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Is there any value from "coming soon" placeholders?

3 points by sshadmand ↗ HN
It is like some powerful urge even very talented people can't help but make. Maybe I am the wrong one, but is it really work it to show a feature that simply says "Coming soon"? I guess, IF you are ghetto testing for clicks - sure. But I find that is rarely what is happening behind the scenes. It is ugly and makes your app seem half-baked for no value. I feel like it should be "release it or don't". CMIIW

4 comments

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reliefcrew
I'd say the correct answer is, as usual, "it depends".

If the "coming soon" message is framed as a marketing tease and the features are indeed delivered as they've been promised then I don't see a problem. OTOH, if the "coming soon" message itself looks like a poorly styled afterthought then, of course.... just leave it out and rethink the rollout.

Ultimately, "ugly" is a matter of presentation and perception.

sshadmand
I agree with the marketing side, but I am more on the implementation side. Could you imagine iPhone having a section "coming soon" in their OS? To me it seems impatient and wishful thinking than prioritized and thoughtful execution. When I talk to other founders/designers I feel like their reasoning falls apart pretty quickly when asked "why did you add that there?".
reliefcrew
> Could you imagine iPhone having a section "coming soon" in their OS?

Yes, easily... it would look a lot like WWDC ;-)

Perhaps it's worth looking past the implementation per se.

simulatedliam
I think "coming soon" gives a certain "marketing" feel, that has a place in some brands, and doesn't have a place in others. I seen companies like Higgsfeild AI which wihtout a serious technical moat are going a little crazy with marketing (I guess brand as a moat? but we'll see how that pans out). Coming soon fits in with thier flash sales and crazy BOGOF style promo. For other brands with more sensitive subject matter than AI ads, might not fit as well.