What preparations should be made before launching an App or Web product?

This is a question that has been delayed for quite a long time. It originated from a message from a reader in the backstage. She asked me what preparations should be made before a new product is launched, and she hoped that the description would be more detailed than from scratch. I think it's a bit difficult to be more detailed, so I'll try to be more clear. Based on my experience, I will divide today's content into two categories: Web products and App products.

Web Products

Preparation List

1. Target user sorting

2. Preparation of early publicity channels

3. Preparation for early activities

4. Seed user recruitment

5. Sorting out operational goals

6. Operational risk analysis

1. Target user sorting

The product is about to be launched, and the operator must know what kind of users this product will be used by.

For example, a technology media website’s users are authors and readers who are interested in technology.

For example, an e-commerce platform for mothers and babies, whose users are married expectant mothers and mothers.

For example, the users of an official website of a water purifier brand are customers who have high demands for quality of life.

2. Preparation of early publicity channels

This is more complicated, so don't get too hung up on the words.

Promotional channels ≠ advertising

Please keep this in mind.

After figuring out the target users in the early stage, it is necessary to choose the advertising and soft text channels.

At the same time, we must also consider the exposure of the website through channels such as SEO , Baidu Encyclopedia, and Baidu Q&A.

3. Preparation for early activities This item is written because some products require activity preparation before going online. But the purpose of the activity is for the fourth point: recruiting seed users and understanding the customer stickiness to the product by comparing data with and without activities. For some products, there is no need to consider pre-activity, or pre-activity only needs to be considered for specific users. For example, content communities do not need to hold activities in the early stages, or hold activities targeting content providers. Regarding activities, please refer to this article: Too much is poisonous, don't take activities as your staple food

4. Seed user recruitment

This is a big deal. No matter what product it is, Web or App, media or e-commerce, seed users are needed.

So it is crucial that you define what kind of users are your seed users.

For example, on a shopping guide site, the seed users may be shopping experts in a certain field.

For example, for price comparison sites, seed users are those customers who are sensitive to prices.

After the seed users are determined, the next step is to call them together.

Everyone has their own way of convening a meeting, and there is no standard process.

Use IM, email, etc. to keep in touch with seeds.

5. Sorting out operational goals

For new products, operational goals are very important. The goals must be quantifiable and have measurement standards; at the same time, there also needs to be a virtual part.

A more standardized way of saying this is:

Product vision and controllable step-by-step implementation

Of course, don't plan too far ahead, as plans will never keep up with changes.

6. Operational risk analysis

Operational risks must be considered first. What are operational risks?

Are there enough servers? How many users and access traffic will cause bottlenecks? Have technical colleagues made contingency plans?

If an event is designed without any loopholes, will it be rejected and can the cost be controlled?

What if no one comes? Are there any auxiliary measures?

There are many risks, so try to consider them comprehensively.

One thing to note is:

Don't discuss extreme situations.

For example, a world war breaks out, a server room burns down...

Why? Because these risks are completely beyond your control.

App Products

Preparation List

1. Target user sorting

2. App Store Preparation

3. Preliminary publicity preparation

4. Seed user recruitment

5. Sorting out operational goals

6. Operational risk analysis

Yes, you read that right. In my experience, there are only two differences between Web and App:

App Store Preparation

To this, I would say:

Please find a reliable channel promotion manager

Please find a reliable channel promotion manager

Please find a reliable channel promotion manager

A reliable channel promotion manager will have his own very good relationships with app store channels, which can be of great help to new products.

Of course, this is mainly aimed at the domestic Android application market .

If your application can successfully apply for the first release , it can be of great help to you when the early application needs more exposure and reach users.

For example, the project I am currently working on, called "One Hundred Thousand Things to Eat", was launched on the Xiaomi Store and achieved a first release, which directly resulted in 20,000 installations in three days.

Of course, due to our insufficient initial product preparation and poor retention, we wasted the first launch.

So, before that, please make the product better.

And if the product is OK, it would be a real pity if such a role is missing.

Pre-publicity preparation

Well, after talking about the app store, promotion is not optional for apps.