WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:00.237 --> 00:00:03.157 Hey, Gravity Formers, it's Thursday, April 11th, 00:00:03.187 --> 00:00:04.667 matt_1_04-05-2024_123600: and we have exciting news. 00:00:05.137 --> 00:00:08.317 For the first time since the launch of Gravity Forms nearly 15 years 00:00:08.317 --> 00:00:12.367 ago, the team at Rocket Genius is excited to launch Gravity SMTP, 00:00:12.557 --> 00:00:15.087 our second new stand alone product. 00:00:15.597 --> 00:00:19.667 TLDR, while it's a stand alone product, for our launch phase, it 00:00:19.667 --> 00:00:24.127 will be available exclusively to our Elite Gravity Forms license holders. 00:00:24.547 --> 00:00:29.142 We have a lot of future plans and features for Gravity SMTP, So stay tuned to this 00:00:29.162 --> 00:00:33.342 podcast or our YouTube channel or our newsletter or our website at gravityforms. 00:00:33.372 --> 00:00:35.272 com for all future updates. 00:00:40.127 --> 00:00:43.367 If this is your first time hearing about Gravity SMTP, it's 00:00:43.367 --> 00:00:46.697 a standalone plugin that takes over the responsibility of sending 00:00:46.717 --> 00:00:48.797 emails from your WordPress website. 00:00:49.287 --> 00:00:54.227 Everything from username and password reset emails to the important contact form 00:00:54.227 --> 00:00:56.377 notifications from your Gravity Forms. 00:00:56.947 --> 00:01:00.877 Simply put, if the email notifications leaving your Gravity Forms are 00:01:00.887 --> 00:01:05.837 important to you or your client's business, think lead gen forms, 00:01:05.837 --> 00:01:11.667 donation forms, membership sign ups, etc., then Gravity SMTP is for you. 00:01:12.557 --> 00:01:16.237 By integrating with third party services like SendGrid, we connect 00:01:16.237 --> 00:01:20.127 your WordPress website to all of the benefits email sending providers deliver. 00:01:20.547 --> 00:01:24.767 Then we bottle it up and give you a bird's eye view right in your WordPress 00:01:24.787 --> 00:01:29.057 dashboard, giving you one place to set up your valuable forms and ensure 00:01:29.057 --> 00:01:30.047 they're being delivered for free. 00:01:30.207 --> 00:01:31.007 without fail. 00:01:31.007 --> 00:01:32.507 Here's a few value ads. 00:01:32.507 --> 00:01:37.407 Gravity SMTP provides integration with popular email providers, including 00:01:37.407 --> 00:01:43.487 SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, and Brevo, support for custom SMTP and API based 00:01:43.487 --> 00:01:48.067 services, detailed email tracking within the WordPress dashboard, displaying 00:01:48.097 --> 00:01:52.447 email status, send time, recipient email address, plugin source, and more. 00:01:52.462 --> 00:01:56.962 And lastly, easy toggling between connected email services to select 00:01:56.962 --> 00:01:59.972 the most suitable provider for you and your WordPress website. 00:02:00.862 --> 00:02:03.492 I grabbed some quick quotes and interviews from folks on the team, 00:02:03.492 --> 00:02:05.912 most notably Carl Hancock, our CEO. 00:02:06.102 --> 00:02:07.142 Here's a quote from Carl. 00:02:07.582 --> 00:02:13.072 We're thrilled to introduce Gravity SMTP as our next standalone product, said Carl. 00:02:13.752 --> 00:02:17.702 While it's currently available exclusively to Gravity Forms Elite licensed 00:02:17.742 --> 00:02:21.592 customers, Gravity SMTP was built from the ground up as a separate product. 00:02:21.592 --> 00:02:22.702 It's not an add on. 00:02:23.032 --> 00:02:26.652 Our goal is to empower WordPress users to send emails with confidence. 00:02:27.062 --> 00:02:30.952 Improving their overall user experience and engagement. 00:02:31.882 --> 00:02:35.592 I also had the chance to chat with the developers and marketers who are 00:02:35.592 --> 00:02:37.692 truly bringing Gravity SMTP to life. 00:02:37.912 --> 00:02:42.612 First, let's hear from Paul Kim, a software engineer at Gravity Forms. 00:02:47.684 --> 00:02:48.674 Paul: Hi, I'm Paul. 00:02:48.774 --> 00:02:50.634 I'm a software engineer with Gravity Forms. 00:02:51.334 --> 00:02:55.274 Gravity SMTP is a plugin that allows customers to send emails from their 00:02:55.274 --> 00:02:58.894 WordPress website through integrations such as SendGrid or FullSpark. 00:02:58.904 --> 00:03:02.444 The way we've approached building Gravity SMTP is different from how 00:03:02.444 --> 00:03:03.974 we've approached Gravity Forms. 00:03:04.724 --> 00:03:08.174 The first big difference is that everything in the admin is a React app. 00:03:08.864 --> 00:03:12.954 We've been building a component system for the past year or so now, and it's been 00:03:12.954 --> 00:03:14.784 a very fun and interesting experience. 00:03:14.824 --> 00:03:17.514 This has allowed us to build features quickly and maintain 00:03:17.514 --> 00:03:18.904 a consistent design throughout. 00:03:19.554 --> 00:03:22.614 So the speed at which we can build things is faster and the 00:03:22.614 --> 00:03:24.294 admin experience is also smoother. 00:03:24.334 --> 00:03:28.694 The other aspect which may not be so apparent to users is that we've built the 00:03:28.694 --> 00:03:31.254 PHP side using a different architecture. 00:03:32.169 --> 00:03:36.159 Aaron has been hard at work building a tools package for Gravity Forms, which 00:03:36.179 --> 00:03:40.669 allows us to extend useful features such as auto updating, license management, 00:03:40.729 --> 00:03:42.549 and other very useful frameworks. 00:03:42.589 --> 00:03:46.029 This keeps the PHP code clean and maintainable, allowing us 00:03:46.039 --> 00:03:47.359 to manage the plugin easier. 00:03:47.389 --> 00:03:51.169 Since this was a new product, we had the fortune of being able to architect and 00:03:51.179 --> 00:03:53.249 build this plugin the way we wanted it to. 00:03:53.749 --> 00:03:57.229 Other than the React app and architecture differences I've mentioned earlier, 00:03:57.609 --> 00:04:01.379 the other new coding technique we've employed is the communication between 00:04:01.379 --> 00:04:02.639 the back end and the front end. 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:08.059 We are able to pass configurations from PHP to the front end, which the React 00:04:08.079 --> 00:04:09.879 app is able to consume and run with. 00:04:10.774 --> 00:04:14.134 When any actions are performed, it sends an AJAX request to 00:04:14.134 --> 00:04:17.294 the backend, which handles the data and sends a response back. 00:04:18.294 --> 00:04:22.234 This allows us to handle user interactions without refreshing the page, presenting 00:04:22.234 --> 00:04:23.904 a much smoother user experience. 00:04:23.944 --> 00:04:27.514 This was the first stand alone product for Gravity, But I can say that having 00:04:27.514 --> 00:04:31.524 good architecture and structure to how we build the product can go a very long way. 00:04:32.234 --> 00:04:36.264 Because we had a clear path forward and a well thought out design system, building 00:04:36.264 --> 00:04:37.924 the plugin was smooth and quite fun. 00:04:38.624 --> 00:04:41.984 This allows us to be able to easily maintain this product for a long time 00:04:42.274 --> 00:04:44.104 and also build out new features quickly. 00:04:45.064 --> 00:04:46.954 I'm excited for the next product we will build. 00:04:47.414 --> 00:04:50.364 There were definitely some lessons we learned along the way and I'm 00:04:50.364 --> 00:04:53.214 sure we'll be able to apply the learnings to our next project. 00:04:53.271 --> 00:04:56.651 Thanks for hanging out today, Paul, and giving us a behind the scenes look at the 00:04:56.651 --> 00:04:59.091 development practices for Gravity SMTP. 00:04:59.741 --> 00:05:03.081 Next, I sat down with Travis Tautz, our Director of Marketing, 00:05:03.381 --> 00:05:06.271 who is orchestrating the branding and launch of our new product. 00:05:11.327 --> 00:05:11.977 Travis: Thank you, Matt. 00:05:12.077 --> 00:05:13.607 Super, super excited to be here, man. 00:05:14.177 --> 00:05:16.137 matt_1_04-05-2024_123600: We have a fun event happening. 00:05:16.137 --> 00:05:21.097 We, if those who are listening already know this gravity SMTP is here 00:05:21.497 --> 00:05:22.867 and I wanted to get your thoughts. 00:05:22.967 --> 00:05:25.677 I obviously I'm going around the company, talking to people who are developing 00:05:25.897 --> 00:05:27.087 it, people who are marketing it. 00:05:27.517 --> 00:05:29.887 you do a lot with our branding. 00:05:30.067 --> 00:05:31.697 This is an exciting time. 00:05:32.067 --> 00:05:34.467 For Rocket Genius, for Gravity Forms. 00:05:34.517 --> 00:05:38.127 This is our first ground up build of a new product. 00:05:38.777 --> 00:05:41.077 Excited, nervous, or yeah, 00:05:43.632 --> 00:05:44.622 Travis: I think a bit of both. 00:05:44.622 --> 00:05:48.362 I mean, to be honest, like it's, it's both exciting and a little 00:05:48.832 --> 00:05:52.222 anxiety inducing, and really just from the, the, the perspective. 00:05:52.647 --> 00:05:58.597 Of where we've been and where we want to go and where we plan to get to over 00:05:58.597 --> 00:06:02.267 the next five years or so, you know, I mean, I think, as you mentioned, yeah, 00:06:02.397 --> 00:06:05.877 a lot of my focus is on branding and Brandon brand positioning and marketing. 00:06:05.877 --> 00:06:08.647 And I think what's exciting about something like this is. 00:06:09.557 --> 00:06:12.857 It's simply that I, I believe it's an opportunity to kind of 00:06:12.867 --> 00:06:17.547 strengthen and redefine, our brand's position in the WordPress market. 00:06:17.547 --> 00:06:17.887 Right. 00:06:17.977 --> 00:06:24.007 And not only of course, Gravity Forms and where we've been, but also SMTP. 00:06:24.407 --> 00:06:26.327 you know, and honestly like highlighting. 00:06:26.552 --> 00:06:32.252 our organization's commitment to, leading edge software and solutions, 00:06:32.562 --> 00:06:37.842 super customer centric, dev practices and building new things with new 00:06:37.852 --> 00:06:41.592 technologies, you know, gravity forms has been around for 15 years 00:06:41.632 --> 00:06:44.082 and there's a lot of technical. 00:06:44.337 --> 00:06:48.797 debt, so to say, when it comes to what was built and how we continue to evolve 00:06:48.797 --> 00:06:53.567 it and with SMTP, it's really like the ability to approach, solving a new 00:06:53.567 --> 00:06:58.607 problem in a new and innovative way using, you know, the latest technology 00:06:58.607 --> 00:07:03.627 and solutions, to address, at least in our opinion, current market needs. 00:07:03.907 --> 00:07:08.037 both for the WordPress space as well as for, for our customers specifically. 00:07:08.597 --> 00:07:11.367 matt_1_04-05-2024_123600: I won't reveal some of our partnership plans and like 00:07:11.367 --> 00:07:15.177 what we're doing behind, deep behind the scenes, but through our last couple of 00:07:15.177 --> 00:07:19.587 months, Adam and I being public with, the beta versions, the alpha version, the 00:07:19.587 --> 00:07:23.587 beta versions of SMTP talking with our beta group, by the way, gravity forms. 00:07:23.737 --> 00:07:27.147 com slash beta, if you want to join the beta group, on Facebook. 00:07:27.147 --> 00:07:28.117 So you can see the stuff. 00:07:28.172 --> 00:07:30.072 come to fruition before anybody else. 00:07:30.082 --> 00:07:33.562 A lot of folks say, well, do we need another SMTP service? 00:07:33.912 --> 00:07:36.932 why another SMTP plugin in the WordPress space? 00:07:37.272 --> 00:07:42.332 largely because our customers are using other third party plugins and services 00:07:42.922 --> 00:07:46.832 to send form entries and notifications. 00:07:47.212 --> 00:07:50.312 So when our, you know, lovely customers come to us with an 00:07:50.312 --> 00:07:54.082 issue with another plugin, this is like one of those natural fit. 00:07:54.242 --> 00:07:55.342 Even if you're sitting there going. 00:07:55.702 --> 00:07:57.312 Another SMTP service. 00:07:57.672 --> 00:07:59.232 Yes, another SMTP service. 00:07:59.252 --> 00:08:03.142 Now we're going to unlock some future things in the future. 00:08:03.182 --> 00:08:07.512 It is a standalone product, which means that in the future, you're not going 00:08:07.512 --> 00:08:11.812 to necessarily need to have gravity forms to have, rocket genius software 00:08:11.832 --> 00:08:16.302 in your wordpress website, but it just makes sense from a support ecosystem 00:08:16.302 --> 00:08:20.532 standpoint to have a product inside Gravity Forms that we can support 00:08:20.552 --> 00:08:21.372 Travis: It just makes sense. 00:08:21.372 --> 00:08:25.762 As you said, I mean, yes, there's other SMTP solutions in the WordPress space. 00:08:25.802 --> 00:08:32.682 Why not utilize the same tool set provided from that provider, us in this case with 00:08:32.682 --> 00:08:34.841 Gravity Forms, to do the rest of the job? 00:08:35.332 --> 00:08:37.842 And that, to be honest, just made a lot of sense for us, right? 00:08:38.472 --> 00:08:43.862 Maybe you've been a long time customer, maybe you're new to Gravity Forms. 00:08:43.902 --> 00:08:47.792 to us, it made sense to create something that's built on the 00:08:47.792 --> 00:08:51.272 same easy to use user interface, 00:08:51.312 --> 00:08:53.922 It's based on what WordPress is doing, right? 00:08:53.942 --> 00:08:55.491 That's been our core focus since 2. 00:08:55.492 --> 00:09:02.722 5 is how do we take what WordPress is doing and make our UI, feel like 00:09:02.722 --> 00:09:08.922 WordPress easy to use easy to, to, to find what you need to find within that UI. 00:09:08.932 --> 00:09:09.506 And, and it. 00:09:09.667 --> 00:09:10.677 And it just makes sense. 00:09:10.767 --> 00:09:16.307 So when we think about, you know, another SMTP solution, yes, but not 00:09:16.307 --> 00:09:19.607 within our ecosystem, not within, within gravity forms, specific 00:09:19.717 --> 00:09:21.647 specifically in the gravity ecosystem. 00:09:21.657 --> 00:09:26.767 So by facilitating, a lot of that and utilizing a lot of our UI that 00:09:26.767 --> 00:09:30.827 we built with gravity forms, it just makes it easy for our customers, right? 00:09:30.867 --> 00:09:34.247 That, that we've had have come to us with these concerns, as you, as you've 00:09:35.047 --> 00:09:39.457 And it allows us to, to provide that enhanced, solution and performance for 00:09:39.457 --> 00:09:41.047 them when it comes to sending emails. 00:09:41.747 --> 00:09:44.387 matt_1_04-05-2024_123600: Gravity SMTP has been in the works for a while. 00:09:44.417 --> 00:09:48.167 It's easy to build air quotes as the engineering team listening 00:09:48.167 --> 00:09:50.077 to this is throwing their phones. 00:09:50.447 --> 00:09:55.497 It's easy to slot in a new product to extend what gravity forms does. 00:09:55.777 --> 00:10:00.517 But you know, it's not easy building off of a brand that's been around for 00:10:00.517 --> 00:10:05.677 15 years, bringing in a new logo, new typeset, maybe thinking about a You know, 00:10:05.697 --> 00:10:07.567 colors in a different way and how that is. 00:10:08.077 --> 00:10:10.997 Do you remember when you first started sketching out the first 00:10:11.007 --> 00:10:13.337 ideas for the gravity SMTP logo? 00:10:13.347 --> 00:10:15.247 How many iterations did you go through? 00:10:15.567 --> 00:10:17.627 What was the first questions you asked yourself? 00:10:17.627 --> 00:10:17.827 Like, 00:10:17.867 --> 00:10:20.657 Travis: it's a difficult and exciting challenge, right? 00:10:20.657 --> 00:10:22.927 Because we're in the midst of it at the moment, right? 00:10:22.927 --> 00:10:25.567 We, last year, acquired gravity. 00:10:25.767 --> 00:10:26.367 com. 00:10:26.442 --> 00:10:31.682 You know, so, so it is part of our, our brand plan is to essentially 00:10:32.132 --> 00:10:34.672 migrate and move into gravity. 00:10:34.852 --> 00:10:36.542 com and then in the near future. 00:10:36.852 --> 00:10:40.642 And with that comes the expansion of our product suite. 00:10:41.112 --> 00:10:44.852 and with that expansion comes thinking about not only, you know, 00:10:44.852 --> 00:10:47.172 what gravity forms looks like today. 00:10:47.407 --> 00:10:50.747 But what it will look like in the future and not only from a UI standpoint, but 00:10:50.747 --> 00:10:54.627 just the brand standpoint, and then the additional new products, of course, 00:10:54.637 --> 00:10:58.527 in, in 2022, we acquired, gravity flow. 00:10:58.527 --> 00:11:01.397 And that was a part of like trying to think about how that would 00:11:01.397 --> 00:11:04.977 look and appear within our, within our brand and, and marketing. 00:11:05.257 --> 00:11:09.287 and now we have SMTP and we're on a path to essentially. 00:11:10.292 --> 00:11:16.322 create a suite of solutions that allow us and our customers, more, tools that 00:11:16.332 --> 00:11:21.762 they can rely on, that are built within the same UI and family of, of usability. 00:11:22.082 --> 00:11:26.672 and, and of course, yeah, how we, how we see that look and feel within the brand. 00:11:27.047 --> 00:11:28.307 lots of iterations. 00:11:28.337 --> 00:11:31.917 I will say, I mean, a lot of this actually originated within, a lot of the 00:11:31.917 --> 00:11:33.747 work that the product team was doing. 00:11:33.747 --> 00:11:37.827 And, and as you know, with, with Adam Pickering kind of dreaming up where 00:11:37.827 --> 00:11:41.017 we wanted to go with some of this tooling and, and then kind of has 00:11:41.017 --> 00:11:44.137 evolved into what you see today, and we'll continue to evolve into what 00:11:44.167 --> 00:11:47.917 you see on gravity.com, you know, in the, in the hopefully near future. 00:11:48.197 --> 00:11:52.797 So yeah, lots of, lots of work there and lots of work to, continue building upon. 00:11:52.797 --> 00:11:56.667 matt_1_04-05-2024_123600: Our customers favorite products from the Gravity Forms 00:11:57.077 --> 00:11:59.607 ecosystem is not software, in fact. 00:11:59.637 --> 00:12:01.047 Don't tell our executive team. 00:12:01.357 --> 00:12:03.487 It's our t shirts at WordCamps. 00:12:04.447 --> 00:12:07.747 So does that mean we're going to see some amazing Gravity SMTP 00:12:07.747 --> 00:12:09.027 t shirts coming to WordCamps? 00:12:09.957 --> 00:12:11.227 Travis: Oh man, that's a great idea. 00:12:11.257 --> 00:12:12.057 I hadn't thought about it. 00:12:12.057 --> 00:12:13.797 I had just thought about grantees. 00:12:14.187 --> 00:12:16.007 yes, it is a thing, right? 00:12:16.007 --> 00:12:20.067 We, we pride ourselves in always, producing and creating some really 00:12:20.067 --> 00:12:23.347 great swag for, for our customers and, and people that have been 00:12:23.347 --> 00:12:24.827 fans of our brand for a long time. 00:12:24.827 --> 00:12:27.987 And that's just kind of something that we, we have fun with, to be honest. 00:12:29.152 --> 00:12:32.852 And, yeah, I mean, please join us at the next WordCamps this year. 00:12:32.852 --> 00:12:37.282 Obviously we'll be at WordCamp EU and very likely WordCamp US and, and likely 00:12:37.312 --> 00:12:42.462 maybe a couple in between or, or, later in the year, but come visit us, of course, 00:12:42.462 --> 00:12:45.772 grab one of the softest shirts you'll have in your closet and, and, maybe it'll 00:12:45.782 --> 00:12:48.092 be some SMTP, logos on there as well. 00:12:48.217 --> 00:12:49.697 matt_1_04-05-2024_123600: think we should do one per 00:12:49.697 --> 00:12:52.567 visitor, and you have to choose. 00:12:53.332 --> 00:12:55.682 Gravity Forms or Gravity SMTP? 00:12:55.702 --> 00:12:57.122 Which t shirt are you going to take? 00:12:57.132 --> 00:13:00.812 Gravity SMTP, first version is going to be a collector's, collector's item. 00:13:00.812 --> 00:13:00.992 It's going to 00:13:01.007 --> 00:13:01.677 Travis: That's true. 00:13:01.692 --> 00:13:02.442 matt_1_04-05-2024_123600: the first one. 00:13:02.502 --> 00:13:04.012 And maybe we should run a limited version. 00:13:04.132 --> 00:13:06.292 Little gold thread in it, like real gold. 00:13:06.572 --> 00:13:07.562 It's worth something. 00:13:08.297 --> 00:13:09.287 Travis: yeah, that's a great idea. 00:13:09.287 --> 00:13:11.137 Yeah, that'll be a limited edition for sure. 00:13:11.412 --> 00:13:12.822 matt_1_04-05-2024_123600: Travis Toss, thanks for hanging out today. 00:13:13.777 --> 00:13:14.297 Travis: Thank you, man 00:13:14.347 --> 00:13:15.617 That's it for today's episode. 00:13:15.617 --> 00:13:18.987 If you're a Gravity Forms Elite license holder, today's the day to 00:13:19.007 --> 00:13:21.587 install and configure Gravity SMTP. 00:13:22.157 --> 00:13:25.357 With your WordPress website, or maybe it's time to upgrade to the 00:13:25.357 --> 00:13:29.797 elite experience while getting all of the extra benefits and add ons. 00:13:30.237 --> 00:13:33.497 If you look around the industry, it's quite a value for both products. 00:13:34.117 --> 00:13:36.527 Check out GravitySMTP at GravityForms. 00:13:36.557 --> 00:13:40.527 com, or if you have any questions, shoot me an email, Matt at GravityForms. 00:13:41.267 --> 00:13:41.607 com.