I'm afraid all my effort will go in vain cause I don't have an audience.
I've been consistently working on my product, "Javascript and Data Structure Flashcards", for more than a month now. From designing to curating the topics and putting up concise content on each card to make sure it easier for the user to read and remember the content. I plan to sell it on Gumroad.
I believe it's a pretty solid product for those looking for a refresher before a coding interview or who wants to solidify coding concepts.
I've been researching how some of the products hit the shelves and start selling like hot cupcakes instantly.
In my experience, if you don't have decent Twitter followers then you're not bound to get much traction. I've been reading a lot about how to grow Twitter audience and tried my luck in creating threads, giving free value, resources but none of it seems to gain me followers or engagement.
I'm afraid all my hard work of creating this would not pay off due to my inability to reach a larger audience.
What advice would you give to someone who isn't able to build a twitter audience and is looking to launch a product on Gumroad?
P.S: My Twitter account: https://twitter.com/sharjilsidd in case you want to critique.
You could try and leverage the reputation of someone who does have an audience. Connect with some people who have a following you would want to have and try setting up an affiliate commission for mentioning and linking to your product.
Could also look at:
CJ, ClickBank, and other affiliate product marketplaces.
Alternatively there are always paid ads, paid search, paid placement on sites.
There is also SEO and content marketing strategies - but like building an audience, that takes time.
Take a look at these 19 popular marketing/sales channels and see what you can try:
https://medium.com/@yegg/the-19-channels-you-can-use-to-get-traction-93c762d19339
Thanks for the advice.
Since I don't have a marketing budget. I was thinking of giving people the cut of the sale price. Do you know any software that tracks referral links and gives the referrer the cut?
I use firstpromoter.com for www.Boast.io and it works well enough.
Wish doing payments was more automated but it's not too much of a hassle.
I think you should connect with last year college student and ask them to use. That would be really good fit.
And ask them to share feedback on twitter.
Thanks! I was thinking of acquiring university emails by some means.
You can try opening Brand Ambassador short of position in the college and hire the person. They can do for you.
I'd check out the SaaS SEO MBA: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/the-saas-seo-mba.
Everyone else here is saying it in some fashion. The plain and simple fact is that you need to make an impact with content. That's the only way to build a name for yourself on the Internet until you own enough digital real estate to let the returns match your growth. You don't need to kill yourself with SEO, but learning how to build out your site and your presence intentionally is crucial, and then worry about mastering the sales funnel. First, give yourself some identity.
Social media can certainly give you sales, but only if people are sold on you first. Gumroad products also do the best when they're brought directly to users, and you can only do that with content and engagement.
Thanks for this!
On your profile, I see a lot of "this is how you get a job fast" type of posts. To me, they sound really cliché and not like something which would actually help me.
Try to genuinely help. Don't think about selling anything or gaining followers. Put out content that will genuinely help me.
I would try to go for more actual content instead of motivational "go out there and do something" posts. You could take some of the flashcards from your product and turn them into info graphics. Something that's easy to consume, easy to share and related to your product.
Thanks! I might try this. Appreciate the advice.
You're welcome! I wish you all the best.
I was in your situation launching my latest product. I would recommend finding a friendly audience/community in your niche and start talking about your product, posting relevant content, asking for feedback, answering questions, etc. That's what I did - in a niche forum that my product is aimed at.
You could also try soliciting feedback from people who do have an audience. Asking them for feedback, giving/offering some of them free early access, and start building relationships.
Thanks tobe!
The Soliciting feedback looks like a great advice and I might try it.