marketing, #saas, #ai, #growth
When you launch a new software product, the advice is always: "Post on social media. Build in public. Share daily."
I tried that. I wrote Python scripts to automatically generate and post marketing tips to Bluesky and Instagram.
The result? Zero clicks. Zero users.
The truth is, automated broadcasting into the void doesn't work when your account has 10 followers. It just looks like spam. I had to face the failure: my distribution strategy was broken.
The Pivot: Creating a "Shareable" Product
Instead of pushing content, I decided to build a free tool that gives users immediate, personalized value and a reason to share it.
I built the AI Visibility Score (/ai-visibility) inside Growl.
Here is how it works:
A small business owner enters their website URL.
The backend performs a live scan of their title tags, meta descriptions, FAQ schemas, and content structure.
It measures how easy it is for AI search engines (like Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, and Claude-User) to find and recommend their business.
It outputs a score (0 to 100) and generates a downloadable visual scorecard.
Why This Works
Instead of telling people "Try Growl," we give them a grade (e.g., "53/100 - Grade C").
If the score is low, they want to fix it (we direct them to Growl’s free dashboard to fix the issues).
If the score is high, they download the scorecard image and post it on social media to show off their ranking, creating a viral loop.
By giving value first, we turn our users into our marketers.
What I Learned
Don't spend all your time automating social media posts. Spend time building features that make users want to share your product.
Test your own site's AI readiness here: growl-ai.com/ai-visibility.
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