Should I launch the landing page on product hunt and not a working MVP?
Hi guys,
I have the landing page (which looks beautiful) with a lead form and waiting list but not a working product. Should I launch it like that and hope for waiting list enrollments and feedback on the idea or wait to finish the MVP and launch then? Or both? Thanks a lot!
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Having worked at a startup which got ranked number 1 in Product Hunt a while back (Hyperswitch), the waitlist and the leads you do get are verry useful but not all of them and some might have a need immediately and some who are evaluating. So there is an upside and downside.
Upside - Many people will actually be interested in what you are building and hows and will connect with you, and if you were to tell them you have a prototype but a MVP is in progress, they do help with building the application, not by code but talking abt specific usecase and features and examples of some, their pain points. For eg, one of such companies was a good sized e comm company, whose CTO said in one of our closing conversations across many was "... Lets build Hyperswitch together ..." and it was very supportive and heart warming. Did give us a few inputs which was later incorporated.
Downside- Many need an immediate solutions and won't be happy knowing that you only have a prototype. However saying "Hey, this actually will help us build an MVP which cover a manjority of problems which specifically you face, sort of build an ideal solution". However many will not be interested in the conversation.
Every lead does not translate, regardless of how much intent they have. But launching now will help with building a great MVP, launching later, you can focus on sales. Depends on how you go by it.
I think the key point is ensuring you deliver a product that your ideal customers actually want. Without getting early feedback with a landing page you risk building an mvp that doesn't provide essentials for your users. You can always relaunch again even if there's a new feature you added many successful companies do mini launches all the time.
If you had a working product what point a waiting list would have? Launch the landing page with the form, get links, wait for SEO to kick in, talk to your future clients and build your product during that time.
I'm thinking that I wouldn't have a second chance to launch the MVP when it's ready? For example, on Product Hunt. Not sure if they will allow me?
Don't launch your landing page on Product Hunt until you have a product. There is Betalist for beta launch, and others for earlier state of your idea. You can have multiple "launches" for different audiences:
What's your main goal in launching it early in Product Hunt?
If you know, it should be ready (whatever ready means for you) in a week. You can start launching it beforehand so you can still build momentum and also start validating the market demand since that helps you with positioning your potential users. So rather than getting validation about the product itself, you get validation whether you're marketing or targeting the right users.
But you can also protect yourself from losing momentum by knowing you have a product that will work in a week. Can you launch the landing page on the product hunt knowing that your product will soon launch?
Yes, that's the point. Validate the idea, get people on the email list to be the first users. No, the product will take another month for the product to be ready. I don't understand what's the thing with user dissapointment. There's a lot of noise anyway. People forget about products/services very fast.
There is a lot of noise, but you do take risks when you make people wait too long, and that waiting list becomes a reactivation list rather than a list for new users. It's almost like you have to reactivate their excitement to use your product rather than using the momentum of them being already excited for it and immediately giving them the ability to sign up.
They will forget about the product in 30 minutes after seeing the page and maybe subscribing. Waiting too long for what? It's not like I'm selling them the fountain of youth :) Reactivating them? Yes, sure, the product is not ready anyway. They will have to be "reactivated" anyway. What is there to loose?
I guess so. If you're more interested in experimenting and seeing what happens when you launch on PH, then go for it. However, depending on your user type, there are better platforms to generate buzz and get user validation. PH would be best if your user type is tech/product-heavy.
I'm just looking at it from a product marketing standpoint versus letting the product speak for itself since there is a lot of noise out there. And chances are you're going to need to post more than once anyway since there will be a lot of noise to compete against just to get user attention.
Thanks! What other platforms would you recommend for a soft launch like this one?
It depends on your users and, honestly, even your personality. TikTok is a great platform that reaches many different user types, but I know people aren't comfortable with videos, so that might not be possible.
Medium is great, but then it also takes time to build up. It's the same with every other newsletter/blog site out there. Reddit is great if you want to get an initial launch. I find the least resistance, but you have to find the ones that allow you to promote.
There are also bigger platforms like YouTube and Instagram, but honestly, they are less forgiving if you don't know how to get an audience's attention.
I'd just say experiment, but this is a whole new can of worms because now you'd be dividing your time away from developing into user research/marketing. So, you might want to prioritize what you think is best.
Launching only a landing page without your product ready is not a good plan...
For Example- what if users like your landing page and get excited about using the product? but the only thing they have is the landing page (what a disappointment)
Another better approach is to try to make and launch some basic features quickly so the user can get an idea about the product and get real feedback. Still working on full product you got an idea what ppl like and what not.
If you need my help in developing a product or anything in Tech or management, Do let me know I will be happy to help you
I disagree. It's not like you promised them anything or they are invested somehow. If they like the idea, they will react anyway. Please keep self-promo separate from this thread.
I understand your point, but launching a landing page without any product or basic features can create a disconnect between user expectations and the actual product when it’s finally released. Even if you don’t promise anything explicitly, early users are still forming perceptions based on what they see, and excitement can lead to disappointment if there's nothing to experience beyond a page.
From a product development standpoint, launching with a few key features gives you a chance to gather genuine feedback. This helps you validate your idea early, adjust accordingly, and ensure you’re building something users actually want. The reality is that if users can't interact with a product early, they might lose interest or even become skeptical about its development.
This isn’t about self-promotion, but more about providing value. I’ve seen many projects benefit from releasing a simple MVP or beta, which can provide better insights into user needs and behavior. Plus, it builds trust and a loyal user base early on. Would love to hear your thoughts on this!
If there would be a report /spam button, I would use it right now for chatgpt reply and self promo. Stop trollin!
The button exists. Down vote the comment and then click on the " - " button you.
I don't think using chat GPT to express myself better is bad also it is what it is.
I am out of this now, ALL THE BEST