How Klu got 1000 new users in 2 days by launching on Product Hunt

A quick intro about Klu

Klu is an internal search engine powered by AI. With Klu, you can find, save, and organize information in one centralized place.

Sandra launch Klu on Apr 18 2023 on Product Hunt on their launch performance

1. Upvotes: 1,066
2. Comments: 520
3. Rank of the Day: 3
4. Rank of the Week: 4
   
   

Maker Interview

Hi Sandra, Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey at Klu?

I have spent years working with startups to develop their initial marketing strategies, funnels, and market positioning. In December, Sami (CEO of Klu) shared the vision he had for Klu and invited me to be part the team. That’s how I started working on Klu.

What were your goals for the Product Hunt launch? Is it brand awareness, getting new signups or any other metric?

Our aim was to boost visibility and garner press coverage for Klu, which can be tough for a small startup. We also prfioritize feedback and continuously refine Klu based on it, so I was excited about the potential for valuable insights we could get from the product hunt community.

At what phase did you decide to launch on PH?

Inspired by the overwhelmingly positive reaction to our public beta on Twitter, I decided to take the plunge and give Product Hunt a shot. With suggestions from the Twitter community, I was curious to see how it could help us gain more visibility and valuable feedback.

How long did you take to plan for the launch?

We took 5 weeks to prepare for our Product Hunt launch.

I decided to focus my efforts on these two platforms:

1. Twitter (since I enjoy it a lot) and
2. Product Hunt (since we were launching there).

I was highly motivated to understand how Product Hunt works, how people engage on it, and what actions I needed to take to grasp its essence. I was willing to try everything.

So, I started by asking questions, answering people, and engaging with them on Product Hunt community, which helped me gain a better understanding of the platform and how to build engagement.

At the same time, I was also engaging with the Twitter community, introducing them to Klu and sharing the story behind it. I knew from the beginning that my goal was not necessarily to finish in first place, but rather to introduce people to Klu during the preparation process.

You were very active on Linkedin/Twitter before your launch. Can you share your social media strategy for the launch And how you reached to other makers asking support for the launch?

It’s a fun fact that I was never active on Twitter, and I didn’t have a community or followers when I started Klu, not even during our private beta. In fact, I only started using Twitter in February.

My strategy on Twitter was to be brutally honest about our situation and what we were doing with Klu. At the same time, my curiosity and eagerness to learn drove me to engage with other creators and learn from them. I believe that this engagement was the key.

By asking questions, reacting to posts, trying out other people’s products, and providing feedback, I built genuine relationships. In return, they were open to doing the same for Klu. However, I believe that you have to genuinely love what you’re building and truly want to be part of the community to make this approach work.

It’s not just about growing your Twitter profile or selling your product. At the stage where most makers are, you really have to be passionate about what you’re building and genuinely enjoy being part of the community. It’s about giving back and finding joy in the process.

What was your action plan on launch day?

Our action plan involved a healthy dose of 8 Red Bulls and a lot of Twitter.

1. We had a list of people who expressed interest in being notified once our product went live, so we started by reaching out to them.
2. Then, we engaged with our existing users,
3. And, Then we were engaging with Twitter community and other Product Hunt participants who were launching alongside us.
   
   

What are your main traffic sources for a Product Hunt launch?

Twitter was definitely the major traffic source for us.

Can you share the tool stack you use for the Product Hunt launch?

1. Figma – visuals
2. Mailchimp – Email Marketing
   
   

Could you share how much sales, revenue & traffic you made from ProductHunt launches?

Within just two days, we were able to acquire around 1000 new users, with 10k visits to our website. We also secured a bunch of monthly paid subscriptions and annual. And the numbers keep on growing! We got people from big companies like Zapier, Product Hunt and Dropbox using Klu.

What are the biggest challenges you faced while launching on the product hunt?

The biggest challenge I faced was understanding how the Product Hunt algorithm works. Despite having the most upvotes, comments, and great reviews, we ended up in third place. My initial understanding was that having a strong community of real members who upvote your product would be enough to secure a higher position.

However, it seemed that the timing of the upvotes mattered, as the company that ended up in first place had fewer upvotes overall but gained more in the last few hours. Since they were based in the United States, their community was more active during those hours. It was a valuable lesson I learned during the Product Hunt launch.

What are 3 advices you would give to creators who’s launching on product hunt?

1. The most important advice is to focus on building your community, start preparing weeks before your launch, and be ready to put in the effort for 24 hours straight.
2. It’s crucial to have a strong support system in place, engage with your audience beforehand, and be fully committed to promoting your product during the launch period.
3. Being proactive and dedicated can greatly increase your chances of success.

Thanks a lot, Sandra for sharing your Product Hunt strategies and secrets with us.

Checkout Klu for more details.