Innovators. Visionaries. Dreamers. Contrarians. Thinkers. Doers.
If you are like me, you are all of the above. Just not quite in the right balance.
We spend quite a bit of time researching, learning, collaborating with and drawing inspiration from others on Product Hunt, among other platforms (some people call it procrastination).
We know how hard it is to build something.
That's why we get really excited when we see a cool project on Product Hunt.
We are impressed with the team's idea and execution, we REALLY want to support them. Too see their baby grow and take over the world!
Next steps? Upvote. Go to the project's website and sign up for a mailing list or create an account.
Aaaaand that's where my pain point is right now...
There are a lot of projects that I really want to support. Even though I am not their ideal customer right now or even if I don't have an immediate use for the product. I see the value in it and want to let them know they are on to something.
Also, let's be honest, how many mailing lists is it reasonable to join before you start losing control of your inbox?!
Suggestion: Create a 'Follow-up' feature on Product Hunt; a dashboard of sorts where you can see all the projects you've upvoted (you can currently see a simple list on your profile organised chronologically) AND be able to see updates or receive updates from the team.
PH currently allows you to 'Subscribe' to teams before they launch. I think it would make a lot of sense to expand this kind of functionality to the entire life cycle.
Benefits for Founders: allows you to capture and retarget more leads. Maintain momentum after a big initial spike on launch day. A very valuable additional layer at the top of your conversion funnel. I would pay for this.
Benefits for PH: add significant value to Founders creating a potential additional revenue stream (bundle within existing Ship product). More time and engagement from regular users who are not launching.
Benefits for Users: be able to follow cool projects as they mature. Go from an early supporter to an early adopter. I strongly believe these products can enhance your life, if only we didn't forget about them 24 hours after clicking Upvote.
This seems like a massive, untapped distribution channel.
// No need to ask for permission: Could this be built by any third party using PH APIs? Hit me up if you are up for a cheeky challenge!
Let me know your thoughts! I'd love to know how other people use PH and how we can create more value for everyone.
AVB