Ryan Friedenberg
Product marketing & go-to-marketCleveland, Ohio

Product marketing and GTM
for technical products.

I’m Ryan Friedenberg. In early-stage companies, I’ve developed positioning for technical products and built the sales materials, websites, and campaigns around it.

See the work
VetGuardian / Rahm / Lodge

Selected work

Product marketing decisions and the work behind them.

The cases below show the customer questions and commercial constraints behind my work, the choices I made, and the results.

01Veterinary monitoring

VetGuardian

Product Marketing Lead
Acquired by Zomedica 2023 ↗

Veterinarians questioned accuracy. I made that the focus of the sales materials.

I developed a whitepaper from a company-commissioned study and built distributor materials explaining how the monitor works.

  • Positioning
  • Website
  • Sales enablement
Selected outcomes
200%Increase in website traffic and social impressions
2Distributor relationships supported

Marketing supported these outcomes alongside the broader team.

Read case study
VetGuardian

Product Marketing / Case study

Veterinarians questioned accuracy. I made that the focus of the sales materials.

I developed a whitepaper from a company-commissioned study and built distributor materials explaining how the monitor works.

My roleProduct Marketing Lead
Focus
  • Positioning
  • Website
  • Sales enablement

The problem

VetGuardian measured pulse, respiration, and temperature with radar and thermal imaging, without touching the animal. To veterinarians trained on stethoscopes and leads, “no contact” raised an immediate question: how can it be accurate? When I joined, the company had a pitch deck and an introductory trifold brochure, but limited materials to answer that question in a sales conversation.

My diagnosis

The existing pitch materials argued for adoption with ROI and feature comparisons. Those arguments assumed the vet already trusted the readings. Accuracy was the objection in front of every other one, and it was personal: a vet is putting their name on a patient's overnight care.

Key decisions

01
Lead with the feeling behind the objection.

The headline became "Gain peace of mind with zero-touch monitoring," developed with a senior marketing advisor (former McKinsey). It speaks to veterinarians worried about unmonitored patients, who are the people that need to trust the readings. Tradeoff: the ROI case moved from the lead argument to a supporting point.

02
Name the doubt instead of avoiding it.

I turned a company-commissioned post-op study run by a veterinary clinic into a whitepaper that opens by saying it outright: vets would prefer zero-touch but worry about reliability. The study benchmarked VetGuardian against a leading contact monitor, not just manual checks, so vets could compare it to the tool they already trusted.

03
Publish the mixed results.

Across 10 post-op dogs, the study reported that VetGuardian identified alarm-level readings more accurately than the contact device for pulse (71% vs. 61%), respiration (77% vs. 65%), and temperature (97% vs. 94%). The contact device tracked average respiration rate more closely, and the whitepaper says so. Tradeoff: a small, company-commissioned study invites scrutiny. We kept the competitor’s stronger result visible so readers could assess the evidence for themselves.

04
Arm the distributor reps.

Reps heard the accuracy question first, so I built a co-branded How it Works sheet whose FAQ answers the three follow-ups vets actually asked: how it works without contact, how close it needs to be, and whether it picks up other animals. A signal-strength indicator explained like cell phone bars gave reps a simple way to explain signal quality.

05
Keep one message everywhere.

I wrote the copy and designed the website, one-pager, trade show materials, and print ads so vets saw the same promise at every touchpoint.

The result

200%Growth in website traffic and social impressions, with contribution from brand and website work
30%Increase in client retention during the historical comparison period
2Key distributor relationships that trade-show and email materials helped secure during the internship

Website traffic, social impressions, and retention compare the final approximately 1.5 years of my tenure with the preceding period. Marketing contributed alongside broader company activity. Distributor support and fundraising materials were internship work.

Company milestone

In September 2023, Zomedica acquired Structured Monitoring Products, the company behind VetGuardian. My pitch deck work helped attract Zomedica as an investor; the company later acquired the business. My contributions also included the product positioning, website, and commercial materials described here. The acquisition was a company outcome.

Selected work

Before

Lead with ROI and feature comparisons.

After

Gain peace of mind with zero-touch monitoring.

VetGuardian one-pager front page with the headline Gain Peace of Mind with Zero-Touch Remote Monitoring.
VetGuardian one-pager The positioning shift, applied across the website, one-pager, trade show materials, and print ads.
Cover page of the VetGuardian post-op reliability whitepaper.Whitepaper table comparing sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of zero-touch and contact monitoring against manual checks.
Reliability whitepaper Head-to-head against a leading contact monitor, with the results where the competitor won left in.
Full How it Works sheet co-branded with distributor VetX Medical.FAQ answering how VetGuardian reads vitals without contact, required distance, and interference from other animals.
How it Works sheet The accuracy answer, written for distributor reps to use on sales calls.
VetGuardian VMX 2023 retractable banner listing heart rate, respiration, temperature, alarms, and live video.VetGuardian VMX 2023 bag drop flyer with the Gain Peace of Mind headline.
VMX 2023 booth The banner names the category and vitals for people walking past, and the bag drop delivers the peace-of-mind message up close.

02Corrections monitoring

Cell-Guardian

Marketing Manager · Contract

Repositioning a vital signs monitor that couldn’t sell vital signs yet.

I built Cell-Guardian’s positioning around visual confirmation before an officer enters a cell. As Rahm’s sole marketer at founding, I also built the brand, websites, collateral, and product decks.

  • Positioning
  • Sales enablement
  • Vendor credibility
Marketing execution at Rahm
36,000+Emails sent across 96 campaigns
98.8%Email delivery rate
~10 minHands-on processing per list, down from approximately six hours across 13+ conference lists
8xCreative-test CTR: 0.24% versus 0.03%

Historical campaign totals, hands-on time savings, and a creative-test comparison. See the case study for measurement context.

Read case study
Cell-Guardian

Product Marketing / Go-to-Market / Case study

Repositioning a vital signs monitor that couldn’t sell vital signs yet.

I built Cell-Guardian’s positioning around visual confirmation before an officer enters a cell. As Rahm’s sole marketer at founding, I also built the brand, websites, collateral, and product decks.

My roleMarketing Manager · Contract
Focus
  • Positioning
  • Sales enablement
  • Vendor credibility

The problem

Rahm brought VetGuardian’s contactless vital signs technology into corrections, but until FDA clearance, vital signs couldn’t be the selling point. The company needed traction anyway, against an incumbent that had offered vitals for more than five years, with buyers who relied on what neighboring jails trusted. The founding pitch deck borrowed VetGuardian’s positioning: continuous monitoring and self-harm detection, explained through a long feature list. It wasn’t giving jails a reason to buy.

My diagnosis

Jail staff valued knowing inmates were monitored around the clock, but that wasn’t what drove a purchase. What they needed most was to respond to emergencies faster and more safely, and the critical moment was an officer deciding how to enter a cell. The incumbent had vitals but no camera, so it couldn’t show staff what was happening before they opened the door. We could. Winning on that benefit still required getting past our newness, and in a market that buys on peer trust, each early customer would decide who came next.

Three quotes from a Texas sheriff, Kentucky jailer, and Missouri sheriff about in-custody emergencies.
Quotes from sheriffs and jailers, featured on the Cell-Guardian product sheet.

Key decisions

01
Lead with visual confirmation.

Sales identified the need, and I built the positioning around it: see what’s happening before sending an officer in. I had pushed for a lead benefit the incumbent couldn’t claim, and this was it. Tradeoff: continuous monitoring and self-harm detection became supporting points.

Before
Original Cell-Guardian trade show banner headlined Patented Sensor Fusion Technology for Inmate Monitoring with a six-feature icon grid.
After
Revised banner headlined Know Before You Respond, showing the monitoring dashboard with live video of a fall alert.
From patented sensor fusion and a feature grid to what an officer sees before opening the door.
02
Make the message simple enough to repeat.

I cut the feature list down to the few claims that supported faster response and used that message on the website, product decks, collateral, trade show materials, and partner training. A sheriff hearing it from a rep, a booth, and a neighboring county heard the same promise.

Website hero with the headline Know Before You Respond.
Website
Product sheet with Know Before You Respond as the first advantage.
Product sheet
Postcard headlined Know Before You Respond with the dashboard view.
Postcard
One promise on every piece a sheriff might see.
03
Start narrow and grow through networks.

The initial messaging focused on a narrow group of jails, since jails that trust each other buy from each other. Tradeoff: a smaller initial pipeline in exchange for customers who could refer the next ones.

Email inviting Indiana Sheriffs Association conference attendees to a live Cell-Guardian demo at booth 615.
Pre-conference email to Indiana Sheriffs Association members, one of the first regional networks targeted. Sent before the repositioning.
04
Look established enough to trust.

I redesigned the website and built out content so a founding-stage company read as a credible vendor next to a five-year incumbent.

Archived January 2025
Original Cell-Guardian website, archived January 2025.
Rebuilt site
Rebuilt Cell-Guardian website with the Know Before You Respond hero.
The original site next to the rebuilt one, with structured navigation, an FDA Class I badge, support and firmware sections, and a demo form.
Cell-Guardian typography, colors, and logos
Brand system built for Cell-Guardian at founding.

Results & evidence

36,000+Emails sent across 96 campaigns
98.8%Email delivery rate
~10 minHands-on processing per list, down from approximately six hours across 13+ conference lists
8xCreative-test CTR: 0.24% versus 0.03%

Email figures are historical aggregates, not annual rates; delivery does not mean inbox placement. Contact-list savings measure hands-on effort, not system runtime. The 8x result compares one creative variant with another, not a benchmark or revenue outcome.

03Outdoor audio

Lodge Outdoor

Marketing Technology Consultant · Contract

Customers asked whether it would stay charged. I built the messaging around that.

I rebuilt promotional emails, tightened paid search, and reduced social posting frequency within a limited budget and short selling season.

  • Messaging
  • Email
  • Paid search
  • Social creative
602%Total store sales increase
>50%Reduction in advertising spend

Store sales increased while advertising spend declined across the same comparison periods. See project details for dates and attribution.

Lodge solar-powered speaker on an outdoor patio
Read case study
Lodge Outdoor

Growth Marketing / Case study

Customers asked whether it would stay charged. I built the messaging around that.

I rebuilt promotional emails, tightened paid search, and reduced social posting frequency within a limited budget and short selling season.

My roleMarketing Technology Consultant · Contract
Focus
  • Messaging
  • Email
  • Paid search
  • Social creative

The problem

Lodge sells a solar-powered outdoor speaker through its own store and Best Buy, with a limited budget and a short selling season. Marketing ran on email, search ads, and Facebook and Instagram. Email was producing almost no sales. Social posted regularly but wasn’t sticky: it didn’t grow followers or get people clicking to learn more.

My diagnosis

Marketing led with features, especially the solar panels and sustainability, when buyers cared about what the panels did for them. The top customer question confirmed it: will it stay charged? Buyers weren’t asking how solar works. They wanted to know if it works. With a small budget and a short season, every send, post, and ad dollar had to earn its place, and the basics that make paid channels efficient had been overlooked.

Key decisions

01
Lead with the benefit behind the feature.

Shifted messaging from solar panels to all-day music without worrying about charging, which answered the top customer question directly. Solar stayed as the reason to believe, not the headline. Tradeoff: feature detail and the sustainability angle moved to the background.

02
Make every email worth sending.

Rebuilt promo emails with more relevant content, stronger design, and better timing, and sent less often. Tradeoff: fewer promotional moments in a short season.

03
Fix search fundamentals before spending more.

Tightened keywords, added negatives to cut wasted clicks, and fixed conversion tracking so spend decisions were based on real sales.

04
Fewer, better social assets.

Cut posting frequency and raised the quality of the creative in posts and ads.

The result

Store sales increased 602% while advertising spend fell more than 50% across the store comparison periods. Email-attributed orders increased 18% year over year on 44% fewer sends.

602%Total store sales increase while advertising spend fell more than 50%
12.92%Returning-customer rate, a 504% relative increase
18%More email-attributed orders year over year with 44% fewer emails
20.51%Checkout completion, an 18% relative increase
1,000+Loyalty program signups in 1.5 years
126Customer reviews collected

Store metrics compare January 1, 2024–June 25, 2026 with July 8, 2021–December 31, 2023. Sales, returning-customer rate, and checkout completion are store-level outcomes across those periods, not isolated effects of my work. Email-attributed orders use the latest annual comparison reviewed in September 2026. Percentage increases are relative; loyalty signups are not purchases.

Selected work

BEFORE

Original email copy describing the speaker as the world's first weatherproof, audiophile-quality speaker powered by the sun.

AFTER

Revised email copy promising uninterrupted playtime all summer with zero wire hassles.

THIRD-PARTY PROOF

ZDNet quote praising the speaker's infinite battery life and sound.
Leading with the benefitFrom how it's powered to what it means for the listener, with third-party proof that it works.

BEFORE

Original promo email with a flash sale hero and four stacked sections of discount copy.

AFTER

Revised promo email with a lifestyle hero photo, short pitch, and a single price card.
Email redesignA wall of discount copy became one offer, a clear price, and press quotes. After: a recent promo email built on the same approach.

BEFORE

Instagram grid of repeated holiday and Black Friday discount graphics.

AFTER

Instagram grid of the speaker photographed in real backyards and gardens.
Social creativeFrom repeated discount graphics to product photography in real yards.

Skills

Product marketing, from positioning through execution.

My work spans product messaging, sales materials, websites, campaigns, and the systems behind them.

Product marketingSales materials and partner training for technical products.Product collateralSales presentationsPartner trainingView detailsHide details

I build product collateral, sales presentations, and training materials for sales partners.

VetGuardian: whitepaper, product collateral, and distributor materials. ↗
Growth marketingPaid campaigns and lifecycle email.Paid mediaLifecycleRetentionView detailsHide details

I restructure paid campaigns, test creative, and build email, loyalty, and review programs.

Lodge Outdoor: paid campaigns, lifecycle email, and loyalty programs. ↗
Marketing strategyPositioning based on buyer needs and competitor differences.Customer communicationMarket strategyCampaign planningView detailsHide details

I use customer questions and competitor differences to decide which product benefits to emphasize.

At Cell-Guardian: visual-confirmation positioning for corrections buyers. ↗
Digital & marketing systemsWebsites, CRM, and contact-processing workflows.Web strategyHubSpotAutomationView detailsHide details

I redesign websites, configure HubSpot, and automate contact processing for campaign outreach.

Rahm: conference-list processing and HubSpot campaign workflows. ↗

About

I built my product marketing experience in early-stage companies.

Indiana University
Kelley School of Business
Marketing · Entrepreneurship & Corporate Innovation

At VetGuardian and Rahm, my responsibilities spanned positioning, sales presentations, product documentation, websites, and customer communication. I also worked on CRM and campaign workflows.

My consulting work for Lodge Outdoor included paid acquisition, lifecycle email, loyalty, and retention programs.

Experience at a glance

Rahm Sensor Development

Marketing Manager · Contract · November 2023–Present

Positioning, sales enablement, campaigns, and marketing systems for Cell-Guardian and Silver-Guardian.

VetGuardian

Product Marketing Lead · June 2022–October 2023
Marketing Intern · June 2020–June 2022

Product messaging, brand and website development, sales materials, and partner enablement.

Lodge Outdoor

Marketing Technology Consultant · Contract · July 2023–Present

Paid acquisition, lifecycle marketing, conversion, loyalty, and retention.

Next role

I’m looking for my next product marketing or GTM role.

I’m looking for responsibility in positioning and commercialization within an established marketing team. I bring technical-product experience and want to deepen my customer research and launch experience.

Connect on LinkedIn ↗
Based in Cleveland, OhioExplore my experience ↑

Work sample

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