And how he did this by bringing a lot of organic (free) traffic! <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nick came to Prelaunch with an idea for a distraction-free writing device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019d used similar products in the past, but he found them to be clunky, bad for posture, and incredibly expensive for how simple they were\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n After years of use, he knew they could be improved!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So he sketched a few ideas, decided on the following ideal feature-set that wouldn\u2019t break the bank:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then Nick built his Prelaunch page, and started sharing it with relevant communities to gather feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was his initial product page<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n He started organically promoting his Prelaunch page on relevant sub-Reddits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With just 3 posts, Nick got over 200 comments on Reddit, and sent 1,000s of people to his Prelaunch page. For free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I asked Nick how he did it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And this is his advice for anyone looking to promote their product organically on Reddit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n From a single post on r\/writerdeck, Nick got 142 responses!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n r\/digitaljournaling on the other hand, generated just 2\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nick recommends really niching down, and finding really targeted communities with the most engaged members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sure, r\/writing sounds attractive with nearly 3M members \u2014 compared to just under 5k at r\/writerdeck \u2014 but the \u2018parent\u2019 sub is focused on more general writing topics, and most people there have no idea what or why you would need a distraction-free writing device!<\/p>\n\n\n\n By finding smaller communities with more relevant audiences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reddit is notoriously against promotion and brands trying to sell something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a safe space for discussions around relevant topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you can tap into that interest, the amount of deep engagement you\u2019ll get is astounding!<\/p>\n\n\n\n For BYOK, Nick made sure that his posts weren\u2019t promotional, but invited members to share their opinions, offer feedback, and demonstrate their expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his first post on r\/writerDeck, Nick introduced his product, what it is, why it\u2019s built like this, and offered to answer any questions. This post<\/a> ended up gaining over 140 relevant comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n He made sure to respond to questions, give thanks for feedback, and follow up with additional questions where relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe whole key is to go in there and generate a discussion,\u201d Nick said, \u201cyou’re not just selling it, you’re also saying, \u2018How can you help me make this better? Do you have any suggestions for this? You are the kind of people I want to sell this to. So I want to know what you think.\u2019 and generally, they appreciate it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although most of Reddit is shrouded in anonymity, it\u2019s unabashedly authentic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People share real, unfiltered opinions, show weakness, and \u2014 if you play your cards right \u2014 are highly supportive of this kind of authentic content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On this last point, Nick emphasized, \u201cThe most recent post was, \u2018Can we make BYOK look just a little bit better?\u2019 So you’re admitting it\u2019s not perfect, and by being self-critical \u2014 even in the post title \u2014 that’s a great way to show authenticity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That post<\/a> also generated an insane amount of feedback, with over 120 comments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, although Nick opted to create a branded account for this project, he highly recommends using a \u2018personal\u2019 account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To ensure Reddit remains an authentic, transparent, and non-promotional space, moderators are often very strict about their rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nick was even instantly banned<\/strong> from one sub after sharing a post!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rules of the sub didn\u2019t allow that kind of content\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n So make sure you read all the rules of the sub first \u2014 and respect them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Nick advises you take that one step further, by reaching out to 1-2 of the moderators before posting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGetting banned was my signal to start reaching out to moderators and ask for permission first.\u201d Nick said, \u201cYou can even tie it to their community. So on the typewriter sub, I mentioned, \u2018Hey, we have this device that we’re still trying to make better. It seems to be very relevant to your community, with people on other subs saying they want to use it with their typewriter. Do you think your community would be interested?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reddit\u2019s a tough nut to crack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Nick recommends you don\u2019t give up too early:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you post in a few places and it’s just not picking up, maybe you\u2019re looking in the wrong subreddit. Because there are so many subreddits!\u201d Nick said, \u201cLike at first you might think big and find a huge subreddit for writers, but you quickly realize that it\u2019s too broad. And as it\u2019s big, it\u2019s also very locked down on self promotion and stuff like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n His solution?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep repeating the above steps on other subreddits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou need to find really targeted subreddits.\u201d Nick added, \u201cAnd those ones, they’ll be smaller and they’re less likely to have a lot of rules. They’re also more likely to be welcoming!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n When Nick came to Prelaunch<\/a> with BYOK, this is what it looked like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through the discussions on his product page and the 1,000s of survey responses he gathered, he understood that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nick gathered all this feedback and redesigned BYOK in a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When he launched the next iteration, it was a completely evolved product \u2014 and the positive feedback let him know he was on the right track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prelaunch was very, very good\u00a0<\/strong>[… It] was my cue that I can spend real money on it because I have enough proof here that people like it! That was really valuable because\u00a0otherwise I\u2019d be sitting there for months not knowing what to do.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"byok](\"https:\/\/prelaunch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/byok-prelaunch-page-1024x557.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n1. Find Relevant Communities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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2. Generate Discussion. Don\u2019t Promote.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"byok](\"https:\/\/prelaunch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/byok-reddit.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. Be Authentic & Transparent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"byok](\"https:\/\/prelaunch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/byok-feedback.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n4. Follow Sub Rules & Engage Moderators Early<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Keep Trying<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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And what about Prelaunch?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"byok](\"https:\/\/prelaunch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/byok-initial-design-1024x558.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"byok](\"https:\/\/prelaunch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/byok-redesign-1024x611.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNick Sjolinder<\/a>, Founder at BYOK. <\/h1>\n