How to Launch a SaaS the right way

Intro

Launching a SaaS business successfully requires more than just building a product and pressing a metaphorical “launch” button. While this might sound simple, many founders make the mistake of following a linear approach, hoping for instant success. In this post, we’ll discuss why the linear launch model often fails and introduce a more effective strategy—multi-threaded launches—to help your SaaS company thrive.

For Founders

This post is for startup founders, especially those launching SaaS businesses, who want to avoid common pitfalls and learn a more nuanced approach to growth. By shifting away from a linear launch mindset, you can better engage with users and ensure sustainable growth.

Why Linear Fails

Feature Creep

Many first-time founders believe that their product needs just one more feature before it’s ready for launch. This mindset leads to constant delays and missed opportunities to validate assumptions. Instead of focusing solely on product development, you should also focus on understanding your users and their needs. According to Eric Ries’s Lean Startup methodology, the key is to validate your idea with real users as early as possible.

Product Hunt Hype

Launching on platforms like Product Hunt, while exciting, is not a complete strategy. The buzz from these launches often creates a temporary spike in users, but it rarely results in sustained growth. The product-led growth model emphasizes continuous, smaller launches that allow you to refine your product based on actual user feedback.

Step-by-Step

Parallel Development

Instead of building your product in isolation and launching it all at once, the multi-threaded approach advocates working on product development and go-to-market strategies in parallel. You don’t need a perfect product to start engaging with potential customers. Building an audience early through mailing lists, content, or building in public allows you to gather feedback and adjust your product along the way.

In fact, many successful SaaS companies like Slack and HubSpot didn’t focus on a single, massive launch event. Instead, they involved their user communities early, refining their offerings over time.

Build in Public

Building in public is a growing trend where founders share their product development journey with their audience. This creates transparency and builds trust, making your audience feel involved in your product's evolution. By sharing updates on platforms like Twitter or through blog posts, you can build anticipation and gain invaluable feedback before your official launch.

Iterate to Success

Small Wins

Instead of waiting for the big bang, consider doing multiple mini-launches. Each release of new features or improvements offers you a chance to engage with users, collect data, and iterate quickly. This process reduces the risk of overwhelming your team with too much feedback at once, allowing you to make informed decisions about what to build next.

User Feedback

When you engage users early, even with a minimal viable product (MVP), their feedback becomes crucial for shaping your SaaS offering. Tools like SurveyMonkey or direct communication with early adopters allow you to fine-tune your product based on real-world usage rather than assumptions.

Wrap Up

Launching a SaaS business isn’t about pressing a button and waiting for success. By adopting a multi-threaded approach, you’ll develop a more robust product, engage your audience earlier, and avoid the pitfalls of the linear launch model. Focus on shipping code and closing deals simultaneously, and your chances of success will dramatically increase.