Creating buzzzzz.... Invites, Waitlists or Open
I've read a lot of conflicting views on this ... I'd love some advice.
We're about to relaunch our news platform ... which has been locked behind an "invite code" for a few months in ~beta state ... and we'd like to create some buzz!!..
In your experience, are we better off:
Running a waitlist ...
Requiring an invite-code ...
Opening it for anyone ...
My experience of #1 is that the conversion rate of folk on the waitlist is really poor.
Ideally we'd stay away from #3 because we kinda set it up so everyone who signs up gets a few invite codes of their own and inviting folk would unlock more content ... (kinda like DropBox when it started).
So my preference is #2 ... but I don't want to throttle growth or make a massive error.
Do I have to just unlock it all completely?
Replies
Hello Jim :)
I know this isn't exactly related to your question, but it might help (as it did for us :) ), if you're planning to launch on PH, waiting lists or closed betas are not preferred. If your product isn't open to everyone at the time of the PH launch, the chances of getting featured are lower.
Nourish - Healthy Media
That's a great point @borja_diazroig .
We would definitely be [re-]launching here! We love PH ... and I've been lurking around here since forever*.
This is basically a super-app merge of three other things we've launched here over the past few years ... and to a great extent our efforts to fold in the three have been bolstered by the amazing comments and enthusiasm of the community here.
The plan would be to launch here with a "PRODUCTHUNT" invite code that anyone here can use. Already set that up in fact.
Do you think, so long as everyone here can get straight in, that's still a problem?
* Signed up on May 21st, 2015 ... just looked. omg! 10 years!! 🎉 😆
@jimbomorrison I think in that case it should be ok as you are providing immediate access :)
https://help.producthunt.com/en/articles/9883485-product-hunt-featuring-guidelines
I think that the "invites only" concept works the best.
Has always worked actually when you created a FOMO around something.
The same case was Clubhouse, Bluesky, AirChat... people even were selling those codes on EBay :D
Nourish - Healthy Media
Thanks @busmark_w_nika ...
That's how I feel about it ... (but I don't have Clubhouse or Bluesky's clout! 😆)
Do you think there's much risk? We're putting invite codes out there in the wild ... and even directing folk who don't have one to socials to get one ... but even that's quite an ask?
My hope though is that only signing up people who either been recommended or gone to some effort builds a stronger initial user base... quality not quantity. Does that make sense?
My target audience is parents of 1–9-year-olds. Is it really about using tricks like that to reach them? It feels a little disrespectful to these already tired people (I’m one of them). Wouldn’t simply having a solution to a real problem — like tantrums, reaching your goals with them, or saving time — be enough? I feel like that’s plenty, but maaaybe not?
Nourish - Healthy Media
You may be right @patryk_borowa ...
There's a certain amount of gamification in our platform... and an incremental paywall (basically, you get a few channels for free, the rest is paid)...
... and what we thought we'd do is reward readers who invite others by letting them unlock a few channels for free, for the first five friends they sign up.
It's tricky ... but it's why the thread was around creating 'buzz' ...
We have no marketing budget at all ... so, we were kinda thinking we'd need to do something more to generate interest ... spread the word ... to reach people, as you put it. Or at least incentivise people to share ... and reward them for doing it?
I'm not sure people often share things - unless they're really, really motivated ... or reminded/encouraged to do so? Do they?