Welcome to the 12th edition of GrowthDeck! If you enjoy reading deep dives like this, please share it with your friends or colleagues who would appreciate it. Now, let's dive in!

Getting a $10M+ exit on a product that is built within 18 months is difficult to believe. That is precisely what Tibo and Tom did with TweetHunter. In today’s article, we will discuss the entire story of TweetHunter and some excellent growth drivers that they leveraged to take it to this level.

One of the key growth drivers for Tibo and Tom was the relentless focus on idea validation and iterative development. Their journey began with a deep understanding that validation should be the cornerstone of any startup endeavor.

Instead of simply diving into building a product based on assumptions, Tibo and his co-founder, Tom, embarked on a unique challenge: creating and launching a new product every week. This approach forced them to quickly validate ideas and gather real-world feedback.

Their dedication to validation was clearly evidenced in their strategy of assessing each product's revenue potential. If a product didn't generate revenue, they swiftly moved on to the next idea.

This emphasis on revenue as a validation metric helped them avoid falling into the trap of building something without a clear market demand. It's a testament to their commitment to staying focused on what customers truly want. Here are all the products that Tom and Tibo have created under their company.

The pivotal moment came when they launched Tweet Hunter. Right from the start, they noticed a strong pull from the market—a clear indication that they had hit on something valuable.

Unlike their previous projects, Tweet Hunter experienced organic growth even when they weren't actively promoting it. This validated the product's market fit and potential for growth. The lesson here is that idea validation isn't a one-time event; it's a continuous process that should guide your startup's direction.

Since Tweet Hunter was a massive success they decided to try similar things for LinkedIn as well. In February 2022, they Launched Taplio which again was a successful venture.

Tweet Hunter’s Growth Drivers

1. Leveraging Influencers for Product Adoption

One of the key growth drivers that contributed to the success of Tweet Hunter was the strategic use of influencer partnerships for product adoption. The founders recognized the power of leveraging influencers' audiences and credibility to drive adoption and growth.

This can be divided into 3 different steps:

Step 1: Building Relationships and Seeking Feedback 

Early in the startup's journey, they reached out to influential individuals on Twitter, both seeking feedback and help with the product's acquisition.

This approach demonstrated a thoughtful and strategic way to engage with influencers. Rather than merely pushing the product, they focused on building relationships and seeking valuable feedback.

By approaching influencers as partners and genuinely asking for their insights, the startup was able to create a network of potential advocates.

Step 2: Authenticity and Referral Mechanism 

They realized that the referral mechanism was happening organically due to the value of the product and the influencer partnerships.

Users were naturally referring others to Tweet Hunter without the need for forced marketing tactics or paid ads. This organic growth spoke to the authenticity of the product's value proposition.

The strategy wasn't about aggressive promotion; instead, it was about providing a tool that genuinely helped users and letting word-of-mouth spread.

Step 3: Scaling the Strategy and Building Synergy 

As Tweet Hunter gained traction, the startup expanded its influencer strategy. They collaborated with influencers who had larger audiences and made deals that involved equity partnerships.

These partnerships went beyond simple feedback and advocated for joint success. By aligning their interests with influencers, the startup was able to tap into the influencer's audience, expertise, and social proof.

This strategy demonstrated a nuanced approach, where the startup sought out synergies with influencers who could contribute meaningfully to the product's growth.

By understanding the nuances of influencer collaborations and approaching them as partnerships, Tweet Hunter demonstrated a growth driver that can be adapted by other startups seeking effective ways to expand their user base.

2. Bringing on a Third Co-founder

The collaboration with Twitter influencer and ghostwriter JK Molina was the most significant boost to Tweet Hunter's growth. But this decision was not simple, it all started with a single DM.

Tibo bought JK Molina’s course and then cold DM’ed him to try out Tweet Hunter for free.

This move wasn't driven solely by short-term growth hacks but rather by recognizing the potential for long-term value. JK’s background as a content writer and his extensive engagement on Twitter added a unique dimension to the team.

They again had a similar approach to LinkedIn growth. This time, they partnered with Alex Berman.

Many people may be drawn to partnering with influencers due to their audience size, but here the alignment with the tweethunter’s product and values was pivotal. The focus on Twitter copywriting and content creation made the collaboration a natural fit.

3. Getting leads through free micro-products

Tweet Hunter has benefited greatly from the delivery of numerous side projects. Tibo and Tom are hardcode product builders who ship at least one small Tweet Hunter-related product almost every month.

They also acquired a micro product from Jacob Greenfeld which gave them a lot of leads.

And they make a big deal about launching these projects on Product Hunt. Here is a launch of their LinkedIn Carousel Generator micro product for Taplio

Now we will talk about the last driver customer first product.

4. Relentless Product and Community Focused Iteration

Tweet Hunter's commitment to constant product iteration was another critical growth driver. Rather than rest on their laurels, Tibo and his team continued to release new features, updates, and even entirely new products.

The launch of a Twitter/LinkedIn challenge and the distribution of a product share to Twitter influencers demonstrated their commitment to providing value to users beyond the core product.

These actions not only kept users engaged, but they also helped to foster a sense of community around Tweet Hunter. Here is a very recent Growth Challenge for LinkedIn where they are trying to grow Taplio.

Here is an example of Tweet Hunter Maker Grant which they did for makers, which generates a sense of community.

That’s all for today. This edition took us about 15 hours of effort. If you think your friends or colleagues would like this, please share this link with them. Thanks for reading and don’t be shy to leave a comment if you have any. Also, please consider following us on Twitter (Keval Jagani, Meet Shukla) and sharing this blog post.