Launching a new product is always a thrilling experience, filled with excitement and uncertainty. This being our first general access launch, the anticipation was at an all-time high.
On June 6, 2023, we took the leap and launched Sivi AI. Our primary objectives were to raise awareness about our product, gather valuable user feedback, and secure 1000 signups. Little did we know that the response would be overwhelming, surpassing all expectations.
In just 8 weeks, our efforts led to the acquisition of over 8,000 users from an impressive 135+ countries. The most astonishing outcome was the generation of an astounding 100,000+ designs through our app. We were humbled by the enthusiastic embrace of Sivi by the global community.
Curious about the strategies and tactics that paved the way for this? Let's dive into the key elements that fuelled this.
The Pre-launch Preparation
We started our planning one month before the launch date.
Defining the Target Audience
We targeted AI enthusiasts and freelancers to try Sivi for this launch as they are both interested in AI and design and could benefit from the designs #generatedBySivi.
Choosing the Launch Channels
To get the word out about Sivi, we selected two primary channels that are best suited for Sivi based on our target audience:
Product Hunt: a great platform for launching new products, as it provides exposure to a large audience of early adopters of AI and design.
SEO: for a startup like us, search engine optimization improves the visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Creating the Teaser and Launch Pages
Before the official launch, we created a coming soon/teaser page on Product Hunt and invited users to sign up for early access. This page gave users a sneak peek of what Sivi was all about. We iterated on the messaging until we got it right. We distributed the teaser page across various channels:
Added a Hello bar on our website that linked to our teaser page.
Shared it with our waitlist users to ensure they get priority access.
Did LinkedIn and Twitter outreach.
Our team announced periodically on social media with a countdown timer to inform users when the product becomes live.
We then worked on the launch page content and the product video. The video got 2348 unique views with 14 hours of time played on the day of the launch.
Engaging with the Community
Our team actively engaged with potential users and the Product Hunt community through discussions and exploring other products. By building genuine connections, we created interest around Sivi, generating curiosity among potential users.
Updating the Website
A website is a product in itself. We gave a fresh look to sivi.ai and updated our content. We also wanted to make sure that our website was up to date with the launch details so that our audience could stay informed about the launch schedule, teaser page, and other important information. Framer Sites played a major role in ensuring that our website remained up to date. It allowed us to make real-time updates to the website seamlessly and publish the changes right away.
Testing the Product
We also made sure to thoroughly test the product and ensure it scaled with the number of users. This was important because we wanted to make sure that Sivi could handle the traffic that we expected to receive after the launch.
Ensuring Responsiveness
Over 35% of traffic came via mobile. So, we optimized for the mobile experience and ensured users could easily generate visuals from prompts on the mobile web.
The Power of Behind-the-Scenes Content
To make the wait time for users interesting, we offered a glimpse behind the scenes of the design generation instead of a boring loading indicator. This created the aha moment for our users and ensured word-of-mouth for Sivi.
Launch Day Strategy
As soon as the product went live on Product Hunt, our team and friends and family engaged with it. We then reached out to potential target groups and asked them to try it out and share their feedback. Their positive feedback spread the word in the circle of the second connection which in turn distributed Sivi to the third network. Once we got the visibility, the product took over. This organic approach led to twice the number of users as the upvotes received on Product Hunt.
Dedicated Support and Immediate Fixes
On the day of the launch, we maintained round-the-clock availability to respond to every comment and feedback. We also swiftly addressed critical experience blockers and bugs within hours.
The Results
We got an overwhelming response from the community! Sivi emerged as the
#1 Product of the Day on Product Hunt
#1 Product of the Week on Product Hunt
#1 Marketing of the Month on Product Hunt
We also got organic endorsements from AI enthusiasts, avid Canva users, Ben’s Bites, Curiosity AI, and multiple communities.
Our brand search increased by over 300%.
What’s Next
This launch was all about generating visual designs from simple prompts in less than 2 minutes. We've since improved the user experience and added the ability to switch between light and dark themes.
Next up is Sivi Visualizer
Sivi Visualizer will turn webpages into visual designs instantly.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates!
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Author: Sona J Odayappan
Sona is the Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer of Sivi, a generative AI that instantly turns text into business visuals. With a distinguished academic background, Sona started her career as an engineer before transitioning to a designer. Over the last 14+ years, Sona has worked with multiple startups and MNCs in diverse sectors and designed over 35 products. She has evangelized design thinking and formed successful design teams from scratch. Sona is a gold medalist, TiE Women Bangalore Entrepreneurs finalist, MeitY Women Entrepreneurs Award finalist, and an author of a popular design portal.
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