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Ask HN: Any hacks or tips to quickly grow product post launch?

by strawbrybanana on 9/27/24, 3:32 AM with 5 comments

We've actively worked on the growth, but we're struggling to gain real traction. I'd love to hear from those who've had success—what are some effective tips for driving growth at this stage?

Here's what we've tried so far: 1. Product Hunt launch: We launched there and got some visibility, but it didn't result in a big increase in users. 2. SEO: We do SEO every day, targeting relevant keywords. While it helps with steady traffic, it hasn't brought the breakthrough we're looking for. 3. Social media: We have accounts across platforms and post consistently, but engagement is still quite low. 4. Collaborations: We've worked with 2 YouTubers in our niche, but neither led to significant user growth or conversions. 5. Affiliate program: We've set one up, but most affiliates seem to want fixed payments. We're unsure how to find creators willing to join on a commission basis.

The product itself is solid and solves a genuine problem. However, we're at a bit of a loss for what to do next. Any advice, unconventional strategies, or even personal experiences that could guide us on how to push forward and attract more users would be greatly appreciated!

  • by sfmz on 9/27/24, 10:15 AM

    If very general approaches are not working, maybe a very specific approach might work -- without knowledge of what your product does -- there is not enough information in your post to create a specific approach.

  • by chiefalchemist on 9/27/24, 4:05 AM

    > The product itself is solid and solves a genuine problem.

    I don't mean to sound harsh, I'm trying to help but... Perhaps you should revist this? Perhaps you don't solve a genuine problem? Or the market doesn't perceive the problem as being as important as you think it is. Or the problem you think you solve isn't the problem the market thinks you solve. Have you communicated with users you have landed? What do they say?

    That aside, marketing is *at least* 10x harder than the technology. Getting people's attention - because nobody cares -is hard. Getting people to realize they have a problem is harder. Keeping their attention and convincing them you have the solution harder still. And finally getting them to open their wallets and hand you their money is often close to impossible.

    Finally, I recommend reading the classic "Positioning" by Reis and Trout. And be sure you speak to user in terms of benefits (not features).

    Other than that, without knowing the product and the market it's difficut to offer you anything concrete, sorry.