Breakdown - A Gravity Forms Podcast

In this episode of Breakdown, Matt Medeiros welcomes back Cole Fraser from Gravity Wiz to give us the latest updates from their camp—and there’s a lot to catch up on. Cole breaks down how Gravity Wiz is evolving from a plugin company into a full product ecosystem, with updates that will have Gravity Forms customers rethinking how they build and manage forms. One of the biggest changes? The launch of Spellbook, a new centralized plugin interface that consolidates the management of all Gravity Wiz products right inside the WordPress dashboard. It’s a cleaner, more powerful way to handle plugin discovery, licensing, and updates—plus it opens the door for more free offerings. Cole and Matt also dive into how AI is actually being used today in the WordPress and forms space. Spoiler: it’s still early days. While everyone’s rushing to ship AI features, many end users are just starting to explore the possibilities. The conversation gets philosophical, touching on form-building, data ownership, and how open source tools like WordPress and Gravity Forms may offer a more stable future as AI ecosystems start to get fragmented and commercialized. It’s a must-listen for anyone building with Gravity Forms—or wondering how the AI wave is truly reshaping workflows. Takeaways * Spellbook is here: A new unified plugin management hub for all Gravity Wiz products, improving plugin discovery, licensing, and free plugin access. * Gravity Wiz is expanding strategically: The team now offers three major product suites—Gravity Perks, Gravity Connect, and Gravity Shop—with more sophisticated tools on the way like GP Bookings. * Real-world AI use is still basic: Most AI use cases with Gravity Forms revolve around data processing after form submission, not full-blown automation or form generation (yet). * Email remains critical: Gravity Wiz launched new integrations with Drip and MailPoet, plus an email validator tool to ensure clean data and workflows. * Open source is the long game: Cole and Matt agree—owning your data and building on stable, transparent platforms like WordPress and Gravity Forms matters more than ever in the age of API limitations and AI volatility. Important links * 🌐 Gravity Forms [https://gravityforms.com/] * 🔁 Gravity Flow [https://gravityflow.io/] * 🧙 Gravity Wiz [https://gravitywiz.com/] * ✉️ Gravity SMTP [https://gravitysmtp.com/]

On this episode of Breakdown, Matt Medeiros sits down with Liam Dempsey, founder of LBDesign, a boutique digital agency based outside Philadelphia. Liam walks us through the ethos of his client work, how his team approaches website builds for nonprofits and socially responsible businesses, and where Gravity Forms fits into his workflow. From building reliable donation forms to simplifying newsletter signups and contact pages, Liam emphasizes how Gravity Forms provides flexibility and trust for both him and his clients. He also shares practical insights on building long-term relationships with clients and why clear communication is key to delivering results that last. Whether you're an agency owner, freelancer, or a marketer working with WordPress, this episode offers a grounded perspective on client services and smart form strategies. Takeaways * Use forms to inspire confidence: Liam highlights how building dependable, intuitive forms helps clients feel more in control of their websites. * Gravity Forms = trust + flexibility: From recurring donations to conditional logic, Liam relies on Gravity Forms to handle complex workflows without needing custom code. * Build relationships, not just websites: Clear communication, transparency, and a focus on client needs are central to LBDesign’s process. * Nonprofits need robust tools: Many of Liam’s clients are nonprofits, and he shares how Gravity Forms enables them to reach their goals without breaking the budget. Important links * https://gravityforms.com/ [https://gravityforms.com/] * https://gravityflow.io/ [https://gravityflow.io/] * https://twitter.com/LiamDempsey [https://twitter.com/LiamDempsey] * Liam’s personal site: https://liamdempsey.com/ [https://liamdempsey.com/] * Liam’s personal site: https://liamdempsey.com/ [https://liamdempsey.com/] * Liam’s agency https://lbdesign.tv/ [https://lbdesign.tv/] * Liam’s podcast https://startlocal.co/ [https://startlocal.co/]

In this episode of Breakdown, Matt Medeiros welcomes Joe Casabona back to the WordPress podcasting scene—not as a developer or educator in the WordPress space per se, but as a solopreneur helping busy professionals reclaim their time through automation. Joe opens up about his quiet exit from WordPress, what he's learned about niching down, and why having a clear personal brand matters more than ever when you step outside the WordPress bubble. The conversation ranges from automation tools like Zapier and Make.com to the philosophical (and practical) differences between automation and AI. Joe shares his real-world workflows for podcast guest management using Gravity Forms and Notion—including clever conditional logic and URL parameters to streamline the guest experience. And yes, minivans, overpriced dealership diagnostics, and AI-generated podcast headshots even make their way into the mix. It’s an episode that blends WordPress roots, marketing tech stacks, and a healthy dose of northeast dad energy. Takeaways: * Clear branding and niching down are essential for professionals pivoting away from WordPress-focused work. * Gravity Forms remains a backbone tool in Joe’s solopreneur toolkit, powering intake forms that kick off sophisticated automations * Zapier is Joe’s automation tool of choice again, favored for its user-friendliness and broad integration support—despite Make.com’s flexibility. * Conditional logic and pre-filled URLs can drastically improve form UX, especially for things like podcast guest workflows. * Notion + Gravity Forms is a powerful combo, and the community-built integrations like Gravity Wiz’s Connect tools can extend functionality even further. Important links: * 🎯 https://gravityforms.com/ [https://gravityforms.com/] * 🔁 https://gravityflow.io/ [https://gravityflow.io/] * 🎙 Joe’s Podcast: https://streamlined.fm [https://streamlined.fm/] * 💻 Joe’s Automation Templates: https://casabona.org/automation [https://casabona.org/automation] * 🌐 Joe’s Website: https://casabona.org [https://casabona.org/] * 🔌 Gravity Wiz Connect Add-Ons: https://gravitywiz.com [https://gravitywiz.com/]

On this episode of Breakdown, Matt sits down with Casey and Zack from GravityKit so that they can explore the new changes coming to their range of products. Evolving products, new add-ons and all the fun stuff that comes out of GravityKit for the Gravity Forms ecosystem.  Matt and Casey dive deep into talking about marketing. Some of the challenges, some of the fun parts of marketing a WordPress product in today's climate. Especially facing things like AI and the ever changing landscape of attention in marketing. And then Matt and Zack go deeper on the launches of GravityKit's new products, why GravityKit is building these products and ultimately how it helps customers in the Gravity Forms ecosystem.

In this episode of Breakdown, Matt welcomes Owen Stone, the new Head of Marketing at Cosmic Giant. Just a few weeks into his role, Owen shares his extensive background in podcasting, marketing, and his early encounters with WordPress. The conversation explores how Owen balances traditional methods (like using pen and paper for notes) with embracing new technologies, reflecting his pragmatic approach to the tech world. The discussion centers around Cosmic Giant's Entry Automation 6.0, which just launched as the company celebrates its 8th anniversary. Owen highlights the event registration and data management features that help prevent form abuse and streamline data collection. Matt and Owen also dive into the importance of trusted software in the WordPress ecosystem, especially for agencies and freelancers who rely on dependable tools rather than short-term AI solutions for mission-critical functions like form handling, legal compliance, and data management. Key Takeaways: * Entry Automation 6.0 features enhanced event registration systems and data verification to prevent form abuse and ensure legitimate registrations * The new Multiple Form extension allows users to merge entries from multiple forms into a single output (PDF, Excel, JSON) * Cosmic Giant ensures legal compliance in their forms, with professionally written copy that meets both US and EU regulations * The WordPress ecosystem values trusted, long-term software solutions (like Gravity Forms' 15-year history) over newer AI alternatives that may lack support and reliability * AI tools should complement rather than replace professional software, especially for critical business functions * Cosmic Giant is actively seeking case studies and real-world examples of how customers are using their products Mentioned URLs: * CosmicGiant.com [https://cosmicgiant.com/] - Entry Automation 6.0 now available * Gravity Forms [https://gravityforms.com/] * Learn.gravity.com [http://learn.gravity.com/] - Our new learning site for all things Gravity