What do you do if your product launch doesn't go as planned?

Ioan Ivanov
18 replies
How do you cope with a failed product launch? What have you learned from your own experiences and what strategies can you share for navigating this challenging situation?

Replies

sumit sharma
Great Product Launch is a Boost, but a bad launch does not define the quality or value of the product. Take a few steps back and rething more creative ways to find the GTM.
Ruhi
Relaxed and rethink where it went wrong. Analyse everything and then work accordingly
Mateusz
Keep improving your product and getting publicity, wait 6 months and launch again
Pooja Jyothy-Seshadri
Learn from it, understand where you could have tried a different approach or strategy, and use those learnings for your future launch (if any)! Also know that if you didn't get product of the day, it doesn't mean your product has FAILED, it just didn't beat the numbers algorithm. If you really want that badge and tag, you can just relaunch after a few months! And most of all, RELAX after the launch is over - success or failure 😅 The prep before the launch and the actual launch day are probably the most stressful days, so no matter how it goes, just take a breather.
Jake Harrison
Interview some users and review the PMF and do some new things!
Brian Hurst
Prep for the next one! Never stop looking forward, and never give up. Things didn't go as planned? Question it. Analyze it. Figure it out. Ask why. And then get to work! Improve your product, improve your marketing, and launch again in several months with something even better! This has been our mindset heading into launch (which is tomorrow!) for mDash, our AI-powered project management tool built specifically for web development. It's definitely helped us stay motivated, confident, and relaxed. Best of luck to you on whatever future launches you may have!
Matt Caine
Just more working. I made my product in day. Its a good product, so there is no other way just to continue with the promotion.
Product Marketing With Dawn-Marie
I started a new business in Feb 2022. It's now 20 months on and I've launched EIGHT products and they all did not go to plan :/ Thankfully I've had a few sales of those products which encouraged me to keep going but you can see that giving up after one failed launch was never an option for us. We just kept moving on and learning from our past lessons. Here's a few things that helped which I hope will help you realise that you're not alone on this journey: Reflect on what went wrong but don't dwell on it. After a launch I always do a synopsis of my launch, trying to understand what I could have done differently. For me, I think the products I created did not resonate with my audience or it could also be that they were not the right fit for my audience based on where they were in their journey. I'm also part of a business support group where I can talk to peers and get insights from people who have been through similar failed launches. You'd be surprised how many people think they have brilliant products but fail to sell it. I think this made me feel so much better inside that I did not blame myself and just realised that it was part of the process. Another thing I learned is the importance of pivoting and adapting. That's why any product that I launch, I don't spend a lot of time creating it. All my products are minimum viable products which allow me to test and see if it will work for my audience, so if it doesn't sell, I can pivot quickly, try something else or even try selling my product to a different audience. Flexibility is definitely key in the world of business. And the good thing about my experiences is that not once has my passion for creating products disappeared. It's been my dream for the past 7 years to own a product that creates an impact and I am still pursuing that passion. I'm definitely not going to let one or eight setbacks douse my enthusiasm and you shouldn't let it douse yours. Remember why you started this journey in the first place. Let that drive you forward. Every successful entrepreneur has faced failures. What sets them apart is their ability to keep going, equipped with the lessons from their failures. To help me remember this I have this written down on my wall - Keep going, don't give up :) So, if you're reading this and you've had a failed product launch, you're resilient, and you've got this. Learn, adapt, and keep your chin up. This setback is just a setup for a comeback. Believe in yourself, stay passionate, and the next venture might just be the one that soars. All the best.
Jawad Tijani
It can happen, it's not the end of the world. Take time to think what went wrong and learn the lesson before going any further. :)
Shajedul Karim
lean into the discomfort of it not going as planned. take a breather, step back, analyze without attachment. sometimes a ‘failed’ launch surfaces invaluable insights that success might have masked. it’s a moment to gather feedback, see where things went askew, and importantly, understand why. the strategy post a stumble? dissect feedback, find the patterns, iterate, and communicate changes back to the early users. 🛠 cuz: every stumble is a stepping stone. every feedback, a seed for iteration. stay resilient, makers.
Sagar Patel
Honestly, it would probably suck if after all the effort I don’t get any traction on the launch. That said and done, the plan is to keep improving and building something people love! The goal is to keep going, and building something people love!
Donna White
Analyze what your competitors are doing right and learn from their successes.
Salar Davari
I'll work on improving it.
George Aleesu
Probably relaunch
Boudewijn Bos
No tips yet - launching today - so maybe you could help guys prevent that :p
There is always smth to learn from, just take this experience to improve your product
AmazingSylvia
Relax a little bit and to think why it doesn't make it. Try another time when thing be figured out.