From Travel Influencers to Form Builders: The Journey of Tally
Company profile
Company business details
Motivation to build the product
The founders, Marie Martens and Filip Minev, were motivated to pivot from their original idea of connecting hotels with travel influencers to building a tool that addresses the lack of user-friendly form-building solutions. They recognized the need for a more accessible and enjoyable form creation experience.Problem that their product solves
Tally solves the problem of expensive and aesthetically unpleasing form creation tools by offering unlimited forms and responses for free. The end users include individuals and businesses looking for an effective form solution, making it important for them to have a user-friendly and cost-effective option for collecting responses.Their unfair advantage
Tally's unfair advantage lies in its unique pricing model that allows users to create unlimited forms and collect responses without hitting a paywall, which is a common limitation in other form-building tools.Strategies
Pre-Launch (Product Development & MVP)
User-Centric Design Focus
Marie and her co-founder Philip focused on creating a form builder that was not only functional but also visually appealing and user-friendly. They identified that existing solutions like Google Forms were not customizable enough for businesses that wanted to present a professional image. They aimed to create a product that was as enjoyable to use as Notion, which they admired for its design and community-driven approach. This focus on user experience was a key differentiator in a crowded market.
Landing Page and Interest Validation
Marie Martens and Filip Minev created a landing page to gauge interest in their idea for a platform connecting hotels with travel influencers. They reached out to hotels they found on Instagram and used a Google form to collect data on their interest. This approach allowed them to validate their concept by securing interest from 100 hotels before fully committing to the development of their product.
Cold Outreach to Early Users
In the early stages of Tally, the founders recognized the importance of gathering feedback to refine their product. They began by sharing their MVP, a basic version of the form builder, with family and friends to collect initial feedback. After processing this feedback, they expanded their outreach through cold emails to creators, Indie Hackers, and startup founders who might be interested in their product. This strategy allowed them to build a small community of early users who provided valuable insights, which they used to iterate on their product before launching on Product Hunt.
Launch Stage
Product Hunt Launch
Tally's founders, Marie and Phillip, launched their MVP on Product Hunt after six months of cold outreach to potential users. They targeted individuals who had previously engaged with similar products, reaching out via Twitter and LinkedIn for feedback. The launch resulted in a significant growth push, doubling their user base from 1,500 to 3,000 in just one day, validating their product's market fit and generating positive feedback from users.
Freemium Model Implementation
Tally adopted a freemium pricing model that allowed users to access the product for free, significantly lowering the barrier to entry. This strategy was crucial in attracting a large user base, as forms are inherently viral; users would share their forms, which included Tally's branding, with respondents. This organic growth strategy helped Tally reach 500,000 users without a significant marketing budget, making it easier for potential customers to try the product without any financial commitment.
Learn more about Tally
EP27: Marie Martens – Tally
How Tally Built a $2M ARR Business in a "Saturated" Market
Tally · Marie Martens & Filip Minev
