What I've Learned Working at a Startup for 2 Weeks

Never would I have ever imagined being part of and featured in a Product Hunt launch.

Not only that, but to launch a startup alongside Alex Lieberman (co-founder of Morning Brew) and a killer technical founder, Dev Sharma.

We also have PH’s top hunter, Karthik Puvvada, helping us rise the ranks to the featured page and hopefully… TOP 5 by the end of the day. ¹

We’re super excited to announce:

Distro, your personal AI interviewer / podcast host – turning conversations into content. Distro’s the host, you’re the guest. Distro asks, you answer.

If you’re struggling to build a consistent content habit, wanting to build a personal brand, or seeking to drive revenue to your biz through content, Distro is for you.

You can find us LIVE HERE on Product Hunt. ² Would be awesome if you could:

• Smash that upvote button

• Share it with family & friends

• Comment the hell out of the launch page

Here’s the launch video that I personally filmed, edited, and created music for:

How did I get here?

Well, read the beginning of my journey here and my essay on pursuing unconventional career paths :).

But long story short, Alex needed someone who could handle GTM (go-to-market strategy) for Distro’s upcoming Product Hunt launch.

I said, “Why the heck not?” and here we are, less than 2 weeks later.

Even got a crazy comment from the goat himself:

As a way of sharing being transparent with what I’m learning, here are 5 pieces of “insider wisdom” I’ve learned on marketing, sales, and product success.

Let’s roll. 🍻

5 Pieces of “Insider Wisdom”

1. Speed of Iteration is Key

When you’re a startup, you want to move quick and nimble. Work hours or taking weekends off are nonexistent - you just work (a super fun type of work :).

But there’s no better feeling: working at a startup feels like you’re being onboarded on a spaceship.

It’s just you and a few key team members, and you’re all off to the races.

The quicker you can ship out updates, market your product in front of users, the better.

The faster you iterate, the faster the rate of improvement.

2. Document in Public

My X account recently hit 500 followers - all from documenting my journey, building in public, and befriending other Internet wackos like me.

Here’s the truth about launching any type of product:

If you’re not mastering your distribution systems, your product will almost never take off - especially in the age of AI.

Here’s one of my favorite startup aphorisms:

Learning how to go viral and build a genuine following online has never been more important than before.

Check out my guide if you want to start out on X/Twitter - it’ll be the best decision you’ll make if you’re interested in startups, biz, or anything in between.

3. Create an Amazing Launch Video

I wasn’t kidding when I spent 6+ hours on a 90-second launch video.

When you’re launching a product, people WILL see your launch video. A+ quality has to be the standard.

Creating this for Distro, I actually learned a lot:

• The first 15 seconds should clearly communicate your product

• The next section should show the audience how your product works

• The last 15-30 seconds should include a specific CTA

A launch video is taking your pitch on steroids - include killer edits, storytelling, and music and you can take your product launch to the next level.

4. The Simpler, the Better

When you’re talking about your product on social, make your messaging as clear, concise, and easy-to-understand as possible.

Here’s the 3-part framework I’ve learned to implement:

1. Novelty

2. Familiarity

3. Approachability

A good product has to feel fresh, new, and novel. But at the same time, it needs to feel approachable and familiar.

Here’s some feedback I’ve learned:

For example, we recently launched a huge update for Distro, the Distro Editor.

It allows you to edit content using AI while making it sound authentic and personalizable. We called it: “The ChatGPT canvas but for content.”

It’s novel (there’s no AI canvas for content yet that’s high standard) and approachable / familiar (many people in AI know of ChatGPT’s Canvas feature).

Explain the product as if you’re explaining to a 5 y/o. Bring in something new but reference to something familiar.

When in doubt, simplify.

5. Hammer in the Differentiator

Find your product’s biggest differentiator and hammer that in the messaging.

Per Alex, “For Distro, it's being interviewed by AI and ideas & insights are pulled out of you." Distro is your personal podcast host / AI interviewer.

People won’t remember all the nitty-gritty details about what your product is - they’re going to remember the 1-2 things that particularly stood out to them.

One way to do that is to leverage what’s unique about your product and promote that everywhere - posts, launch videos, sales calls, etc.

Play to your strengths and you shall be rewarded.

Conclusion

These lessons can not only be applied to startups, but also when it comes to building your own personal brand.

If there’s something to take away from this post, it’s this:

Mastering distribution is one of the best skills you can learn. Why?

• Distribution can allow your work to be seen by millions

• Distribution can land you your dream job

• Distribution can help you build a loyal following

In the meantime…

Go check out our Product Hunt launch! Would be super grateful if you could give an upvote, comment, and share it with others.

Go, go, go :).

Cheers,

Jeston Lu

Thanks for reading! If you have anything you want me to cover, fill out this form here. What did you think of today’s edition? Would love to hear back from you: just hit “reply” or reach out to me on X/Twitter.

1  A “hunter” in Product Hunt is someone who submits (or “hunts”) a new product to the platform. Products hunted by well-known hunters = more likely to get noticed + upvoted early on.

2  Product Hunt is a platform where startups and builders launch, discover, and promote new products. Think Reddit meets startups.