Hey there! I'm Ajinkya, the Founder and CEO of Seamless XR, a hardware startup based in Singapore.

And this is the story of StartOS.

What started off as an internal system for Seamless XR went on to become the best rated Notion Startup System on Product Hunt.

Ever.

Here's everything I learnt along the way, with links to four other articles I wrote that detail it in even greater detail.

From Robotics to Entrepreneurship

To give you some background, I have a PhD in Robotics and a tech-oriented background.

At Seamless XR though, I handle everything except the tech aspects, although I still enjoy coding.

The inspiration for StartOS struck me when I realized that using multiple SaaS tools was not only costly but also fragmented our knowledge and resources across different applications.

The Birth of StartOS

As a startup ourselves, we faced the challenge of managing our workflow efficiently while keeping costs under control.

Traditional SaaS tools brought integration issues, time leakage when switching between apps, and the burden of managing multiple subscriptions. That's when we decided to build our own solution within Notion – everything we needed as a company in one place.

You can read more about the system and how we use it here, as well as the details of what's inside!

One day, a founder friend of mine said he would pay for it . "Easily $150+", he said.

And that's how StartOS went from out internal system to a product.

It's been a wild ride.

Bringing StartOS to Product Hunt

Launching on Product Hunt was a crucial part of the brand strategy.

Since StartOS's target customer persona is early stage founders, with startups aged 12 months or less, I decided to go to the place where I was most likely to find them- and Product Hunt was top of the list!

Additionally, the Product Hunt launches gave me the social proof StartOS needed as a new product.

Each launch before the final launch of StartOS had a purpose. I tested marketing channels, days of launch, using certain modules as lead magnets by making them free, different variations on discounts as well as bundling additional products into the launched module to see what works.

It was one big learning experiment.

Playing the long game: The big picture strategy

Planning for the launch of StartOS took months of preparation and single minded obsession to make it work. Here's four months of work distilled into four paragraphs.

Here's a step-by-step breakdown of the tasks I undertook:

1. Pre-launch Preparation:
   Two months were dedicated to designing logos, brand graphics, and splitting StartOS into standalone systems. Thorough market research helped me identify pain points and understand the needs of my target audience. This research was crucial in crafting the right messaging for my landing page and Product Hunt launch.

2. Building Momentum:
   I launched eight modules over the course of two months to gain momentum and build a brand. Each week, I created a video for the week's launch, referencing the previous launch and the current product. This consistent approach helped maintain interest and engagement.

3. The Community:
   I reached out to previous supporters, relevant people on Product Hunt, founders using Notion in their stack, and community members who had supported or upvoted similar products. These individuals became my core support network, helping me generate initial traction and votes on launch day.
   I built ConnectOS' (StartOS's CRM) AI feature to help me manage and sort these contacts based on tags and generate personalized messages for them! I made over 200 friends that I knew I’d get support from, especially my Notion community on X and some friends from the Invincibles.

4. The Power of a Coming Soon Page:

   I created a coming soon page nine weeks in advance for StartOS and used my modules launches and outreach efforts to direct pre-subscriptions to the page. This early build-up of interest and subscribers set me up for a successful launch.
   I had 286 pre-sub at launch, a decent amount for a solo maker first launch! That definitely set me up well, as I blew into the lead in the first 4 hours. 60 or so we added organically 48 hours before the launch! Don't sleep on it!

The next few sections touch on microscopic points related to this big picture strategy.

Small things that made a big impact

Creating a Reputation

In the beginning, I had a small following on Product Hunt. So, I leveraged the early launches to create a reputation for myself. Each launch built upon the last one, creating a compelling story that captured the attention of the Product Hunt community.

Building Momentum

Launching multiple products within a short span of time helped me build momentum. I carefully linked each launch together, referencing the previous one in subsequent ones. This approach kept the Product Hunt community engaged and interested in what I had to offer.

By the end, each launch tied together like chapters in a multi-week story.

Building a supporting community

Rather than building a separate audience for each launch, I focused on testing different distribution channels with each launch. The goal was to grow a substantial audience by the time I launched StartOS.

My follower base on Product Hunt and my friend network kept growing over the duration of the module launches, and the launches kept performing better as a result!

I talk in more details about building momentum and a community in this article.

Reputation of Notion templates on Product Hunt

While Notion-based products on Product Hunt may have a bad reputation due to sub-par micro templates, I wanted to change that perception.

I aimed to showcase the value and uniqueness of StartOS, positioning it as more than just another Notion template.

I think the StartOS was so loved in terms of reviews, votes and sales, because it was refreshingly different. I did not market it like a Notion template. At one point my hub did not even have the Notion tag!

One of the reasons for launching on Monday was also to overcome this stigma. Launching in with SaaS products and still getting #1 Product of the Day created a huge amount of credibility!

The importance of the first four hours

I realized that ranking well within the first 4 hours of launch is crucial. It sets the tone for the rest of the day and significantly impacts visibility and engagement. Additionally, organic traffic tends to flow in around the 6-8 hour mark, so timing plays a significant role in attracting attention.

Distribution channels

I tried multiple distribution channels over the StartOS module launches.

Slack, Discord, X, LinkedIn, Reddit, startup communities, Facebook. You name it.

All of these work to different extent, but I found one pattern.

People who your product is relevant to are more likely to check it out and support it. The next more likely are makers launching in the same time frame!

Choosing the Perfect Launch Day

The launch day for StartOS required careful consideration and planning. I took into account two main factors based on my previous launch experiences.

Balancing Competitiveness and Traffic

Weekdays (Monday-Thursday) tend to be more competitive on Product Hunt, but they offer higher traffic. Friday and the weekends (Saturday and Sunday) are less competitive but offer lower traffic. After analyzing the data, I found that launching on Monday provided a balance between visibility and competition. It allowed me to generate enough traffic to get views on my landing page while avoiding intense competition on Tuesday-Thursday.

You can read more about launch day choice in this blog post, including consideration to get into the newsletter.

The Big Launch: October 2nd

On the day of the launch, I had pre-crafted social media posts ready to share. I started distributing them 30 minutes before the official launch time. Leveraging my Notion CRM (ConnectOS!), I sent personalized messages across multiple channels within a span of 3-4 hours.
This strategic approach ensured that my launch reached the right people at the right time. I chose the channels that I knew would work, based on my previous launches. All the learning came into play here.
With a big gap (40-50 votes) at the 6 hour mark, the organic traffic took over as expected.

Towards the final hours, I faced intense competition from a four-person team product. I continued distributing to individuals who interacted on Product Hunt that day but were not part of my CRM. It was a sniper approach, every vote counted, and spray and pray would not have helped!

I focused on engaging with individuals who interacted on Product Hunt but were not part of my CRM. Every vote counted, and I adopted a sniper approach to maintain momentum and support.

Results and Reflections

The Product Hunt launch of StartOS was wild! Its quite difficult for a solo maker to get #1 Product on their first launch of a product on a Monday.

But the four months of work and the amazing set of friends I made along the way made the impossible happen!

In the first eight days since launch, we received 10,000 page visits, 6,000 unique visitors, and generated $2,259 in revenue. These numbers exceeded our expectations and proved that indie creators can indeed make a significant impact.

Over the course of the two months of launches, StartOS and its modules made over $4000 in revenue!

The Product Hunt launches were a small part of a bigger plan- building a brand for StartOS!

I wrote an article that describes the zoomed out view of this brand building process which details the steps I took to grow it from zero to $5000+ in revenue in 5 months here. As mentioned before, it was a slow, long and patient play.

Conclusion

Launching on Product Hunt was a challenging yet rewarding experience.

The journey of building and launching StartOS taught me valuable lessons about timing, audience engagement, and the power of a well-planned launch strategy.

You'd be surprised to hear this was my first attempt at marketing or sales. EVER.

Guess obsessive planning works then, right?

TLDR- my three main tips:

If you're a maker preparing for a Product Hunt launch, remember to prepare early, focus on the first four hours, and reach out to those who will resonate with your product the most. Success on Product Hunt is within reach if you approach it strategically and put in the effort.

I hope my journey and insights show you that it can be done, even as a solo maker against the odds!

Happy launching!