Key Takeaways
I'm Kostja, a marketing expert specializing in AI/SaaS growth. Here's what you need to know:
- 3 years of hands-on AI/SaaS growth experience, deeply involved in full-funnel growth for Cutout.pro and PromeAI — Cutout.pro stays in top 50 AI apps by traffic
- Core expertise spans SEO, content marketing, link building, social media, influencer marketing, Affiliate, and more — full-stack growth capabilities
- Transitioned from linguistics background to growth lead at a global AI team, then founded an independent growth consulting studio
- Actively shares growth insights on Jike and Xiaohongshu, participates in industry events, and systematically documents methodology in Feishu notes
Career Background
Previously, I served as Growth Lead at a global AI application team, specializing in growth strategies for image/video generation and editing products. During this time, I led growth initiatives for two core products: Cutout.pro and PromeAI. Cutout.pro's monthly visits still remain stable in the top 50. This achievement is the result of my personal participation in the entire AI application traffic growth process since joining on August 1, 2022.
I joined my previous company on August 1, 2022. Before that, I spent five years studying and working in Germany; and five years before that, studying for my bachelor's in Russia. All were linguistics-related, and I once thought teaching would be my career path. My previous company worked on CV and image processing. Although quite different from today's generative AI, I was still an "AI practitioner."
In August of that year, Midjourney and Novel AI were emerging, followed by the open-source SD algorithm, until ChatGPT's release in late November focused global attention on generative AI. During this period, the already high-traffic website grew even more with market expansion, once approaching Leonardo AI. For many practitioners, it was just seeing AI-related websites surge in traffic; for me, it was personally participating in the entire process.
When I joined, I was in operations, first doing content marketing work. My mentor was an SEOer, so I was exposed to this field early (though she left after 3 months, and I had to learn on my own). Due to the startup's work nature and the company's high freedom for positions, I later worked on influencer marketing, social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), communities (Discord, Reddit), EDM/Newsletter, backlinks, Affiliate/Referral, Customer Support, and even offline events and PR. You could say I've hands-on experience with everything except SEM.
Professional Background & Expertise
I specialize in AI/SaaS growth with 3 years of hands-on experience, helping 80+ products achieve significant growth. Core expertise includes search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing strategy development, link building, and website traffic growth. Expert in combining technical SEO, content strategy, and data analysis to build systematic growth frameworks.
In SEO Optimization, I focus on search engine optimization, keyword research, technical SEO, website structure optimization, and page speed optimization. Through in-depth technical analysis and data-driven approaches, I help products achieve better rankings and visibility in search engines.
Content Marketing is another core expertise, including content strategy development, link building, user-generated content, brand storytelling, and content distribution. I excel at creating high-quality, valuable content and expanding content influence through multi-channel distribution strategies.
In Growth Strategy, I focus on user acquisition, conversion rate optimization, data analysis, A/B testing, and growth experiment design. Through systematic growth methodologies and continuous data analysis, I help products achieve sustainable business growth.
Additionally, I provide AI Tool Recommendations services, helping teams select the most suitable AI writing tools, image generation tools, video editing tools, and automation tools, and improve team efficiency through proper tool integration.
Personal IP Building & Entrepreneurship Journey
By the end of 2023, in addition to professional work, I began consciously socializing and connecting with more AI and growth practitioners. I also started building my own IP, like on Jike (because Xiaohongshu didn't work out after a month, I recently restarted it). Through content and friend recommendations, I met more practitioners.
In 2024, I was invited by friends to participate in several online and offline growth sharing events (introvert tears); I also started systematically recording methodologies, practical experiences, and know-how in Feishu notes.
By the second half of the year, some friends started paying for consultations, with good results, making me think this was promising. So I officially left before October and registered my own company (another reason was not liking office work), mainly providing growth consulting and training services.
Jike sharing insights
Xiaohongshu recording visits to AI companies and meetups