I've been following thingtesting for a few months now, prior to @hunterwalk featuring it. It's a refreshing and engaging look at startups and I really enjoy the content on a daily basis. Thingtesting is clean, consistent, and to the point. Will definitely continue to follow.
Pros: already on a platform I engage on, no need to download anything
Cons: sometimes I wish it would have a blog post attached when you swipe up on stories with more information
I love that it levels the playing field for entrepreneurs and it's a way to get featured if your product is good. I'm curious if more VCS will utilize methods like this in the future. Thoughts?
@pimdewitte1 I hope so! ThingTesting has been a great way to keep tabs on the consumer market in a much more digestible way than trawling through multiple newsletters every morning.
However, Instagram is clearly suited for consumer products - I wonder where we can see a similar methods for: gaming, B2B etc. Podcasts seem like a good place to start
Absolutely love this! Is anyone else in the VC space using instagram as a value-add platform? (Note: a fund's own channel where they post logos of their portfolio is not value-add.) Is anyone doing anything similar on other platforms (other than PH and PH copycats)?
@stadigh@abadesi I've spent hours looking but haven't found much so please - let us know whats out there! Wirecutter does great reviews tho, but not a VC..
If you don’t follow thingtesting on Instagram yet your feed is missing out, it’s one of the top accounts I check daily. In a similar spirit to our great @rrhoover, London based VC @gyllanderjenny reviews the newest products in the land from both a consumer and VC perspective.
@gyllanderjenny seems to always get her hands on things just as they pop onto my radar (and even before). She has her finger on the pulse 💅🏽
As an outside observer, VC can sometimes feel more like an art than a science — with thingtesting I’ve really enjoyed getting a better understanding of what makes a startup an attractive long term investment. Plus the page looks really pretty!
What’s one tech product you’d love to review next @gyllanderjenny? And any plans to introduce video reviews soon? One thing I’d love to see on thingtesting is AR/VR products...
Thank you @abadesi for hunting Thingtesting. I feel like I’m being blessed with one “Hunter” after the other, hehe (ping @hunterwalk).
Here’s why I started Thingtesting as a side project 6 months ago:
✔️I was curious: When I moved to London a year ago I had this magical list of products that I couldn’t wait to try. Birchbox, mattresses, you name it (not many could be purchased where I lived prior to moving to London). My colleagues at Backed endured me raving about new and some not-that-new products for months; Amazon Prime(!), Sofar Sounds, Glossier London pop-ups. One day when I was trying out Psycle, London’s version of Soulcycle, I realised that I can’t bother my friends and colleagues with more “youshouldcheckthisout” and needed a channel to do so. I bought some foam board in an art shop, my flatmate gave me a crash course in photoshop and I started shooting. I’ve been doing that on evenings and weekends ever since.
✔️ It made sense: I chose Instagram as my channel because it feels like home to me. Some of the companies I admire the most use Instagram as a prime channel to drive growth. I see my friends setting up companies and they have instagram accounts before they even have websites. Why are no VCs on Instagram, when so many companies are born there?
✔️New audience: While I test and review new products, I try to do my best to demystify some VC thinking. I also hope that Thingtesting can speak to another audience than most VC blogs, so that a more people would get involved and interested in startups and VC.
As for new products I’d love to review? I’m planning some themed weeks at the moment: Sleep, meat substitutes, productivity, travel and sex. I cannot wait to get my hands on a Mirror, for___days t-shirts, New Wave Foods (fake shrimp), Rothy’s shoes, plus I guess it’s due time to get my hands on some Kylie Cosmetics… That magical list of mine today has more than 150+ companies... I want to start to test experiences too (Museum of Pizza in NYC!). Abadesi, your idea on AR/VR makes a lot of sense for experiences hmm… IGTV, stay tuned 😎
I have one rule on Thingtesting: 100% honesty. So now it’s your turn to be 100% honest! Thoughts, feedback?
And also - what are the best emerging brands that have I missed? Who should be featured on Thingtesting? I promise to review the top 3 products suggested in the comments!
@rrhoover is doing a guest post on Thingtesting today at 8AM PDT - what product do you think he will review? 😎
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Hey Jenny! Been following forever. What’s been the most requested next step (e.g. podcast, newsletter etc)?
@seffa121 Thank you @seffa121, means a lot :) Followers ask for long-form content and video. Founders behind the products ask for advice and support on all things D2C (especially European founders, I think US might be further ahead). VCs ask for insights into my DMs 😅
@amrith Thank you :) This has all happened so fast that I haven't really thought about other mediums, one keeps me busy enough heh.. But there's for sure some limitations with Instagram like character length (2200) and it's hard to capture non-physical products. Quite curious about IGTV but got to work on my confidence to feel influencery-enough to be there 😉
Most of the products are over-priced reinventions or gimmicks. That fact that it is "VC" reviewed is pretty irrelevant, tbh. It all reads like sycophantic press-releases. Wouldn't want to burn any bridges, you never know who you might need cash of next, or who you might want to fund next. Let's be honest, VC culture is vacuous and superficial. Is this comment to critical for product hunt?
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One of the best Instagram account I followed, pioneering a new format to share smart content in an aesthetic way
Pros:Sharp, Smart and Sweet
Cons:Would love to see more of it! Daily posts?