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Roller coaster feeling. The high is spectacular, the lows are crushing

I launched https://www.stayinsession.com two weeks ago

Session on laptop

The first two weeks are crushing. My assumptions are broken:

  • I delayed launching Mac version because I thought App Store (iOS) would give good traffic. It isn't. Only 2-5 installs a day.
  • I launched on Reddit r/pomodoro—no result
  • I launched on Hacker News—no result
  • I launched on Product Hunt—no result

People barely used the iOS version, but macOS version is relatively healthy.

Here's a Twitter thread where I summarized my learnings:

From that tweet, I got 2 customers—but it doesn't count because I feel they just want to support me. I'm thankful—but would love to get customers without any contact.

After that tweet, I immediately tried to DM the target market (software engineer) one by one. What I noticed is those with < 10K and > 100K followers replied to me. Minority between 10K-100K reached me back. It's still early to say the effectivity, but I got:

  • 1 yearly customer. She worked at FB and seemed to enjoy it. Upgraded the next day without any prompt from me.
  • iA Writer founder said that the app was great and has a great UX. It lit up my whole mood that day. I looked up to him for almost 10 years—way before iA Writer existed.
  • Yesterday I got my first paying customer without contact! He upgraded after the trial ends. A big milestone for me :)
  • And just now, Session got featured in Product Hunt https://www.producthunt.com/posts/session-3

As the title said—the high is spectacular, and the lows are crushing.

Now that I'm at a spectacular stage—I'm afraid of going back to the crushing phase.

But now that I've tasted the salt—I remind myself that it's all just a phase. Be patient. Be prepared.

on August 19, 2020
  1. 1

    Right there with you, this is how it goes. All you can do is keep going and find some way to remind yourself of the highs when you're in the crushing phase, like re-reading emails and kind words. Good luck 💪

    1. 2

      Ohhh! That's a good idea. I'll make a collage of feedbacks and re-read it whenever I'm feeling down.

      Thanks Kilian :)

  2. 1

    It’s a marathon, Philip, and just like a marathon it takes determination and persistence. Good luck on your journey: one day at a time!

    1. 1

      One day at a time!

      I'll keep this in mind :)

  3. 1

    You have the right mindset. That's the most important thing.

    Congrats on the PH feature!

    1. 1

      Thank you! A friend told me to stop beating myself up. I credit him for everything.

  4. 1

    Hope for the best and prepare for the worst!