2 builders who never spoke to each other

Put the working product where the pitch goes

The boldest version of showing rather than telling is putting the usable product in the space marketing copy would normally occupy, which doubled conversions for one company. It needs a free tier, a product people already know how to operate and a large market, but being wrong about a homepage costs almost nothing. The same logic applies to data: if depth is the value, expose the data rather than describing it behind a signup wall.

The method

1. 01

   Test putting the working product itself where your homepage marketing would normally sit.

2. 02

   Only expect that to work under specific conditions: a free tier, a product people already know how to operate, and a very large market.

3. 03

   Run the bold test anyway, since being wrong about a homepage costs you almost nothing.

4. 04

   If your value is the depth of your data, no amount of talking about it on social media will land. You have to expose the data itself so buyers can see it.

5. 05

   Do not assume signups will discover the value once inside. Kahl held Podscan data behind the signup wall for half a year on that assumption and is now reversing it.

What it returned

• Rows did this and doubled conversions

• Rows is freemium, everyone can already use a spreadsheet, and the market is enormous, which suits product-led growth

• Closes on the idea that a lack of failures means you are not experimenting enough

• Half a year of operating on the assumption that customers would find the depth of data after signing up, then revised

Sources

• Rows' homepage test that doubled conversionsHarry Dry · Marketing Examples · undated
• Breaking my Own Rules – The Bootstrapped FounderArvid Kahl · thebootstrappedfounder.com · Breaking my Own Rules · 2024-12-20