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Ask HN: How Can I Quickly Launch My Web Product and Attract Target Users?

15 points by PeterHuber ↗ HN
Hi everyone,

I’ve just finished developing my web software product, but as a solo developer without an existing fanbase, I’m starting from scratch. I’m looking for practical advice and guidance on how to effectively launch my product and attract my target audience.

Specifically, I’d love insights on:

(1) Marketing Strategies: What are the most effective ways to get my product in front of potential users? (2) Social Media & Community Engagement: Which platforms should I focus on for maximum reach? (3) Gathering User Feedback: What are the best methods to quickly gather user feedback for improvements?

I appreciate any tips, resources, or personal experiences you can share. Thank you!

28 comments

[ 5.6 ms ] story [ 92.8 ms ] thread
bruce511
It's a bit late here for my advice to be helpful to you but IMO these are questions to ask, and answer before you build the web app, not after.

The short answer to your question is "identify who your customer is, find out where they hang out (online or IRL), join that community, add value (not just your offering), demonstrate your usefulness and build credibility.

From that, you can sell product in a meaningful, sustained way, which reaches into the vote of their needs.

You've done it backwards, the easy bit first, and now the hard part will be harder. Instead of finding a niche, and filling it, you've filled a niche, and are now trying to find people in that niche.

Bur don't despair. You might yet pull it off. And if you don't consider it to be a really cheap part of your education. Making mistakes is how we gain experience and learn how the game is played.

PeterHuber
You're absolutely right. It's essential to identify the specific needs of your target audience first. My motivation for creating this product was to solve my own problem, and I believe there are others who might have similar needs. That's why I want to promote it.
joenot443
You'd get a lot better responses if you explained to us what your product _is_ and also had a link to where it can be demoed or purchased.
PeterHuber
Thank you for your reply. I'm currently working on two projects: AI image generation and an image splitter. I've just started independent development, and I'm still refining more features for the products.
ctrlGsysop
Your targets are unclear so if this is a consumer product, I would suggest doing this as a free app with Google ads to help monetize - similar to ezgifmaker.com, et al. Capture the email, then gather feedback and promote your new updates directly from there. Repeat use cases are important - will someone use this once or consistently - this is a major factor in your marketing/sales direction.

If there’s an enterprise sales opportunity, you can create a premium account scheme.

I’d refrain from hiring a marketer (like me) as you really need to validate the product first. Users admitting to having your same pain point is still way premature to whether they’ll give you hard cash right now for the solution.

Good luck, I’m sure you’ll do great!

meiraleal
If you don't feel confident about sharing a link, your product isn't ready yet or you are lacking the confidence to let people see it while procrastinating with threads loke this one. You lost a great opportunity to "quickly launch your web product"
jasonturley
For quick user feedback, maybe give the product away for free in exchange for testimonials. Reach out to friends and family. Implement the changes they suggest. Once you have some solid testimonials built up, you can raise the price of the product. Rinse and repeat.

I recommend watching some Alex Hormozi videos on how to effectively market and sell.

PeterHuber
But where can I get the initial traffic? I don't even have any early users right now.
spacebacon
Product Hunt, paid ads, affiliates, emails, social media, niche market places, business journals, trade shows, newsletter placements, press releases, direct mail, business cards, local orgs and institutions, meetups, and free beer.
PeterHuber
Absolutely, everything needs to start somewhere. The beginning is always the hardest part, but every small step counts!
spacebacon
What’s your product?
PeterHuber
Thank you for your reply. I'm currently working on two projects: AI image generation and an image splitter.
spacebacon
Not related to your first submission on hacker news to git?
denizener
Personally, I would have to hire someone do to do sales/marketing.

Its just not an area I am going to be anything but bad in. I have many talents but sales/marketing is not one of them. Maybe you can learn to be good in this area but I have tried and it would be a mistake for me.

PeterHuber
It’s true that it’s best to work with experts, but my personal project might not be that big. I’m thinking about putting in some effort to change it myself.
tomhallett
1) read “the mom test”

2) I hear that you scratched your own itch. When you had the itch/problem, what did you do to see if someone else had solved it before you started building? If you “only” did a quick google search, then you can try to rank for the phrase you searched for (which might be super hard). Did you post on Reddit/slack-group - if so, build a presence there so that when other people ask that same question, you can be there to help (and mention your solution)

3) try to meet people in real life who might have this same itch/problem, and talk to them

PeterHuber
Okay, thanks for your reply! I'll give it some tries.
dc_rog
Start telling your story about why you built it in the first place. Tell it on any community that you think people who are in a similar need will be. Get narrow, try a few small niches. Stick with it for a month and then see who is following along. That is your audience. Start to tease out features based on outcomes that those people will achieve once they are helped by your product. Let your audience tell you what they want.

Paid ads, etc, will very likely not yield good results at this early stage because you don’t know your ideal customer profile well enough and no one knows you or your product well enough to trust you. This will build over time.

PeterHuber
Thank you for your answers; I've learned a lot. I should summarize the purpose of my product and the development process, clearly outline the pain points it addresses, and promote it on various platforms. However, I'm a bit worried because those larger platforms may not be very friendly to new users, and it feels like the content I post might not get much visibility.
kylebenzle
Hire a marketing agency.
PeterHuber
Honestly, I know this is the path of least resistance, but being a greenhorn in the development world, I have no idea how to find a trustworthy marketing agency.
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achempion
The question suggests that a recipe exists that you can follow and gain users. Just build something valuable for people who are struggling right now without your solution.