I’m planning to launch my first MVP soon – a LinkedIn plugin. What would you recommend I focus on?
For the past 3 months, I’ve been building a LinkedIn extension that tracks activity and helps users avoid getting restricted or flagged by LinkedIn by quantifying their actions over time.
It’s based on a problem I’ve experienced myself, and (as bad as this might sound) I’m hoping I’m not the only one who has this problem. 😀
The product isn’t fully finished yet, but the core functionality is already working well enough to serve as an MVP.
The remaining features will be blurred out as “Pro” features with an upgrade button that will actually lead users to a waitlist.
At the same time, I’m preparing the marketing side of the launch (creating visual assets, writing descriptions, and getting everything ready for the Chrome Web Store).
Here is the WAITLIST, btw.
If you were in my position, what would you do to maximise the chances of people discovering the extension, installing it, and ideally joining the waitlist?
And one more thing: do you think this idea has the potential to succeed?
P.S. I do not have a landing page yet, either. :D
Replies
First, you're doing an amazing job staying consistent on this forum and building around a genuine pain point. I think the best way forward is to get real people using your product, a closed beta group or something similar. As long as you have a working version, getting real users interacting with it is the most powerful next step in my opinion... (assuming distribution is already your strong suit, since you're a marketer ;))
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@azouzidesign Thank you, to be honest, I am less courageous, when it comes to my products. But let's see, how it goes, I need to prepare :D
the idea has legs because it's solving a real LinkedIn power user pain, not a hypothetical one. for distribution at MVP stage: skip broad channels and go straight to the LinkedIn automation communities (Phantombuster users, Expandi users, Sales Nav heavy users). those people already understand account restrictions and will install immediately if you frame it as risk reduction, not activity tracking. chrome web store SEO is slow but worth doing right from day one since it compounds. and the "blurred pro features pointing to a waitlist" is smart, just make sure the upgrade prompt fires at the exact moment of value, not randomly. on the "am i the only one" question, the fact that LinkedIn actively throttles accounts means your TAM is anyone doing serious outreach at scale. that's not a small group.
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@rnagulapalle Thank you, it seems that you have a lot of experience in that.
@busmark_w_nika spent a few years watching what actually kills LinkedIn outreach at scale, so the restriction patterns get pretty familiar. good luck with the launch, hope the waitlist fills fast.
i personally build tool RawReply for my outreach and its helping me but.. its kinda seeding the data to the system by creating project n ddumping.. but i like your idea .. maybe u can expose as api .. haha
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@rnagulapalle what do you mean by "exposing as api"? :D Because I am new in programming and terminology :D
@busmark_w_nika haha basically it means making your tool available so other apps/tools can connect to it and use its features automatically, without needing the actual website. so like i could plug into your phone screening logic from RawReply directly. but no rush, that's a much later thing once the core works!
hii, Tracking LinkedIn activity to avoid getting flagged is such an underrated problem, most people don't even realise they're shadow banned until it's too late, and by then the damage is done.
One thing I'm curious about though, what happens after someone installs it and their activity looks safe? Do they see a score, a report, a live indicator?
Because the anxiety that drives the install (am I about to get flagged?) needs to be visibly relieved right after, not just silently prevented. If users can't feel it working daily, they'll uninstall even when it's actually protecting them.
How are you thinking about making the protection feel real in the moment?
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@priyatharshini_c They do not see a "before plugin install" activity. But anytime they press the button that triggers a particular activity, it will count and show you limits.
@busmark_w_nika That makes sense as a starting point, but I wonder if "showing limits" is passive enough that users stop noticing it after day 2. Like a step counter you stop checking.
Have you thought about a proactive nudge? Something like "you're approaching your weekly limit on connection requests" before they hit it rather than after they trigger it?
That shift from reactive to proactive might be what keeps it sticky long term.
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@priyatharshini_c How that nudge can be indicating according to you?
@busmark_w_nika Something like a small banner or notification inside the extension that says "You've sent 80% of your weekly connection limit slow down to stay safe" before they hit the wall, not after.
So instead of the user finding out they're restricted, they get a heads up with enough time to adjust their behaviour.
Almost like a fuel gauge rather than an empty tank warning.
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@pranay19 I think that someone was building it for Reddit actually :D
Rankfender
Hey Nika! Honestly, the fact that you built this because you experienced the problem yourself is the best signal you have.
Most founders build what they think people need. You built what you actually needed. That is a different starting point.
Here is what I would focus on if I were you.
1. Build the landing page before the Chrome Web Store listing.
The Chrome Web Store listing is where people find you. The landing page is where you convert them. You need both. The landing page does not need to be elaborate. It needs to explain the problem, show the solution, and capture the waitlist email.
2. Launch on Product Hunt with the waitlist, not the extension.
You can launch the waitlist first. That gives you a list of people who are already interested. When the extension goes live, you have an audience to notify. Product Hunt loves products that solve a real personal pain point, and your story about getting restricted is exactly the kind of hook that resonates.
3. Track where people find you.
You need to know which channel drives installs. LinkedIn posts? Product Hunt? Reddit? Direct referrals? Without tracking, you will not know what to double down on.
4. The idea has potential.
LinkedIn restrictions are a real problem. The platform keeps tightening its rules. People want to stay active without getting flagged. If your extension can help them do that, you have a product.
The key is to launch fast and listen. The MVP is ready. The market will tell you what to build next.
Imed Radhouani
Founder & CTO – Rankfender
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@imed_radhouani Thank you, Imed! Your points made me a little bit self-confident, thank you.
1. Landing page
Should I have it before I have a pro plan available?
Which builder would you recommend to me? [Ideally, something free, Vercel, Framer, something similar.] I do not want to spend much time on it, as my full focus is on the plugin.
2. PH launch
I think that this one would not be featured as it is not a full product, but only a waitlist... or?
At least according to the rules.
3. Tracking
This is where I have the main problem. How can I track it from the plugin? Any hints? Or should I use only my landing page?
Thank you so much for this extensive help.
Rankfender
@busmark_w_nika Great questions. Let me address each one.
1. Landing page builder
Framer is a solid choice. It is free for a simple landing page, visual, and fast. You can launch in an afternoon. Vercel is overkill for this stage. You do not need a complex setup. Framer or even a simple Carrd page will work fine. The goal is to have something live that explains the problem and captures emails. Nothing more.
2. Product Hunt launch with only a waitlist
You are right that Product Hunt prefers full products. But launching a waitlist is allowed. Product Hunt has a dedicated "Pre-Launch" section . You can list your product there and collect early interest. It is not the same as a full launch, but it gives you visibility and builds an email list before you go live.
The waitlist page should be on your own landing page, not a Product Hunt page. Product Hunt drives awareness. Your landing page drives conversions.
3. Tracking installs from the plugin
You can track where users come from by adding a custom parameter to your Chrome Web Store link . When you share the link on LinkedIn, Product Hunt, or Reddit, add a different UTM parameter to each source . For example:
?utm_source=linkedin
?utm_source=producthunt
You can see the results in Google Analytics. Without tracking, you will not know what works.
The idea has potential
LinkedIn restrictions are a real problem. The platform keeps tightening its rules. People want to stay active without getting flagged. If your extension can help them do that, you have a product.
The key is to launch fast and listen. The MVP is ready. The market will tell you what to build next.
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@imed_radhouani aaa, okay, thank you very much for the detailed explanation! :)
the people who NEED this most are the ones who already got flagged or restricted. that pain is more acute than the slow-drip 'optimize my activity' pain. ICP that group hard and the willingness to pay shoots up.
one more thing worth knowing if you have not lived it. once linkedin holds an account they often do not return it no matter how many appeals you send. so the product framing that probably converts better is 'protection against losing your network' rather than 'optimize your reach.' loss aversion beats gain.
also worth considering. people who care enough about their linkedin to install a chrome extension are the same people who would pay for an annual plan. lean into that.
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@thenameisarian Regarding pricing and plans. What would you recommend? I have a monthly, yearly and pro for teams – but not so sure about this one tbh.
@busmark_w_nika for the chrome extension SaaS shape:
free: basic counter + warning state, 7-day history limit. this is the demo.
pro monthly: $9-12. historical data, custom thresholds, multi-account. this is the 'i recruit on linkedin and got burned once' tier.
pro annual: $79-99. lean into 'recover the cost of one banned account' as the framing, not the feature list.
teams: own SKU, $12-15 per seat, billed annual only, admin dashboard required. do not bundle it into pro.
one heuristic that lifts conversion across all three: every plan should answer 'what is the loss this protects me from' in one sentence. put that line in the upgrade modal copy.
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@thenameisarian It is a solid list, but I think that I do not have so much offer for that value atm :D
this is actually a pretty good MVP direction, but I’d be very careful about how you position it 🚀
the core risk here isn’t building it, it’s trust + perceived intent
if it sounds like “we help you avoid getting flagged by LinkedIn,” some users will instantly worry it’s a growth hack tool or something that pushes platform boundaries
so I’d frame it more like:
• activity health / safety dashboard
• engagement pacing assistant
• “don’t accidentally overdo it” guardrails for LinkedIn behavior
same product, very different perception
for your MVP focus, I’d prioritise:
1. one clear outcome
don’t ship “everything tracking everything”
ship: “you can instantly see if your activity looks risky or normal”
2. instant value in under 60 seconds
install → show insight → one “oh wow” moment
if users don’t get that, they won’t waitlist
3. waitlist is your landing page
since you don’t have a site yet, your extension itself becomes the funnel
very simple:
“unlock pro insights → join waitlist”
4. distribution > features right now
your biggest lever is:
• LinkedIn posts showing real before/after activity patterns
• short demos (“this is what looks risky vs safe”)
• founder story (“I built this because I got restricted” angle is powerful if honest and careful)
on potential:
yes, but not because of tracking activity
because people are anxious about platform limits but don’t understand them
so the real product is not “tracking”
it’s “confidence in how you use LinkedIn”
if you nail clarity + trust + simplicity, this can get early traction
if you don’t, it’ll feel like a “growth tool,” and that category gets ignored fast
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@md_khayruzzaman what about the framing you outlined: "see if your activity looks risky or normal" or "Protection against losing your network" – is it good?
I am open to any other suggestions in general honestly :D
@busmark_w_nika I think "Protection against losing your network" is much stronger.
"See if your activity looks risky or normal" explains what the tool does. "Protection against losing your network" explains why someone should care.
People don't want activity tracking. They want peace of mind that years of networking won't disappear because they accidentally crossed a limit.
I'd definitely test both, but my bet is on the outcome focused framing.
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@md_khayruzzaman Thank you! I think that I should offer it predominantly to people with a big following, so they cannot lose thousands of followers and their possible income from that.
Fresh off my own launch so this is very real right now.
Two things I'd prioritize: get at least 5-10 people using it before launch day, even friends or community members. Real usage screenshots and one honest quote do more than any marketing copy.
On discovery: LinkedIn power users hang out in specific subreddits and communities. Find where people complain about getting restricted and show up there with the problem framing, not the product.
On the idea: yes, it has potential. Anyone doing serious LinkedIn outreach has hit this. The question is whether they'll pay to solve it or just slow down manually.
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@mpanpalli Also, do you have any idea whether AI can be used in the process of identifying how old the account on LinkedIn of the user is and calculate "safe limits"? Because I think that every safe limit for each account is different.
One distribution angle nobody has mentioned: target communities around LinkedIn automation tools - users of LaGrowthMachine, Dux-Soup, LinkedHelper, Waalaxy. These are the exact people most at risk of restriction because they push volume, and they're already pain-aware. They're concentrated in Slack communities and Facebook groups that are easy to find.
Also think early about your "aha moment." For this type of tool I'd guess it hits when the extension shows someone "you're at 83% of your safe daily limit" right before they were about to send 40 more connection requests. If you can engineer the first session so that moment happens within minutes of install, waitlist conversion will be much stronger than if the value only becomes obvious after a week of passive tracking.
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@galdayan Thank you, Gal. The first paragraph is very helpful for identifying potential users.
Regarding limits, what do you think about such basic things like this? It will show the remaining count too