What’s one thing common among all those successful product hunt launches? They started with building an audience first before launching them.
Take a look around - makers kitchen, reddit, hacker news, product hunt and any other avenues where you see the launch of the tech and software products and the discussions around them - long before the product is actually “launched”, these builders talk about their products frequently. As in the comments for related posts, answering questions to gain reputation, blogging and building audience in the form of newsletter subscribers, podcasting or even engaging actively in the makers communities. Helping others is a key driver for them in building the network effect.
I have a product idea
Let’s say you have an idea and you want to start working on it. Where do you begin? At writing the whole code for it? Not. Make a quick landing page (https://carrd.co is fantastic!) and try to promote the idea itself. Even before the minimum viable product is brought to the market, this helps in gaining early adopters. Even with a little momentum in your landing page, you can keep the subscribers engaged with the product updates you are doing to get the MVP out. In fact this notion is picking up fast with the indie makers. This way, you know the direction of the product and reach the product-market fit earlier.
I have no product idea
How about you blog your way? It’s by far an easier way to gain audience for your newsletter and eventually your product beta users, rather than trying to run paid ad campaigns in promoting a product that you do not know if you can monetise it well enough.
As you keep blogging, and ideas spark, the product you build will already have some key enthusiasts from your readers as users. It’s okay not to build a product at all. How about reviewing existing SaaS products and blogging your views in using these products? Start with the ones you like and gradually pitch in new features ideas around how those product can be improved further.
Am I good enough to blog?
This is a questions that stops many from attempting to write. Believe that you are good. Better than most others who haven’t attempted to build a product or even write on their own. Now, the critical point is what niche should I choose to write? Make sure that whatever you choose, you are passionately invested in it, than being just good at it.
If you are inquisitive on a topic, and even if you haven’t mastered it, you can start blogging or talking about it, your learnings and experiences will help others venturing out into the same area. That’s how I started with this blog.
Just as I have this in draft, Sid wrote this amazing piece and discusses in detail on what stops someone from blogging. Please subscribe to his newsletter. https://sid.studio/post/start-a-blog/