How founders can shape their discord and generate cult-like early adopters - Case study on Rabbit
Rabbit creates AI-powered pocket companion. While its bigger and richer competitor Humane had folded their operations after a failed launch, Rabbit continues to strive and had sold out all batches with thousands of users on its waiting list. It has not only captivated the market but also redefined how tech companies engage with their communities. Despite facing initial skepticism and critical reviews from major Youtubers, Rabbit's unique approach to community building and product development has developed cult-like followers and allows it to be even stronger in the face of adversity.
Opening Discord before the official product launch
Rabbit's journey began with an unconventional move: launching a Discord server before officially releasing their first product. This strategy is rare in the consumer product space, especially in the Web2 world, where companies typically wait until after a product launch to build a community. Rabbit's early engagement on Discord has proven to be a masterstroke, generating hype and fostering a highly interactive and supportive community.
And FOMO was generated…
Discord community became the best support channel
Despite receiving harsh reviews from major YouTubers, Rabbit's community has remained steadfast. Early adopters acknowledged Rabbit shortcoming, but also have shown remarkable resilience, providing constructive feedback and actively participating in continuously improving the feature. Rather than joining among the rest in criticizing, they choose to support Rabbit's continuous improvement efforts. The community is so strong that many have decided to build third-party apps on top of Rabbit’s ecosystem, a huge achievement for any startup.
What Rabbit has experienced is not abnormal. If you are building a truly innovative product, you probably won’t get it perfect the first time. Of course, most people will treat it as a failure given the high expectation, but these people also wouldn’t purchase your product. What you should do is to court the true believers, build for the 1000 true fans that will love you and overlook your flaws till you get better. There is no better platform than Discord to develop true fans.
Rabbit uses Discord to constantly upgrade its software
Many people thought Rabbit was a one-and-done hardware product, yet the truth couldn’t be far away from it. One of Rabbit's core strengths lies in its commitment to regular software updates, just like how a regular open-source dev discord community would do. Every week, the community manager, Simon, shares detailed updates on the latest changes and improvements. This constant stream of enhancements makes users feel like they are part of an ongoing evolution, rather than just owning a static product. It also reinforces the idea that Rabbit is dedicated to refining their device based on user feedback.
Founders at the Forefront
Jesse, one of Rabbit's founders, is highly active on Discord, engaging directly with the community. This level of transparency and accessibility is a significant departure from traditional norms, where founders often remain distant and guarded. By sharing insights into daily operations, addressing mishaps openly, and discussing future plans, Jesse has built a strong foundation of trust and loyalty within the community.
Developing products with yours true fans’ help
Rabbit's founders’ approach to community interaction is refreshingly genuine. Founders and team members don't just respond to feedback; they actively involve the community in the product development process. For example, the community hosts events to ask users to take photos using their upgraded camera and gets feedback on what features to add more.
While it may seem no big deal to hear users' feedback during the product development process, it is a lot harder in reality because it is fundamentally a disruptive process. Imagine that your team has a 3-month blueprint on what to build next and your Discord community manager keeps bringing up different feedback, it will be a delicate balance to make sure your original plan is roughly on track and making changes for your members.
Founders can build a personally-supportive community
A strong Discord community can be a vital support system for founders. The journey of building a startup is often lonely and challenging, but an engaged community can provide encouragement and a strong support system. A lot of creators and founders that we’ve worked with thought Discord was an obligation before they started to truly interact with the community. However, once they get a hold of it and feel the power of a strong support system, almost all of them spend an irrationally large amount of time interacting with their members. No one can say no to a group of people that are supportive to them. A great community always generates a lot of intimate personal relationships.
Getting Started with Discord
For those unfamiliar with Discord, starting can seem daunting. However, the key is to begin with small, manageable steps. Check messages regularly, respond to questions, and, most importantly, share updates on your progress. When there is no one on the server, treat your Discord community like a personal micro-blog. By talking about your WIP, you will attract early adopters who can feel genuine. Over time, as more people interact with you, you will naturally develop a habit of coming back for your community
Leveraging Tools for Engagement
To help founders get started, we have introduced a new feature called the Quest Engine. This feature provides a daily checklist of small tasks to engage with the community, making it easier to maintain activity even during quieter periods. At CommunityOne, we have personally used this feature to fundamentally transform our own community into an engaging supportive social hub.
Conclusion
Rabbit's success story is a testament to the power of community engagement and genuine interaction. By leveraging Discord, continuously improving their product, and maintaining transparency, Rabbit has built a loyal and supportive community that overlooks initial flaws and champions the product's evolution. For other founders, Rabbit's approach offers valuable lessons in how to build and sustain a passionate user base in today's competitive tech landscape.
In the next part of this blog, we will delve into our own internal journey, transitioning from a technical support-driven server to a more socially driven community, and the lessons we learned along the way. Stay tuned!