How This Founder Built an Open-Source DocSend Alternative With $0 Startup Costs
Who is Marc Zeitz?π
Marc Zeitz, the founder of Papermark, hails from a background in finance and physics but transitioned into software development to pursue his passion for building real-world applications. With over 10 years of experience in software, he is a self-taught programmer and an advocate for open source, leveraging technologies like Next.js, Prisma, and Postgres for his projects.
What problem does Papermark solve?π
Papermark solves the problem of not knowing how shared documents are used by providing real-time engagement analytics, which helps users understand document interactions better.
How did Marc come up with the idea for Papermark?π
The idea for Papermark emerged from a simple observation by its founder, Mark Zeitz. Having recognized that, while there are countless tools for creating documents like PDFs, Google Docs, and Notion, there was a significant gap in understanding how these documents were being consumed. Mark's analytical nature drove him to realize the importance of a tool that could offer insights into document engagement in real-time.
Starting with the inspiration from a tweet that gained more traction than expected, Mark leveraged a weekend to build out a basic version of Papermark. The response validated his hypothesis that people needed a solution for better document analytics. Encouraged by the community feedback, he continued refining the idea, integrating features based on direct requests, such as the ability to handle Notion pages and more sophisticated document analytics.
Mark faced some challenges, such as ensuring the tool was flexible enough to handle various document types while maintaining a simple and effective user experience. He overcame these hurdles by actively engaging with his community, gathering suggestions, and testing different approaches through open-source development. A key lesson from this journey was the power of community involvement in shaping a product to better meet user needs.
How did Marc build the initial version of Papermark?π
Papermark was built using a robust tech stack designed to facilitate an open-source environment. The development process utilized Next.js for the framework, Tailwind CSS for styling, and Vercel Postgres as the database, with Prisma serving as the ORM and Vercel Blob for file storage management. The founder, Mark Zeitz, managed to build the MVP over one weekend, leveraging these tools for rapid deployment. Authentication was handled by Next-Auth, making the integration of various login methods seamless. One significant challenge was optimizing database queries, particularly those that were deeply nested; recent improvements such as relation joins in Prisma 5.7 significantly enhanced performance for these complex queries.
How did Marc launch Papermark and get initial traction?π
Tweet Promotionπ
Marc Zeitz, the founder of Papermark, started by tweeting about the project on May 23, 2023. This initial tweet gained significant traction with 265 likes, turning into a powerful promotional tool. By keeping it engaging and leveraging his network, Mark successfully drew attention to his new open-source project.
Why it worked: Twitter is a dynamic platform that allows for rapid sharing and interaction. The tweet's unexpected popularity demonstrated a clear interest in the project, giving Mark confidence and publicity early on.
Product Hunt Launchπ
Papermark officially launched on Product Hunt on September 4, 2023. The Product Hunt platform is well-regarded for tech and startup product launches, allowing Papermark to reach a wide audience. Mark prepared by engaging in relevant groups, creating visually appealing content, and warming up the audience through previous activities on social and professional networks.
Why it worked: Product Hunt is a dedicated space for launching and discovering new products, particularly in the tech community. By tapping into existing networks, and with well-prepared visuals and messaging, Papermark garnered 850 upvotes, 250 comments, and 300 signups.
Metrics:
- Amount of upvotes: 850
- Amount of comments: 250
- Amount of signups: 300
- Amount of GitHub stars: 250
Community Engagementπ
Mark engaged with multiple communities, like Discord, Reddit, and Twitter, which align with open-source and indie hacker cultures. He posted updates and participated in discussions, generating organic interest and support from these groups.
Why it worked: Building connections within these communities fostered a sense of shared interest and support. The engagement not only helped in spreading the word but also built credibility within the open-source community.
Early Feedback from Test Usersπ
Before the official launch, Mark reached out to 10-20 potential users for feedback on the product. This approach allowed him to refine features based on real user input and create a more fine-tuned offering at launch.
Why it worked: Engaging early users provided valuable insights, ensured the product met user needs, and helped create a small base of advocates ready to promote the product further.
What was the growth strategy for Papermark and how did they scale?π
Product Hunt Launchπ
Papermark garnered significant traffic and user engagement through a highly strategic launch on Product Hunt. They meticulously prepared for the launch by drafting messaging, warming up their audience with preliminary posts on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Reddit, and pulling on their small, yet supportive community of around 20β30 people for initial support. On the launch day, they posted on various platforms, continuously engaged with comments, and sent emails to existing users with clear calls to action.
Why it worked: Launching on Product Hunt provided exposure to a large community of early adopters and tech enthusiasts. Their well-prepared strategy, combined with targeted engagement on multiple channels, resulted in 850 upvotes, 4,000 website visitors, and 300 signups. The visibility of Papermarkβs open-source nature also resonated well with this audience, emphasizing transparency and community involvement.
Social Media Engagementπ
Papermark utilized social media platforms, particularly Twitter and LinkedIn, to create buzz and engage with their audience. Their initial tweet announcing the open-source project garnered 265 likes, and their launch tweet received 450 likes and over 95,000 views. They actively participated in discussions in tech communities and shared updates and insights about the product development process.
Why it worked: Social media provided a direct line to a wide audience, enabling Papermark to engage in conversations relevant to their niche in real-time. The transparency and community-building efforts helped establish credibility and build a loyal following excited about their progress and open-source commitment.
Community Buildingπ
Papermark's growth was significantly fueled by engaging with the open-source community. They leveraged various open-source channels such as Reddit, COSS community on Discord, and GitHub to share updates, solicit feedback, and recruit contributors. By being active in these communities, they built a network of supporters who were invested in the success of the product.
Why it worked: Tapping into the open-source community provided Papermark with a source of technically savvy and enthusiastic users willing to contribute and spread the word about the project. This community engagement was essential in gaining traction and ensuring the project resonated with its target audience, leading to substantial organic growth.
What's the pricing strategy for Papermark?π
Papermark offers a free open-source version and a paid SaaS option, pricing specifics aren't disclosed, focusing on secure document sharing and real-time analytics.
What were the biggest lessons learned from building Papermark?π
- Embrace Open Source Contributions: Papermark's decision to go open source from the beginning fostered community engagement, which not only helped improve the product with real-time feedback but also enhanced its credibility and reach.
- Iterative Development Based on User Feedback: By starting with PDFs and then expanding to support Notion pages due to popular demand, Papermark demonstrated the importance of iterating on features based on direct user feedback.
- Choose the Right Tech Stack: Opting for stable and well-documented tools like Next.js, Prisma, and Postgres helped reduce initial technical challenges and made the platform more accessible for contributors.
- Leverage the Power of Community During Launches: Launching on Product Hunt and engaging with open source communities on platforms like GitHub and Reddit helped Papermark maximize visibility and user engagement.
- Adapt and Optimize for Performance: Incorporating new technologies such as relation joins in database queries enhanced application performance, demonstrating the importance of continuously optimizing based on technical advancements.
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More about Papermark:π
Who is the owner of Papermark?π
Marc Zeitz is the founder of Papermark.
When did Marc Zeitz start Papermark?π
2023
What is Marc Zeitz's net worth?π
Marc Zeitz's business makes an average of $/month.
How much money has Marc Zeitz made from Papermark?π
Marc Zeitz started the business in 2023, and currently makes an average of .
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