Smart Product, Dumb Launch: The Mistake Founders Keep Making

Why building a brilliant product isn’t enough—and how storytelling can save your go-to-market.

Is it just me, or are we slipping back into the “before times”—when tech companies launched with buzzword bingo and a laundry list of features, but zero clarity on why any of it matters?

Maybe I’m biased. I tell stories for a living. I even write books about it.

But what really gets me is this: founders wondering why they can’t scale, while working themselves (and their teams) to the bone—trying to brute-force growth with complexity, not clarity.

They’ve built a smart product.

But they’ve launched it in the dumbest way possible.

The Core Problem: Smart Product, Zero Story

Here’s what I’ve seen: incredibly smart, tech-savvy teams often overbuild smart products to compensate for a lack of clarity—both about the problem they’re solving and the story they’re trying to tell.

And in the age of AI, where you can spin up almost anything in a weekend (okay, maybe not everything, but close), this is only getting worse.

The result? A doom loop of feature bloat. Every new feature adds complexity, which makes the product harder to use, harder to explain, and harder to love.

If you’re seeing low conversions, confused prospects, clunky demos, or disappointing usage rates, despite building something with a product IQ of 170.

Well, I’d bet your narrative IQ is still in the double digits.

And if that’s the case, adding more features isn’t the answer.

What you need is a clear, concise, compelling story—one that makes prospects lean in and say, “I need this.”

The “Story Layer” is the Missing Layer

Smart products have layers—just look at any product architecture diagram. But what’s often missing is the one layer that actually ties it all together: the story layer.

This story layer frames why the product exists, who it’s for, and what it makes possible.

Put another way, it’s the narrative arc. And your product? It’s not the hero.

The user is.

Your company plays the mentor—the one who helps them overcome obstacles, seize opportunities, and pursue their version of greatness.

A great example of missing the mark? AI companies who pitch “automation” but never explain why automation actually matters to the user. Sure, saving time is implied, but that’s not enough. Your audience is doom-scrolling Instagram or half-watching a webinar while skimming LinkedIn. If you don’t make the real benefit painfully clear, they’ll scroll right past your “smart” product.

Why Founders Miss This

By this point, you might be wondering:

Why do founders miss this so often?

The answer is pretty simple—they’re too close to the product.

If you’re a technical founder, you’re probably great at building smart products. But all this storytelling and “soft skill” stuff? It might feel foreign, even a little squishy.

And even if you do have marketing chops, you’re so deep in the weeds—so immersed in what your product does—that you lose perspective.

You forget that prospects don’t want complexity.

They want clarity.

The clearer you make something, the easier it is for someone to say, “Yes. I get it. I want that.”

Back in the before times of smart products and software, just being new and shiny was enough. You didn’t need a strong narrative—people were hungry for any innovation.

But now?

Your prospects are swimming in options. They’re overwhelmed.

If your story isn’t immediately clear and compelling, they’ll move on.

That’s why you don’t start with the features.

You start with the story.

What a Strong Story Looks Like

I hope by this point, I’ve convinced you that you should always start with Story in order to get your smart product noticed.

In order to do that, here are the building blocks of a great story, especially as it relates to smart products.

1. Clarity: Can I explain what it is in 10 words or less to my grandmother?
2. Relevance: Does it solve my problem or just show off?
3. Emotion: Does it make me feel something? Hope? Relief? Confidence?
4. Momentum: Does it make me want to act?

Let’s take a look at an example and see how we can recast a features based bit of copy into a transformative story.

The example is a composite of a bunch of AI company billboards I see as I drive from San Francisco to Berkeley along I-80 east to go to the office.

Original: Our AI-driven productivity suite leverages real-time data and machine learning algorithms to optimize workflows and drive operational efficiency across your organization. 

Story-Driven: Let our AI-powered productivity suite help your team focus on what truly matters. By clearing the clutter, we give your people more time for meaningful work—so they feel energized, empowered, and proud of what they’re creating.

Can you see and feel the difference? They say the same thing but the story-driven version leaves most of the buzzwords behind and focuses more on the results desired.

Don’t Let a Dumb Launch Kill a Smart Product

The effort you put into building your smart product shouldn’t be wasted just because you didn’t take the time to tell a better story.

Here’s some perspective: it typically costs just as much to promote a product as it does to build it.

Let that sink in.

Now be honest—are you spending even close to that on telling your story?

Chances are, the answer is no.

And I get it. It’s always easier to ship a new feature than it is to craft a narrative around what you’ve already built.

But here’s the shift: as you’re building your smart product, make it a habit to ask,

“What story is my product telling?”

That question alone will get you thinking in the right direction—and eventually, it’ll guide you toward a smarter, more successful launch.

If you’re not sure where to start, drop us a note. We’re happy to hop on a quick call and walk through our Smart Product Six Core Questions—a simple, powerful way to uncover the story you need to tell and how to launch with confidence.