no video type will save it if the product is mid or not exciting enough.

That's something we, video marketers, can't fix. 

But we can make it look cooler/bigger than it is! That's our super power :)

We made about 200 videos in total.
60% with VO, 40% without VO.
Which works best?

I come from the explainer video era (6-7 years ago) where EVERY video had a voiceover back then. 

But it turned completely opposite in 2025: Most of our new videos don’t have a VO. 

And I have some thoughts about it. 

No VO:
- allows fast, dynamic pace, focused around music
- if you have animation skills, it gives you the opportunity to animate in sync with the beats. For extra wow effect. 
- best for “hype” videos. (example - https://lnkd.in/dfVVNT-W)
- no VO means no AI voiceover too (some people hate it, and prefer not having a VO at all, than having an AI one)

VO:
- VO slows the pacing down
- it becomes less engaging, but more “explanatory”
- suitable for a senior audiences (if your persona is CISOs 50+ y.o., they won’t “digest” the hype video anyways)
- sometimes the AI voices sound too generic and “low effort”, which might ruin the whole expensive impression. 

From my personal experience, no VO performs better today, and people just like it more overall. 

A good example is I have two videos made for NeuralSeek. They are practically identical (different features for different audiences, but about the same thing), but one has a VO, another doesn’t. 

And guess what, exactly the non-VO one became our most viewed and most liked video. 

And even when I’m sending both of these videos to a single prospect, they always choose the non-VO one: “this one is better!” - they say. 

(even though the VO one was better executed technically).

Takeaway:

If you have the skills the make the wow effect, don’t use any VO in your product videos, make them more dynamic and engaging. 

If you need a slower paced video for an older audience, use VO

This is how we deliver video scripts. 
To avoid 80% of revisions. 

When I did this approach the very first time, our client approved the script from the first try, with just minor wording changes. 

I was like: “hmmm.”

And said to myself: “Lets approach EVERY script like that.”

Now it’s a standard for us. 

1. The key - showing the client the [CONTEXT] first. 
2. Then laying out the general [idea] of a video.
3. Then presenting a defined [structure].
4. And only theeen: the script itself. 

1. In the [Context] field: I explain where the video goes (Website/social media launch/investors, whatever). 

based on that I already know how much info the buyer already has, and their buyer journey stage. This dictates what the future video structure will look like. 

Whether we will have a [hook], or go straight to the [solution]. Whether we will include [social proof] or not. And what would be the ideal length of the video (again, based on the buyer journey stage, not the channel), etc etc. 

2. In the [idea] field: I layout veeery simply what we want our viewers to get from this video, information-wise. And in what order. 

3. Then goes the video structure: it depends on the [context] and the [idea]. But it prevents the client from randomly ruining the structure, because he already understands WHY it is the way it is. 

4. AND FINALLY: You’re presenting the script based on everything above. 

Suddenly, everything starts to make sense, and our clients are not tempted to restructure it too much :)

P.S. on the right side of the script I can even add a reference gif, so they can imagine the future layout/flow even on the scripting stage.

Hope it was helpful!
__________
And if you want to see final videos we’ve created, check out my LinkedIn page

Why 3 hooks > 1 video?
My favorite combos:
(product video packages)

Making 5 videos for your product is ALWAYS more effective than one (it gives you more reach, variety, allows a/b testing, etc.)

But the downside is cost. 

So, here are some effective packages to achieve the bundle-like performance, at the price of a single video.

1. Website product video -> social media cut. 

Main UI-heavy "demo" video for the website first. 60 seconds. No hooks. Starts straight with the [Solution]: "Introducing X, the platform for ...". 

Then we cut it to 30 seconds +add a [Dream outcome] hook. Voila. We got a social media teaser, too. 

Result: Two videos, for just extra 10% cost. 

We're doing it now for 2 new clients. I love this mini-package. 

2. Main Ad video + 3 hooks.

Hook 1 [Dream outcome] - “What if you could review a 50-page contract in minutes?”

Hook 2 [Problem] - “You know how legal contracts can somehow take days to review? With X, that's over.”

Hook 3 [Persona callout + Problem] - “Are you a transactional lawyer, spending hours or even days reviewing legal contracts?”

The idea is to change the first 5-7 seconds of the video, while keeping the "body" the same. 

Result: For just extra 20% of the cost, we now have 4 videos to a/b test instead of 1.

Extra tip: change the BG colors from hook to hook, it will be perceived as completely new videos (people remember only the first seconds well).

3. Socials -> ads. 

For example, we made a 65-second social media hype video for ZoomInfo (link to the video - https://lnkd.in/dfVVNT-W).

They also requested some ad variations of it. We started cutting + adjusting SFX. 

- 1x 65s
- 2x 30s
- 3x 15s
- 5x 6s

Result: 11 videos to rotate in ads, instead of 1, for just extra 15% of cost.

There are plenty of other interesting tactics I can share. 

For example, instead of making one long video with 5 use cases in it, better do 5 short 20-sec clips with 1 use case per each. And why this makes sense.

But maybe next time :)

6 things I’d do differently if I started over. 
(as a video agency owner)
that would save me 2-3 years and $$$…

1. Niche down immediately. 

It’s the very first thing I’d do. The problem wasn’t the offer, or trying to make it “sound valuable”. Your future expertise within a narrow domain already IS your value prop.

You can always add more types of videos later (ads, promos, testimonials, talking head product videos, etc.) 

but start with one type, for one customer, for only one use case. Do only it. Don’t work with anyone else.

Imagine if someone was referring to you as “oh, this guy edits the best video testimonials in town”. Cool, right?? 

You’d have PLENTY of work, my young friend.

2. Don’t work with brokeys. 

One of my biggest mistakes was not the offer, not the lack of work quality, but WHO I’m working with. 

It’s almost impossible to bring results to a small not funded startup with 0 messaging and positioning, 0 branding materials, poor offer and a week product… all with a max budget of $500!

But it’s relatively easy to add value to a marketing department of a mid-size (200-500 employees) brand, where you can work on a problem together, with all the assets on hands and a great budget.

3. Start making content.

Whether it’s LinkedIn, YouTube or even X, pick one platform and start sharing knowledge/case studies. 

It opens doors. There doors open new doors. And suddenly you find yourself with an access to an amazing pool of clients and cases in your portfolio, that you finally become a REAL expert.

And remember: don’t use AI to write content for you. Be authentic, write as you think. In a world of informational noise and ai flop, this is your super power.

4. You don’t need a fancy website for $6k.

If you’re not running ads where the website is your main conversion asset - don’t bother too much about it. Don’t over optimize it. 

Just make a portfolio website, add a loom video about the process, and that’s it!

5. Nobody is coming to save you. 

I realized this when I turned 26. That I’m coming closer to my thirties and nothing is gonna change until I make this happen with my hands and will. 

I was delusional: “oh, this new offer will finally change everything”. “Oh, this new website definitely will.”  “Oh we just need more ads!!”

It was the time to stop f-ing around, pull the sleeves up and start ruthlessly executing. There’s no magic “money” button. 

Pro tip: stop playing league of legends and scrolling insta reels, and the work will become easy. You’re a talented and ambitious guy, but you just lack discipline to get what you want.

6. Do sales/marketing yourself. 

You can delegate operations and production by headhunting amazing talent from other studios in your niche and region. 

But don’t hurry to delegate sales and content, as it’s the highest leverage activity you can do as a founder at this stage. 

What did I miss?

No alternative text description for this image

3 most stupid agency practices ever. 
That we don’t do anymore. 

There’s a lot of things we cover in our video packages that our competitors don’t:
- How we present video scripts with a deep context (link to the post - https://lnkd.in/dBn9iyei)
- How we present multiple style options (examples - https://lnkd.in/diXjbDF4)
- Or how we track performance of our videos, etc.

But today the 3 things that we DON’T do. 

1. Charging for revisions.

3 years ago we were charging our clients for revisions. 
Like any other studio (it’s a common practice).
You give them 2-3 rounds of revisions. Then you start charging.
$100 here, $200 there. 

You’re “protecting” yourself. 
At the cost of your client experience…
(I tried it, and they never come back or tell friends after this “collaboration”)

Now we just have a small overhead already INCLUDED in our price, and provide UNLIMITED revisions. 

Plus, it shows your confidence that you will deliver good work. Because delivering bad work will be instantly punished by infinite revision process.

2. Charging for source files.

Wtf is even that. No normal studio should ever do this. The client owns all the copyright for the final deliverables as well as the source files, if they paid you. 

but because most studios still charge for that, it suddenly feels like a bonus when we don't.

And I've got at least 3 cases when the client took our figma assets for the video, and turned their whole branding around it (websites, pitch decks, etc). 

They're getting more use of it! It's great, right?

3. Outsourcing talent.

Again, 3-4 years ago I tried to "outsource" some videos to an off-shore team. 

I tried it twice, with different vendors.

The result was... well, I never did it ever since. 

Now we have 13 in-house creatives, all Ukrainians. We agreed to work mostly on a "per project" basis, but they're packed with work 24/7 by us, so I consider it a full time role, where they can earn more, while I'm having less risk too. Win-win.

And it's a HUGE W for our clients, who get our full attention and are served well. Because the service IS our product. And the talent IS the service.

But this is what I don't understand:

if it's SO HARD to keep the level of service even with a SMALL in-house local trained team...

...how is it then possible to maintain even a somewhat decent service level with a fully outsourced team?

What did I miss? Add your own bullet points in the comments

David and I had so much fun
reacting on 15+ product videos. 
(paid test samples) 

We wanted to find out who the best applicant is, aaand, to give you guys tips and tricks in the process.

I personally haven't touched After Effects for 2+ years, but David did an amazing job giving some technical advice. 

While I was focusing on a bigger picture: where the attention goes, context, storytelling, etc.

Hope you guys enjoy it :) 

(and follow David, their team does an amazing job in product videos)

Most breakdown videos focus on the best work in the industry.
Today, Hlib and I decided to do the opposite.

I had a chance to collaborate with Hlib Trazanov.

I enjoy his breakdowns, as we share a similar approach to SaaS videos.
But instead of dissecting top-tier, industry-defining pieces… we took a look at something different:

Real paid test submissions we received at Product Hype.

A mix of:
super solid work,
some almost-there work,
and some… ehhhh… not so much.

Every applicant got the same brief:
same prompt, same assets, same script, same music, same fonts -
and most projects were completed in a single day.

We went deep on:
 • design choices
 • layout and visual hierarchy
 • pacing and clarity
 • use of effects
 • and the small things you can do to make a video that much better

Honestly, exercises like this are insanely valuable - not just for applicants, but for anyone trying to level up their motion work. These tiny adjustments compound.

Huge thanks to Hlib for jumping on this with me.

Also, LinkedIn has this weird thing about videos over an hour long - so I’m sharing a piece of it here, and the full video will be in the comments below.

Also also, shoutout to you - if you recognize the opening track

I've broken down 30+ product videos.
Here's 6 [EASY] structures (dummy-proof).
Steal them.

Most of the video structures I've broken down are difficult to replicate. 

They worked at a very specific set of circumstances, but might NOT work for your videos. 

So here are 6 BASIC ones, that will work in 90% cases. 

1. Artisan (breakdown link - https://lnkd.in/dk_93Nmz)

[Callout + Dream Outcome] -> [Solution] -> [Demo] -> [Features] -> [CTA]

2. Alta (breakdown link - https://lnkd.in/das8g97d)

[Problem] -> [Solution] -> [Demo] -> [Dream outcome] -> [CTA]

3. Base44 (breakdown link - https://lnkd.in/dfFCQ5Py)

[Dream outcome] -> [Solution] -> [Demo] -> [Use cases] -> [CTA]

4. Contra (breakdown link - https://lnkd.in/dzYesvzi)

[Provocative hook] -> [Solution] -> [Demo] -> [Dream outcome] -> [CTA]

5. Zoom (breakdown link - https://lnkd.in/dUUFMCsn)

[Solution] -> [Demo] -> [Dream outcome] -> [CTA]

6. Base44 (again! breakdown link - https://lnkd.in/d3uyvW7M)

[Dream outcome] -> [Solution] -> [End result teaser] -> [Demo] -> [CTA]


I've slightly changed the names of the structures, so you can see the patterns. 

But pretty much it's very simple. 

1. You grab attention somehow, or give a big promise.
2. Introduce your product ("this thing is gonna help you achieve it")
3. Show the demo ("showing exactly how it achieves it")
4. [optional] features ("what else it can do")
5. CTA ("go try it now, 7 days free")

if you just do THAT, your videos will make more sense than 99% others out there in the market. 

_________________________
p.s. or DM me if you want a similar product video :)

taplio

The Battle

Carol Malakasis

Hlib Trazanov

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreHlib Trazanov's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Carol Malakasis

Hlib Trazanov

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Hlib Trazanov's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreHlib Trazanov's LinkedIn Performance