Key Moments
Kat Mañalac - How to Launch (Again and Again)
Y CombinatorKey Moments
Launching a startup isn't a one-time event, but a continuous cycle of iterative releases. Instead of aiming for perfection, startups should release early and often to gather feedback.
Key Insights
Most startups launch once, take six months to prepare, and then die because no one cares, highlighting the need for continuous launching.
A silent launch requires only a domain name, company name, short description, and call to action, with roughly half of Startup School founders lacking even this basic landing page.
The 'friends and family' launch is a good initial step to test a pitch, but founders should exit this phase quickly as feedback may not represent actual users.
Launching to strangers, like the Lugg example of approaching shoppers at Ikea, can confirm if a problem is 'hair on fire' and if users are willing to pay.
Online communities like YC's internal Bookface (4,000+ founders) or the Startup School forum (40,000+ founders) offer low-risk environments for early feedback.
The 'Magic' story shows an extreme case where a simple text-based service exploded overnight after being shared on Reddit and Hacker News, gaining 40,000 sign-ups in a weekend.
New feature or product line launches by companies like Stripe and Glossier occur on a regular cadence (e.g., every six to eight weeks), creating a constant drumbeat of activity.
Rethinking the single launch moment
The conventional wisdom for startups is to prepare meticulously for one grand launch. However, this approach is often fatal. Many founders spend months perfecting every pixel and line of copy, only to release a product that garnishes little attention. The harsh reality is that if a startup takes six months to launch and receives no interest, its chances of survival diminish drastically. Y Combinator partner Kat Mañalac advocates for a fundamental shift in perspective: launching should not be a singular, high-stakes event, but rather a continuous process. This philosophy, akin to 'always be shipping,' encourages startups to repeatedly put their products or ideas in front of users. This iterative approach is essential because, assuming a startup continues to build and innovate, there will always be new products or features to launch, making continuous launching a perpetual state for successful companies.
The silent launch: a minimalist start
Even before having a fully functional product, startups can practice pitching and refining their ideas. A 'silent launch' is the simplest form of getting an idea out there. It requires minimal assets: a domain name, a company name, a brief description of what the company does, contact information, and a clear call to action. This call to action could be as simple as subscribing to a newsletter or expressing interest in future updates. Platforms like Product Hunt offer a 'Ship' feature for pre-launch companies to collect potential user interest. For founders without even this, Mañalac stresses that building a basic landing page is achievable over a weekend, emphasizing that inaction on this front is a missed opportunity.
Leveraging early feedback through diverse launch channels
Continuously launching offers several key benefits for early-stage companies. Firstly, it provides opportunities to practice and refine pitches, gauging real-time reactions to the core idea. Once an Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is ready, launching through different channels helps understand how users respond to an early version of the product. Crucially, these diverse launches can reveal whether the startup is targeting the right users. A launch on one channel might yield no response, while another could generate significant interest, thereby clarifying the target audience or indicating a need to pivot. For example, approximately half of the founders in YC's Startup School lacked landing pages, indicating a need to adopt even the most basic launching strategies.
The friends-and-family launch: a crucial first step
For companies still in the idea stage, testing the short pitch on friends and family is a valuable initial exercise. Once an MVP exists, a 'friends-and-family launch' should occur as quickly as possible. This practice mirrors the early days of Reddit, which began as a small community shared among YC founders. The recommendation is to share the product with close contacts, observe their usage firsthand, and solicit feedback. However, founders must avoid lingering in this phase. Friends and family may not represent the ideal user demographic, and their feedback, while well-intentioned, might not accurately reflect the needs of the broader market. Therefore, exiting this circle to gain external validation is paramount.
Hustling to strangers for validation
Launching to strangers is a powerful method to uncover genuine market demand. The company Lugg, a service connecting users with movers and delivery people on demand, exemplifies this. Before they even had a fully functional app, their founders would rent a truck, station themselves outside Ikea, and approach shoppers struggling with large purchases. They would pitch their service, offering a 'push-button' solution. Customers, in their moment of need, would enthusiastically download the app. The founders would then literally drive up in their truck to fulfill the request. While this involved significant hustle and backend workarounds, it unequivocally confirmed a 'hair-on-fire' problem for their users and justified their investment in building the product, demonstrating that users would indeed download and potentially pay for their solution.
Harnessing online communities for feedback and reach
Online communities are highly effective launch platforms. YC's internal platform, Bookface, typically hosts over 4,000 founders, offering a low-risk environment for initial feedback from a supportive audience. More broadly, the Startup School forum, with around 40,000 founders, presents an even larger opportunity for early product launches and feedback. Founders are often the best source for early product critiques. For instance, a company called Magic, initially working on a blood pressure monitoring app, faced slow growth. They then tested a simple SMS concierge service. After a friend shared it on Reddit and Hacker News, over 40,000 people signed up over a single weekend. While this is an extreme case, it illustrates the potential of putting products before these communities, at minimum yielding early users and valuable feedback. Many YC companies also find success on Hacker News and Product Hunt, with conversion rates becoming increasingly comparable across platforms.
Strategic engagement within online communities
Successfully launching in online communities requires careful strategy. Before posting, it's crucial to understand the community's specific rules and norms, especially in subreddits. Engaging as an active member first can be beneficial. When asking for feedback, tailor the approach: on Hacker News, leaning into intellectual curiosity by sharing surprising insights learned from users is effective. Avoid marketing jargon; instead, write like a human. Introduce yourself, explain the product briefly, and articulate the problem it solves. Tease specific topics you’re an expert in to guide user questions and prevent them from going down irrelevant rabbit holes. If not an active member, connect with someone inside the community for advice on the best way to launch. The key is authenticity and providing value, rather than overt promotion.
Request-for-access launches and viral loops
Some launches are built around scarcity and viral growth, like a 'request for access' model. After the 'Magic' service garnered massive sign-ups, they couldn't serve everyone immediately, leading to a waitlist. They incorporated viral elements, such as allowing users to skip the line by tweeting about the service. Superhuman, which offers an enhanced email experience, employs a similar strategy. Users can request access via a current user's referral, accelerating their place in the queue. The referral mechanism is often embedded in user communications, like Superhuman's signature tag, generating organic promotion as users receive emails. This model encourages network effects, leveraging existing users to drive new user acquisition and building further demand.
Engaging bloggers and press for early growth
Launching via popular blogs in your industry can be highly impactful. The wedding website builder 'Joy' achieved rapid growth partly by being featured on numerous 'best wedding website' lists. They strategically Googled relevant terms, identified top blogs, and reached out to bloggers with a compelling pitch. While they only received responses from four out of 50 outreach attempts, these four generated significant early growth. A critical caveat is that some blogger and influencer opportunities are 'pay-to-play.' Mañalac strongly advises against paying for such features early on, as early-stage startups lack the financial resources. Instead, founders should seek creative, free routes to secure press or blog coverage.
Pre-order campaigns and new feature launches
For hardware or physical products, a pre-order campaign can serve as a successful launch strategy. These campaigns require a well-developed launch strategy, often involving compelling videos and clear product value propositions. Sheertex, a company making unbreakable pantyhose, launched a successful pre-order campaign. The founder created a compelling video, pitched to press, and launched on Hacker News, Product Hunt, and to her network, generating significant interest despite the male-dominated Hacker News audience. Similarly, companies like Stripe and Glossier are exceptionally skilled at launching new products or feature lines. Stripe uses platforms like Hacker News for new product announcements, with founders actively engaging in discussions. Glossier follows a scientific cadence, launching new products approximately every six to eight weeks, systematically leveraging communities, social media, and press for each release, maintaining a consistent presence.
Building your own community for sustained support
Beyond external launches, founders should focus on building their own communities. Gaddy Avron, founder of Symetra, achieved a successful TechCrunch launch partly because he had proactively built an email list over years. Even before launching his product, he collected email addresses from everyone he met who discussed his startup. When a TechCrunch article came out, he emailed this extensive list—comprising founders, investors, and friends—asking for their help in spreading the news. The response was significant, with even non-invested VCs sharing the story. This highlights the power of asking for support; many people are willing to help when prompted. By consistently asking people encountered during Startup School to join an update list, founders can cultivate hundreds or thousands of engaged contacts for future support.
Mentioned in This Episode
●Software & Apps
●Companies
●Organizations
●People Referenced
Continuous Launch Checklist
Practical takeaways from this episode
Do This
Avoid This
Common Questions
A traditional launch is seen as a single, high-stakes event after extensive preparation. Continuous launching, however, treats launches as an ongoing process, involving regular releases of features or updates across various channels to gather feedback and build momentum.
Topics
Mentioned in this video
A social news website focusing on computer science and entrepreneurship. It's highlighted as a significant platform for launching startups and gaining early traction.
A digital archive of the World Wide Web that allows users to see how websites looked at different points in time. Used to show early Reddit interface.
A platform where people can share and discover new products and services. It offers a feature called 'ship' for pre-launch companies to collect interest.
Y Combinator's internal platform, described as a mix of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Quora, used by founders to launch and get feedback before public releases.
A program offered by Y Combinator for founders, featuring a forum with a large community of founders that can be used for launching and feedback.
A magazine that covers how technology is changing every aspect of our lives. The speaker mentions working there and observing excessive spending on launch parties.
A company that makes unbreakable sheer pantyhose. They had a successful launch by pitching press, launching on Hacker News, Product Hunt, and to their network.
A technology company that provides financial services for online businesses. They are noted for their consistent and community-engaged new product launches, such as Stripe Atlas on Hacker News.
A social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website. It's mentioned as an early platform used by Reddit itself to gain initial users and as a community for launching startups.
A startup accelerator that provides funding, advice, and mentorship to early-stage companies. The speaker is a partner there and discusses various launch strategies used by their portfolio companies.
An on-demand personal assistant service. The company gained massive traction by sharing a simple link on Reddit and Hacker News after initially building a blood pressure monitoring app.
An on-demand app for movers and delivery people. The company's early launch strategy involved renting a truck and interacting with potential customers at IKEA to validate their problem.
A company building a faster email experience. They utilize a request-for-access model with referral systems and a signature tag to encourage word-of-mouth growth.
A multinational conglomerate that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, kitchen appliances, and home accessories. Lugg founders targeted IKEA parking lots to find customers struggling with transporting large items.
A free wedding website builder that experienced significant early growth through being featured on lists curated by bloggers.
A beauty brand known for its systematic and scientific approach to launching new products at regular intervals, utilizing communities, social media, press, and advertising.
A company founded by Gaddy Avron, which had a successful TechCrunch launch amplified by a pre-built email list.
More from Y Combinator
View all 562 summaries
14 minInside The Startup Reinventing The $6 Trillion Chemical Manufacturing Industry
1 minThis Is The Holy Grail Of AI
40 minIndia’s Fastest Growing AI Startup
1 minStartup School is coming to India! 🇮🇳
Found this useful? Build your knowledge library
Get AI-powered summaries of any YouTube video, podcast, or article in seconds. Save them to your personal pods and access them anytime.
Try Summify free