Launchpads are sites which allow posting your startup there. They are browsed by geeks, founders, like you and me. So if your SaaS is a tool for startups, that is a good idea to launch there.
The biggest startup launchpad is Product Hunt.
Link: https://www.producthunt.com/
Launching on Product Hunt is simple, but not easy.
The rules change over time, but the basic principles remain the same: make a great product, add pretty wrapping (landing page, images gallery, message), drive audience to the launch - top 3 guaranteed.
Let’s break each down.
The goal of the Product Hunt company is to entertain the visitors. If you provide a product that excites the audience, you help the Product Hunt’s mission, and their algorithm will push you up. Simple math.
So what is a great tool from the Product Hunt’s perspective?
If you are building yet another CRM, no one will be excited about it because CRMs are boring. There is no profit for Product Hunt to rank it higher or even feature on the home page. The visitors won’t upvote such a launch because it is boring.
So make sure your product idea raises interest. It must be creative.
It does not have to be an entirely new thing like Uber or Google. You just need to add a pinch of novelty.
Let’s take a look at these 2 examples of how you can make a simple idea like a “CRM” exciting.
These folks made it open source. It creates excitement because they dare to challenge the big fish Salesforce. Can a small team of enthusiasts compete the $300B giant?
Link: https://www.producthunt.com/products/twenty-crm/launches/twenty-5