No users yet? Skip the launch video for now
A Reddit post argues that most early-stage SaaS founders waste time making polished launch videos before they even have real users. The point is that a video is only useful once you know exactly who you're helping and how.
Many solo founders building SaaS products feel pressure to create a professional launch video early on — it feels like a 'real' product move. But the post pushes back on this: if you don't have real users yet and haven't confirmed that people actually want what you're building, a launch video is premature.
The argument is that a good launch video requires clarity — a clear message about who the product is for and what problem it solves. Without that clarity, the video ends up vague and unconvincing. Worse, the time spent on it could have gone toward talking to potential customers and improving the product itself. Make the video after you've earned it with real traction.
Key points
- A launch video before real users often wastes time and sends a blurry message
- First confirm who your product is for and what problem it solves
- Videos become effective once the product is validated and the message is sharp
- Early on, talking to customers directly matters more than polished marketing
- A great video cannot substitute for a product people actually want
Quick term guide
- SaaS
- Software that people use online, usually paid for by subscription.
- founders
- People who are starting or running their own business or project.
- founder
- A person who starts a new company or project.
- launch video
- A short promotional video made to introduce a new product or service to the public.
- ping
- The time (in milliseconds) it takes for a signal to travel from your device to another and back — lower means faster response.
- solo founder
- A single person who builds and runs a product or business without co-founders
- build
- A chosen set of in-game abilities or items a player equips for their character.
- traction
- Proof that real people or companies are using or paying for a product.