How ChatGPT helped her bootstrap to $8M ARR | Sandra Đajic, Senior Marketing & Growth Lead @ Chatbase

BOOTSTRAPPED TO $8M ARR | Sandra Đajic, Senior Marketing & Growth Lead @ Chatbase

Chatbase bootstrapped to $8M ARR* and turned AI search into their No. 2 user acquisition channel. So I invited Sandra to the Masters of Search podcast to reveal how they did it.

*it was still $7M when we recorded

Her answer? There’s no glamorous secret. No magic trick. No growth hack. Just proper execution of fundamentals that most teams skip.

Here’s what drove their AI search success:

1) Crystal clear positioning

“AI agents for customer support” – impossible for LLMs to confuse with generic AI tools. Sandra’s team maintains this exact messaging everywhere. When AI searches for customer support solutions, it knows exactly what Chatbase does and who it’s for.

2) Proper SEO foundation

Domain authority, backlinks, technical setup. The boring stuff most startups skip because they’re chasing AI search hacks. Sandra’s insight: AI search doesn’t work without the SEO fundamentals already in place. Everything feeds everything.

3) Obsessive documentation and changelog updates

Their docs and changelog get updated religiously. Not just for users – for LLMs. Fresh, accurate documentation becomes the source material AI models cite when users ask highly specific questions about how to build customer support agents.

4) Content that lives everywhere

Distribution through “written content influencers” – bloggers, Reddit contributors, not just social media creators. When the same clear message appears across multiple trustworthy sources, LLMs recognize the pattern and are more likely to mention Chatbase.

5) Free plan as entry point

The free plan helps spread the word and get more eyeballs on the product. Right limitations let users experience value without burning AI costs. Obviously a much debated topic, but for Chatbase it worked out. Watch the full episode for the complete playbook.

Full interview with Sandra Đajic, Senior Marketing & Growth Lead @ Chatbase

Check out the episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

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