A quick intro about Design Studio
With Design Studio, you can Design, test and launch your conversation flows on all your channels in minutes. Also, you can automate your customer conversations with Generative Al.
Michele launched Design Studio on Oct 19 2023 on Product Hunt and here is how their launch performed:
- Upvotes: 1144
- Comments: 498
- Rank of the Day: 2
- Rank of the Week: 2
Maker Interview
Hey Michele, Could you tell us a bit about your journey building Tiledesk?
I joined Tiledesk (company behind Design Studio) in early 2022 as the first non-technical team member. At that time, Tiledesk had a robust live chat solution but limited market presence. Working closely with my technical co-founder, Andrea, we decided to focus on automation and began exploring new channels, such as WhatsApp Business. This allowed us to gain significant traction in the Conversational AI space.
What was your goal behind launching Design Studio on Product Hunt?
We had 2 goals behind our Product Hunt launch
1. Drive traffic to Design Studio & get users
2. Get feedback & suggestions from the community
How was this launch strategy different from your previous Product Hunt launch?
We learnt a couple of lessons from our previous Product Hunt launch, which were:
→ The Importance of connecting with highly active people in the community and building relationships with them
→ The importance of quality and quantity of upvotes for a successful launch
So when we planned the launch of Design Studio:
→ We involved our whole team in working on the launch and getting feedback for our product.
→ We proactively build relations with the Product Hunt community. We engaged in meaningful conversations, gathered feedback, and listened to their expectations and concerns.
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How did you choose a hunter & how did having a hunter help you?
We chose Rohan as our hunter based on 2 reasons:
1. His proven track record on product hunt and
2. His willingness to support the Product Hunt community
At what phase did you decide to launch on Product Hunt?
We launched our product in the beta phase. The reason for that is:
1. We wanted to get feedback from the community that would help us to enhance our product
2. Also, a fixed release date will make us more focused on the critical features, and motivated to finish building the product.
How did you divide the tasks among your team while preparing for the launch?
We divided our team into 3 groups and assigned tasks to each of the group like this
Group 1: Responsible for community engagement – They actively participated in discussions, forums, and online communities related to our product’s niche, building buzz for our Product Hunt launch. This group shared our teaser page, and sneak peeks and started collecting feedback our our launch and product.
Group 2: Responsible for Promotion – These members actively promoted the launch in various relevant groups, channels, and social media platforms.
Group 3: Responsible for engagement on the launch page – As comments, questions, and feedback poured in, this group responded, offering clarifications, addressing concerns, and expressing gratitude for the support and feedback received on the launch page
How did you leverage product hunt community discussions to generate buzz for your launch?
Product Hunt discussions played an invaluable role in our Product Hunt launch.
10 days before the launch, I and my co-maker Jovana started posting discussions every day. Initially, we posted about generate ai, but later we realized that these discussions were not broad enough. So we started posting broader discussions like maker journeys and the daily lives of startup founders. In addition to this, we actively engaged in other community discussions.
These helped us to reach a diverse audience and maximize the impact of our launch.
Can you share all the tasks you did to prepare for your launch?
Here is a breakdown of our key tasks for the launch:
1. Content Drafting: We started our launch with preparation of the initial draft of the texts and content that would be featured on our launch page.
2. Teaser Page Creation: With the launch planning in motion, we were able to create a teaser page. We shared this on our socials and with our audience to build anticipation for our launch.
3. Community Engagement: We began sharing the teaser page within our community. We reached out to individuals who had supported our previous launch efforts and those who had shown an interest in similar product launches in the past.
4. Social Media Promotion: To create a buzz around the upcoming launch, we commenced announcing new features and updates on our social media platforms. This served to generate interest and awareness among our social media followers and fans.
5. Building Relationships: In parallel, we started reaching out to valuable members of the Product Hunt community on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. This allowed us to establish connections and build a network of individuals who were willing to support our upcoming launch.
6. Community Engagement on Product Hunt: Approximately 10 to 7 days before the launch, we started participating in discussions, sharing insights, and connecting with the community.
7. Joining Community Groups: To further integrate into the Product Hunt ecosystem, we joined various Product Hunt-related groups on platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. These groups facilitated interactions and provided additional channels for building connections. Get the list of 99+ communities to share your Product Hunt launch and get support on the launch day →
8. Website Update: Three days before the launch, we went live with a new homepage for our website. So that, our visitors will get the latest information about our product on the website.
9. Content Drafting for Launch Day: In the final days leading up to the launch, we started working on the posts and messages for our social media channels and community groups.
10. Pre-Launch Calm: Lastly, the night before the launch, we ensured a good night’s rest. We were aware that launch days are hectic and unpredictable, so taking good rest before the launch day will help us to stay agile and adapt to any changes or challenges on the launch day.
What are the things you did in the first 4 hours of the launch day?
One hour before the launch, we connected over a call and distributed roles and responsibilities for the European morning.
I started posting launch posts on social media and engaged with makers who are highly active on Product Hunt. I gave priority to those with a significant presence on the platform, including users with over a thousand points or a substantial follower count, especially those with whom I had already established a positive interaction in the lead-up to the launch.
With this, we got 100 upvoted in the first 1 hour and we were standing on #1. Later, we started sharing screenshots of our launch from hunted space on social media.
Meanwhile, my co-maker, Jovana, concentrated on engaging her Product Hunt audience, while Saeid focused on promoting our launch in various other groups and channels. Andrea started responding to comments and feedback on the official launch page, ensuring that we maintained a strong and interactive presence.
All these efforts gave us a solid start, secured the second spot after four hours when the initial rankings were made public. Laters, our developers too started sharing our launch in the communities and groups.
Throughout the European night, we held the #1 trending position, but unfortunately, we were surpassed just 30 minutes before the end of the day.
Could you share some numbers from the Product Hunt launch?
Here are our numbers from the launch
1. Website visitors: 2,000
2. Sign ups: 2X the previous week
3. Paid users: 5
4. Demo requests: 10
In addition to these, we increased out backlinks to our website and also the launch opened up opportunities for digital PR
What are 3 advice you will give to a maker who is launching on Product Hunt?
When preparing to launch on Product Hunt, it’s essential to approach the process strategically to maximize your chances of success. Here are three valuable pieces of advice for makers embarking on their Product Hunt journey:
- Audience Engagement is Key: Before your launch, dedicate time and effort to build and engage with an enthusiastic audience. Actively participate in discussions, forums, and online communities related to your niche. Share teasers, updates, and sneak peeks of your product to create anticipation and excitement. Seek feedback and insights from potential users to refine your offering. A strong and supportive community can make a significant difference in ensuring a strong start to your launch.
- Strategically Choose Your Launch Day: The timing of your launch plays a pivotal role in its success. Product Hunt experiences varying levels of competition throughout the week. Research and analyze the trends on the platform to strategically choose your launch day. Consider launching on a day that aligns with your target audience and where you can stand out amidst less competition. Timing can be a critical factor in determining your visibility and ranking on the platform.
- Build Genuine Relationships: Product Hunt is a community-driven platform, and the quality of interactions matters. Focus on building genuine relationships with Product Hunt members. Prioritize the quality of votes and comments over quantity. Engage with individuals who show a genuine interest in your product, as they are more likely to provide meaningful support and feedback. Ensure that your product is well-prepared, offering a seamless user experience and impressive features that can truly captivate and impress the Product Hunt community. Authenticity and a genuine commitment to the platform’s ethos can go a long way in ensuring a successful launch.
As a final additional piece of advice, let me share what I also learned from Rohan – our hunter, consider treating every day leading up to your launch as if it were the launch day on Product Hunt. This mindset will not only help you refine your strategy but also ensure that you are continuously improving and adapting to the dynamic environment of the platform. Consistent learning and adaptation can greatly increase your startup’s chances of achieving remarkable success, even becoming a unicorn in the long run.
