Your SaaS launch spike is gone in 48 hours. Here's the fix.
Every founder I know has been there.
Product Hunt day goes well. Maybe top 10. 200 signups. Then 48 hours later — silence. And you realize you have no repeatable distribution channel. Ads are expensive. Cold outreach to creators gets ignored. And the few responses you get ask for $400 per post.
I went through this with my last product. So I started building Aproov — a platform where founders offer lifetime access or revenue share (or more) to creators who cover their niche. Both sides opt in. No cold outreach, no agencies, no minimum budget.
The insight that changed how I think about this: distribution shouldn't be a one-time event. The optimal creator generates signups for weeks after the post. That's the difference between a spike and a channel.
We're opening a second cohort of founders in the next two weeks. First cohort connected founders with a pool of tech creators across podcasts and newsletters who are actively looking for products to cover. Spots are limited to keep match quality high. If you've hit this wall and want early access - link below.
What would be a no-brainer for you? What other distribution channels are you using? I'll be reading you.
This sounds like a great product! Can I ask how you've found the outreach for a site like yours where there's essentially two groups of people you need for the site (founders AND creators) - did you find that one group was easier to attract than the other? Any insights?
Thanks! founders came naturally after first launch. It was worth of mouth. creators took more work to find the right fit, but once you identify who genuinely talks about tools (vs those just chasing brand deals or with automated accounts), response rate is solid
Yea I did wonder if it was the creators that would be the hardest, well done on getting a solid response rate because I've been there and know how hard it is to keep motivated
Thanks a lot!
One thing I'd be careful about is treating creator coverage as validation of a distribution channel.
A founder can get signups from a creator and still learn very little about whether that creator relationship is repeatable, scalable, or economically attractive.
The interesting question may not be whether creators can generate traffic.
It may be what conclusions deserve confidence when they do.
Exactly right, that's the core problem we solved. Random creator outreach tells you nothing. That's why we weight fit and deal compatibility over follower count (and track outcomes per deal)
Good point.
Out of curiosity, have you seen cases where creator-driven growth actually became a reliable channel rather than a one-off win?
Happy to chat over email if that's easier.
the bigger pattern we see is founders running multiple deals with creators sequentially -different creators, staggered over weeks. That's when it stops being a one-off and starts feeling like a channel
Interesting.
The reason I asked is that I'm not sure the conclusion I'd draw from a sequence of successful creator deals is the same conclusion most founders would draw.
Happy to explain what I mean over email if useful.
What's the best address to reach you on?
dm me in X better!
I actually don't use X much these days.
Email is usually easier for me if you're still open to continuing the conversation there.