Marketing for early stage startups
As the founder of an early-stage edtech startup, I've been a little "overwhelmed" with which social media platforms to stick with. I'm not sure which ones to invest most of my time into and which to steer clear of.
Given that target audiences vary between different companies, how successful have you found TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, and even Product Hunt in gaining traction for your company? Have you spent the money investing in advertisements or "promotions?" Was it worth it?
I've gotten over 100k+ views on some videos, but they haven't been particularly effective in terms of conversions.
Have you found office vibes, product demos, or day in the life's to be most impactful in converting?
Let me know would love to hear from you guys!
Replies
From what I observe from marketing activities in my SaaS product, I found that combining both branding content (LinkedIn, FB, X,...) and community content (Reddit, dev.to,...) will create the value.
@tomcao2012 Really appreciate your insights. As a relatively new brand, we've been posting actively on FB and X, but visibility is still quite low. Do you have any suggestions for getting more traction early on? Would love to hear how you'd approach it.
@tomcao2012 @alona_williams As someone with a good amount of experience on X in the startup space with my personal account:
1) Best way to gain traction early is having people with actual followings repost you a couple times. this will build a good base to build off of, otherwise it can be pretty hard
2) Reply to everything you can with meaningful insights or just pure humor (hopefully you're funny) This is highkey an easy way to farm engagement. Turn on notifications for when popular people post so you can be the first one to reply and have high visibility. This is pretty strenuous and gritty but it can work.
3) Just pay to promote. It can be worth it honestly 20-30k views on a post for $25. Depends on your budget but if you promote the right post it could go a long way
@manu_goel2 Targeting college students looking to learn in a more unstructured manner. I think instagram is a good start considering im 20 and all my friends use IG reels. (seriously, any normal guy in college is on IG reels, so applying my consumer tendencies to the other side of things, I think it would be great for companies to target)
How has "implementing" your ICPs into content been going for you?
Totally get where you're coming from! Social media can feel like a guessing game when you're early-stage. I've tried nearly all you mentioned. TikTok gave me crazy reach but little actual sign-ups. Instagram was better for nurturing especially when I used carousels explaining how my product works.
@najish I think tiktok is a great supplement for another platform but it shouldn't be the main because conversions aren't strong 90% of the time. great for getting your brand out there and just making sure people recognize the name.
Then later on when they see it on a more "legit" platform, they are warmed up to the idea.
As another founder in the early stage, I completely feel your confusion. I've found that platform effectiveness really depends on your user base. For me (targeting young learners and their parents), Instagram and LinkedIn have been the most useful.
@dinda_nancy Would love to hear more about how you target young learners! We are currently targeting college students.
What are some strategies you use on instagram? Are you mostly doing product demos? Do you have multiple accounts for different verticals?
Reddit's got serious juice, but you're walking a razor's edge between going viral and getting banned.
@lucascliberato Don't even get me started on reddit. I rage quit Reddit weeks ago after getting banned for replying to a post....
Identify the closest group of customers you can for your service or startup and create content for them. You can use various types of content, but entertaining and humorous content is the best way to find customers and introduce your product.
Hey Ross really relate to that early-stage overwhelm. In my experience, reach ≠ conversion unless the intent behind the content is dialed in. A 100k view TikTok might boost visibility, but if your target isn’t in the mindset to buy (or even learn), it won’t move the needle.
What’s worked best for me:
LinkedIn for decision-maker trust and partnerships especially if you’re B2B or targeting educators/admins. It’s slow but builds compounding brand equity.
Reddit for honest feedback loops. Not always conversion-focused, but priceless for refining positioning.
Product demos beat “day in the life” every time if they show how you solve pain with clarity. Don’t just show features show time saved, confusion avoided, outcomes gained.
Ad spends? I do micro-tests never spend big until you’ve nailed messaging organically.
It’s less about picking all channels and more about picking 1–2 you can consistently show up on, with content rooted in real utility.
Hope that helps!
@priyanka_gosai1 Hey Priyanka! This was a great way of breaking it down. I'm honestly scared of reddit lol, way too easy to get banned. Product hunt seems a little chiller.
I've been trying to do the product demos a lot more and make them funny but still finding the right balance.
Currently focused on IG and tiktok the most. What have you been zoning in on?