Podcast Summary: Limited Supply

Episode: S14 E6 - The Five Questions Behind Every Great Landing Page
Host: Nik Sharma
Date: November 5, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Nik Sharma dives into the fundamentals and strategy behind high-performing landing pages for DTC (direct-to-consumer) brands. He openly critiques e-commerce industry norms and shares his signature, actionable, no-BS approach to landing page development. Drawing from his experiences at Hint Water and Sharma Brands, he explains why “honesty over hot air” and constant testing are the keys to unlocking massive growth. The episode centers around a five-question framework for building landing pages, with practical, step-by-step advice for strategizing, designing, and iterating.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Why DTC Brands Get Landing Pages Wrong

• Trouble with Execution: Many brands desire conversion-optimized landing pages but lack the process, right talent, or tools for efficient execution.
• Critical Factor is Speed: “Speed is the strategy for me.” (07:37) Sharma believes that the ability to rapidly build, test, and iterate landing pages creates a true competitive moat.
• Big Brands Lag Behind: Larger CPG companies focus on digital branding, not digital sales, falling behind nimble DTC operators who use quick feedback loops.

The Conversion-Focused Designer

• More than Looks: Great design is not about visual appearance, but about user experience and conversion principles.
• Quote: “Most designers are not conversion focused designers and most brands who hire designers to help them with web projects are not necessarily hiring conversion focused designers.” (10:32)
• Creatives Need Feedback: Designers (and all creators) should have access to analytics on their creations, enabling smarter iterations.

The 5 Essential Questions for Any Landing Page

Nik’s five-question framework runs through the episode, forming the backbone for landing page content and structure:

1. What is the product?
   Make it dead clear—never assume visitors know what you’re selling. “A confused person will never convert.” (13:17)
2. Why does this exist?
   Address the need/gap in the market you fill.
3. How will it benefit me?
   Focus on real-life customer benefits, not just features.
   Quote: “It’s not value props...It’s that you can use less oil when you cook because it’s nonstick.” (13:53)
4. How fast do I get it?
   Set clear delivery or shipping expectations.
5. Why should I trust this brand?
   Bring forward all social proof—reviews, press, badges, certifications.

Landing Page Creation Process – Sharma’s Method

Nik shares his tested, tactical process for creating conversion-driven landing pages.

1. Start with the Right Strategy

• Clarity of audience, benefit, and offer trumps fancy design.
• “Your design process as a brand in order to build landing pages quickly is a competitive moat.” (14:44)
• Example: Comfort Clothing—basic Shopify site, massive revenue due to clear value, social proof, and no design distractions.

2. UX Before UI

• UX (User Experience): For the customer; ease, clarity, and no friction.
• UI (User Interface): For you; polish and aesthetics.
  “UX is basically for your customer, right? UI is for yourself.” (16:39)

3. Brain Dump Everything (Content First)

• Open a blank Google Doc, write the demographic and angle at the top (“menopausal women” and “better sleep”, for example).
• Dump in ALL content: headlines, benefits, features, competitor comparisons, testimonials, FAQs, stories, research. (19:00–20:45)
• “This doc should take probably an hour, hour and a half. If you finish it within 15–20 minutes, you’re not looking hard enough, it’s not full enough.” (20:30)

4. Section Out Your Page

• Organize your content into logical sections: hero, problem, solution, benefits, social proof, comparison chart, FAQs, etc.
• Don’t worry about design yet.
• Repeat the five essential questions in different ways throughout the sections.

5. Move to Figma: Wireframe the Page

• Copy all content into Figma.
• Set up mobile-sized frames: one to show above-the-fold/visual snap, one to design content flow.
• Arrange copy, visuals, and modules based on research and “swipe files” for inspiration.
• Confirm each section ladders back to audience and benefit.

6. Polish with UI

• Overlay brand colors, fonts, imagery, and other assets in Figma, staying true to the original wireframe.
• Ensure a dev-ready file with clear instructions for handoff to developers.

7. Develop Directly in Shopify

• Avoid tools with subdomains (like Unbounce) that break tracking and analytics; always build on your main Shopify domain.
• Benefit: can easily repurpose and A/B test modules or entire pages.

8. QA & Launch

• Rigorously test coupon codes, device responsiveness, page speed, and overall user flow.
• Launch and aggressively monitor performance—always be ready to optimize.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Speed is the strategy for me.” (07:37)
• “Every time we would design stuff, we would not just design them by graphic designers, we would be designing them with designers who understood performance marketing and optimization and UX and visual identity and how to handle cold traffic versus warm traffic.” (09:25)
• “Most designers are not conversion focused designers and most brands who hire designers to help them with web projects are not necessarily hiring conversion focused designers.” (10:32)
• “A confused person will never convert.” (13:17)
• “It’s not value props...It’s that you can use less oil when you cook because it’s nonstick. It’s that it’s easier to clean and put away because it’s nonstick.” (13:53)
• “Your design process as a brand in order to build landing pages quickly is a competitive moat.” (14:44)
• “UX is basically for your customer, right? UI is for yourself.” (16:39)
• “This doc should take probably an hour, hour and a half. If you finish it within 15–20 minutes, you’re not looking hard enough, it’s not full enough.” (20:30)
• “None of these pages should...crush immediately...Every single one of these pages you should continue to optimize and just continue making it better.” (31:11)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:22] — Nik’s intro to landing page importance and process
• [05:00]–[09:50] — Lessons from Hint Water & DTC digital dominance
• [10:00]–[13:00] — The challenge of finding conversion-focused designers
• [13:10]–[15:15] — Five essential landing page questions
• [15:21]–[19:00] — Process overview: strategy, UX, and initial setup
• [19:00]–[21:30] — Google Doc “brain dump” and section organization approach
• [21:30]–[24:00] — Figma wireframing workflow
• [24:00]–[27:30] — Developing on Shopify; the dangers of subdomains for tracking
• [27:30]–[31:00] — QA, launch, and the ongoing optimization mindset

Takeaways for DTC Marketers

• Build your landing pages fast, iterate even faster.
• Focus relentlessly on clarity, benefits, and social proof.
• Find (or train) conversion-focused designers and give them analytics.
• Always answer the five critical questions, in multiple ways, throughout your landing page.
• Don’t get hung up on aesthetics at the cost of conversion and customer experience.
• Develop and test new landing pages as your growth moat.

Memorable Moment

“Some of the biggest brands in consumer that exist today were only started a couple years ago and basically did this. Like this was their playbook—good product, good messaging, good angles, good landing pages and good offers. And they were just very romantic about testing. They were not romantic about how something looked or how it felt or whatever it was. They were just romantic about we need to constantly test, optimize, learn and eventually win.” (32:40)