"Traction" book: Getting traction feedback before product finished
The book "Traction" recommends its "50% rule", which is that you should spend 50% of your time working on your product and 50% testing traction channels.
This sounds like reasonable advice. I've certainly seen a lot of startups put too much effort into product development, and only go to the market once every detail of feature is finished, only to find out from the market the direction of the product should be a different one.
But how can you try out traction before there's a product?
For example, it talks about Dropbox (page 11):
While developing their product, they [Dropbox] tested search engine marketing and found it wouldn't work for their business. [..] That's when they focused on the viral marketing traction channel, and built a referral program right into their product. This program has since been their biggest growth driver.
I don't see how, before a product is released (i.e. "while developing their product"), you can try out the "viral marketing traction channel"? People won't tell their friends about a product before they've used the product, ergo the product must exist in order to see if they'll do that or not.
Or have I misunderstood something? What do you think?
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^^ This is an example of how you can test virality without a product. Is it the only way? I doubt it, but it's what came to mind right off the bat.
Thanks for the answer. I think I fundamentally mis-understood what is meant by the term "launch". I had understood the term to mean: OK we develop the solution (e.g. write the software), put it online, now it's "launched" because it's available.
The pre-launch product in your example sounds like it has most of the product's main features, and they're mature/stable enough for people to not only use it, but also pay money for it. If the product is already that stable and useful pre-launch, what is meant by "launching" it? Does it refer to the point in time when marketing kicks off in full?
The example I used doesn't exist, as in...nothing has been built. It's just an idea I'm trying to validate using a viral marketing technique. If folks don't care about the idea, they won't sign up. If folks care about the idea, but don't get other people to sign up, then that gives me other information I can go off about how I might try to promote the product.
@andrew_bpco, have you personally implemented the advice in "Traction". I'm looking to religiously implement it buy want to hear other's opinion's first.
I'm believe it means that DropBox had a basic product at that stage and were trying to get it infront of people. I remember their referral program and I believe it was quite early on in their existence. Those early users would have been key in helping develop the product to the next stage.
Hello, Thanks for your reply. Yeah I think it must mean that too, upon reflection.
Nevertheless, a few paragraphs later the book writes:
The book (nor anything else I've read) really doesn't mention how to experiment and test different traction channels, before launch.
All I can imagine is putting up a product page with an "enter your email address here" form, but I really don't really think this will provide useful feedback. Many times I want to have a solution today and ignore any such pages. Other times I'm interested in the space and sign up even though I don't really have an intention of buying. And even without these shortcomings I don't see how such an approach could test e.g. viral marketing of the product.
What do you think, do you have any ideas?
I guess it depends on what is meant by launch. Sometimes products will be in limited private beta for quite a while before officially launching, then depending how popular it is they will roll out to those that have shown interest.
Superhuman have done this recently, they have a product but it's quite hard to get hold of an invite. And even once you get an invite you have to go through a sign up (video) call.
Both your replies are excellent points, I think I understand what the text means much better now. Thank you!
Glad I could help! :)