🗞 What's New: Launch tips from Product Hunt's Head of Growth

Here's the key to a successful Product Hunt launch:

• Distribution. Focus on building your audience through founder-led marketing. When it comes to taglines and images, clear is better than clever.
• Last week, we defined being "lucky" as a founder. This week, we're exploring ways to increase your luck. Hint: Build a strong network.
• $400 MRR and 6 months of runway. Alex Liu experimented with innovative marketing tactics and channels, and it's paying off.

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by Stephen Flanders

Jason Levin is Head of Growth at Product Hunt, and he's sharing his advice for founders!

Key to a successful Product Hunt launch?

Having distribution definitely helps. It's kind of the secret trick to Product Hunt, and you see that when you look at the top makers.

Build your audience. The best way to do that is by building in public.

When should founders launch on Product Hunt?

Once your product is helpful to a few people besides yourself. Usually, this means that your product solves one problem better than anybody else.

What makes a really good tagline and image?

For the tagline, clear is better than clever. Check out our CEO's tips on taglines.

My advice on the images is similar: Keep it simple. Same thing with the demo video. All you need is a Loom walking people through how to use the product.

Should founders focus more on their personal brand or company brand?

Always start with the personal brand. People want to hear from people on social media. They don't want to hear from some brand, until that brand is huge. You can start working on your company page once you have ~10K followers.

Founder-led marketing works!

Which social media platform should founders focus on?

X is the best place to start. It's the highest density of smart, wealthy people in tech. Of course, your target market does matter. If you're trying to sell to teenage girls, then you should probably be on TikTok. But, if you're building for developers, founders, or marketers, X and LinkedIn are where you should be. It's very easy to repurpose content between the two.

Ultimately, though, you should focus on the platform you enjoy the most.

Is it worth hiring a social media manager or a ghostwriter?

I've been ghostwriting for founders for the last three years, and I've found the best results come from those who have already developed their voice, grown their network of friendships and connections, and found product-market fit.

These founders will often have 3K-4K followers, and just don't have the time to continue. At that point, it would make sense for a ghostwriter to come in and scale the thinking they've already developed.

How do you stand out on social media?

Memes. I wrote an entire book on meme marketing, but the tl;dr is that memes break through the noise. They're a great way to stand out with humor. Everyone tries to sound smart, but if you're funny, you can sound smart naturally.

I really can't emphasize enough how powerful this is for a small account!

Final piece of advice?

Just launch more stuff, and as you're doing it, tell the internet all about what you're doing.

It'll take a while, but eventually, you'll build a cult following that'll be there to support all of your projects.

Discuss this story.

from the Trendy Software Ideas newsletter

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from the Trendy Software Ideas newsletter by Darko

Last week, I published part one of this series, where we explored different types of luck.

Now, it's time to get into the practical stuff!

Your mood limits your luck

Noticing luck is all about mindset. Thinking of yourself as "lucky" actually increases your luck.

According to Richard Wiseman, author of The Luck Factor, unlucky people are much more anxious and tense than lucky people. This anxiety hinders your ability to notice "luck," meaning unexpected things. Here are some examples:

1. Missing networking opportunities: If you're too anxious or focused on delivering the perfect pitch, you might miss a casual comment from someone nearby, hinting at a lucrative business opportunity or valuable connection.

2. Overlooking market signals: You might be so focused on perfecting your product that you miss subtle signals from early adopters or market trends.

3. Undervaluing unexpected positive events: Imagine you launch a new feature, and it goes viral unexpectedly. If you're too caught up in the next big release, or too anxious about potential issues, you might fail to fully capitalize on this sudden success. A founder with a "lucky" mindset would double down on what's working, and leverage the momentum to boost visibility and growth.

4. Missing additional revenue streams: As you focus on your core business model, you might miss opportunities for alternative revenue streams that could diversify your income.

5. Ignoring cross-industry opportunities: You might be so focused on your niche market that you miss opportunities to promote your product to different industries.

How to get better at noticing luck

1. Meditate: Richard found that lucky people were 20% more likely to meditate than unlucky people.

2. See the good things in bad luck: Lucky people have a very resilient attitude. Embrace uncertainty, focus on long-term gains, and find the silver lining in tough situations.

3. Cultivate a growth mindset: At the beginning of your startup journey, every day is a learning experience. Instead of being discouraged by challenges, view them as opportunities to grow.

4. Build a support network: As a founder, it's easy to feel isolated. Be intentional about connecting with other founders who can offer guidance, encouragement, and perspective during challenging times.

Expect part three of this series next week!

Discuss this story, or subscribe to Trendy Software Ideas for more.

📹 I invested five minutes per day into my faceless YouTube channel for one month. Posted by Ivan Homola.

🤑 Stop building, start selling. Posted by Avery Hooks.

📈 1M impressions in six months using SEO. Posted by Khadin Akbar.

👋 My indie hacking comeback. Posted by Georgy Glezer.

🤔 I need help pricing my SaaS. Posted by Ashit Vora.

⏳ Improve your search engine ranking quickly. Posted by Tuiddy.

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by James Fleischmann

Alex Liu quit his job in June to focus on his new product, AutoAE. It launched in July, and now he's at $400 MRR, with six months of runway left.

Earning the first dollar online

Alex earned his first dollar online a few years ago during a break from college. He wanted to travel, but lacked funds. He had some experience in market research, so he started selling in-depth analyses of industries and companies on a local Fiverr-like platform. He earned over $2K in the first month.

Since then, he's built a few side projects while working full-time. But there's a problem: When he has a job, he tends to get deeply involved in it, aiming to excel. This leads to conflicting priorities, and ultimately, poor performance in both his job and his side project.

So, two months ago, Alex quit his job.

Splitting equity

Alex's cofounder is not working on AutoAE full-time, but they still have a 50-50 equity split.

Alex says it's important to be equally incentivized. Their time investments are not dictated by whether they have full-time jobs, but by the work they put in.

AutoAE allows you to create viral hooks for your videos in seconds. There's a free tier, a one-time purchase option, and subscription tiers.

The first customers were acquired through "super cold" outreach, and a few of Alex's YouTuber friends. Everything he earns will be reinvested into marketing.

Ignoring traditional advice

Despite his mother's frequent reminders to save, Alex believes in another philosophy. He prefers investing in his business and living a life of purpose, rather than strictly adhering to traditional saving methods.

His focus is being happy, while still being disciplined. He finds that it's better to focus on fewer tasks as a founder; this allows for more flexibility, and gives him the ability to seize unexpected opportunities.

He also divides his money into three parts:

1. Spending: Stays in a safe savings account.

2. Risk taking: This goes into marketing, and he tracks the ROI.

3. Emergencies.

Advice for founders

Don't just build in public. Market your product beyond X.

Write posts for Reddit, Medium, and Indie Hackers. Create images for Pinterest and Instagram. Make videos for YouTube and TikTok.

You are both the maker and the seller. Try innovative ways to market your product, and it will work!

Discuss this story.

by Tweetmaster Flex

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Special thanks to Jay Avery for editing this issue, to Gabriella Federico for the illustrations, and to Stephen Flanders, Darko, and James Fleischmann for contributing posts. —Channing