Build an audience first, or launch and grow later?
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This is probably one of the most debated topics in the startup world: Should you build an audience before you launch, or is it better to launch first and grow your audience afterward?
I’ve seen both approaches work, but each comes with its own set of challenges and rewards.
- Building an audience first means you're creating buzz, validating your idea, and nurturing a community of early adopters who are invested in your success. But it takes time, patience, and a lot of effort to keep the momentum going before you even have a product to show.
- Launching first lets you hit the ground running, gather real-world feedback, and iterate quickly. But without an existing audience, you might struggle to get those initial users and traction.
So, indulge me: Which approach did you take —or are you considering taking (those who haven't launched yet)?
- Did you build an audience before launching your product, or did you launch and then focus on growth?
- What worked (or didn't work) for you?
- If you could go back, would you do it differently?
Share your story with us so we can all learn from each other. There's someone here who could benefit from your experience.
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P.S: If you're a growth-stage founder struggling with churn or stagnant customer acquisition (usually because of poor positioning and messaging), I'd love to help.
I specialize in crafting impactful marketing strategies tailored specifically to your product so you can start seeing the results you deserve.
Connect with me on LinkedIn today. Can't wait to hear from you!
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At ShopIQ, we embraced a hybrid approach—building a lean version of our platform while actively engaging D2C founders to refine it with real-world feedback. This allowed us to validate assumptions, iterate rapidly, and fine-tune our solution ahead of our full launch on Feb 22, 2025. But the journey hasn’t been without challenges:
Feature Prioritisation – Striking a balance between our vision and what users truly need.
Diverse Opinions – Not every piece of feedback aligns with our long-term goals.
Patience & Discipline – The urge to launch early is strong, but great products take time.
This is a very easy question to answer. You need to have your network/audience first who will jump onboard to validate the product for you. If you get the first 100 users using ads or money - the chances of making it large becomes non-existent.
I am also trying to build my audience and i have learnt first-hand how important it is to have one you can rely on.
I think it can be a combination of both but its the whole chicken / egg quandary - I think the good thing about this platform is you can launch (fall flat) and then in multiple months or whatever it is - launch a new feature and implement the shortcomings from your previous (maybe poorly prepared) launch etc.
I would say depends on what your product is. You can build an audience and if your products TG isn't that audience then it won't really help you. But if your business is targetting your particular audience, then it makes sense to have a ready audience from day 1.
Sometimes, you just want immediate feedback and don't necessarily need a large audience for this.
Hey Framer
For my design system; Cabana, I built an audience first over on Medium (built it up to 72K followers over a few years, but you don't have to go that extreme ;) and then with a small CTA at the bottom of my articles to a early-bird waitlist. To be honest that's how I did a lot of my marketing via that channel. It doesn't have the reach though it used to I feel.
Best of luck, and any questions just reach out.
P.S. If you need a designer (I've been at this for 25+ years) hit me up https://gohaus.design/
I'd say audience first. But you can also start working on the product while building the audience.
That's what we do at ActorDO AI Assistant.
Audience first, but at the same time working and reiterating on product
AI Assistant for busy professionals ActorDO
We built an audience first! Tiktok has been an amazing outlet to organically grow our users and truly build a community while bootstrapped. One tip is to offer a waitlist for your product so your users have a place to go / will know exactly when your product is live (bonus points if your waitlist is a paid one).
Don’t wait until launch to start talking about what you’re building. Engage your audience early, share your journey, gather insights, and refine based on real feedback. Early engagement helps you avoid surprises post-launch. When your product resonates, your audience becomes your strongest advocates.
Remember, if there’s no demand, there’s no growth