[1] Idea.
I only build products that I would use myself. It took me many years of failed projects to stop building stuff for the users I don’t deeply understand.
So the idea = my own pain.
[2] SEO potential.
I spend hours on Google search console, digging into keyword traffic trends.
This is the single best way to see if anyone is actually searching for this solution/problem. Very often, the results might be the opposite of what my intuition says. I never skip this step.
[3] Pick least competitive
Once searching for keywords for the pain, I often come up with a well-formed list of ideas for solving the pain. I see what’s on top of Google search, and I pick the idea that has the least competition.
[4] Social validation.
The next stage is to see if it gets any attention on social media. I tweet, blog, add it as a reply in relevant threads. It must pass the threshold.
The final stage of validation: I pitch it to my wife. If she thinks it’s boring, I kill the idea.
[5] Waitlist.
I build a very quick landing page using Unicorn Platform with a waitlist. Spend 5 min on the Landing Page and 1 hour on inserting good keywords from the SEO research I’ve done on step #2.
[6] Organic Promotion.
I launch the waitlist following the same steps as when validating the idea: blog, social media, and replies under relevant threads.
[7] Paid promo.
At the time when I had no followers, I’d pay $100-$300 to an influencer who’d post it for me. Make sure to pick one who is relevant. Or buy an ad on a relevant directory.
[8] Directories & SEO.
I list the project on at least 100 directories. It can be done manually or paid using tools like Listingbott.
Also, I activated AI auto blogging right away to make sure I’ll get some organic SEO traffic in a few months. There are plenty of tools for this, I obviously use my own tool called SeoBotAI for this.
[9] Is there traction?
After about 30 days of doing the promo steps 6,7,8, I check analytics:
- Waitlist signups
- Total & organic traffic
- Social media engagement
My criteria before coding begins are simple:
- At least 100 people on the waitlist
- Total visitor count of at least 1000
[10] Coding MVP.
I define the simplest version.
I use a boilerplate and micro apps inside Marsx, but there are plenty of boilerplates for any stack that you’re used to. If nextjs, go for shipfast from Marc or shipp from Dan.
[11] Turn Coding into Marketing
While building MVP, I connect with those who signed up, share details, and get feedback even before they try out the product. I send them ideas, progress, screenshots, and demos inside the dev sandbox. Most get very engaged and supportive. I always give at least a 50% discount to all early adopters in appreciation of their early support.
All that I do above I share publically. Which serves great as marketing and turns out ot be useful for others.
[12] Iterate.
Once I launch my beta on prod, I keep it closed for as long as needed and only onboard early adopters to gather their feedback over weeks/months to improve product features/fix bugs, etc. I don’t rush to open it for everyone because it will create too much overhead and support. I prefer having 100 early adopters who are very involved and care, than 1000 users who scream at me.
[13] Public Launch.
On Friday, I launch on Product Hunt or DevHunt for dev tools.
Also, I do all blogging again: social media, articles, hacker news, Hacker,Noon and more.
This brings 10x more traffic, and the real hustle starts here. Cold users are much more brutal with their feedback and judgment; some haters appear, too. I cry for a bit and get back to real-time prod fixes for a week. Eventually, things get to normal. The project turns into a stable project with predictable growth. From here on, I onboard a co-maker who would keep building the project further and I quit the tech part and act as a product owner and marketer for this project, to soon go into a new project as a builder again.
[That's it!]
Also published here.