The Search vs. Discovery Problem: When Users Don't Know They Need Your Product

One of the most fundamental challenges facing B2C startups is understanding whether users are actively searching for your solution or if they need to discover it first. This distinction shapes everything from your growth strategy to your app store optimization efforts, and getting it wrong can waste months of precious runway.

Tim Johnson, head of brand partnerships at Blossom Social and former early employee at Wattpad, has experienced this challenge firsthand across three very different consumer apps. In a recent episode of the Levels Podcast, Tim shared insights that reveal why some growth tactics work brilliantly for certain apps while failing completely for others.

The Tale of Three Apps: Search vs. Discovery in Action

Tim's journey through Wattpad, Couply, and Blossom Social perfectly illustrates the search versus discovery spectrum. Each app faced fundamentally different user behavior patterns that required completely different growth approaches.

Wattpad operated in a search-driven environment. As Tim explained:

"People would search free books. Can I get free books? And then they see that there's 100 million free books or whatever it is on Wattpad. So let's check it out. Another place that Wattpad got users was people would Google, like, where can I share my book? Or how do I become an author? And then many people listed Wattpad as a place for authors to begin."

This created a clear path to users. People had identified problems (finding free books, sharing their writing) and were actively searching for solutions. Wattpad could invest heavily in SEO, app store optimization, and keyword strategies because users were looking for what they offered.

Couply fell somewhere in the middle.

Tim noted:

"With Couply, we got most of our downloads organically. So we spent a lot of time on App Store listing keywords, all of that kind of stuff."

People in relationships experiencing problems would search for solutions, making phrases like "relationship app" or "couples therapy" viable search terms. The problem was identifiable, and users knew they needed help.

Blossom Social, however, represents the pure discovery challenge. Tim's experience here was starkly different:

"With Blossom, we spent a bunch of time on App Store listing keywords. Didn't do anything. People aren't searching for a social network for investors. Like, can I have a social? Like, is there a social network for investors? No one's looking for that."

Why Discovery-Driven Products Face Unique Challenges

The core issue with discovery-driven products is that users don't know they have a problem that needs solving. As Tim observed about Blossom:

"For Blossom being something new-ish, it's like, it's a case of kind of bringing people in and then because the experience is so good, they love it so much, then it grows and they invite more people in."

This creates several challenges:

1. Traditional acquisition channels fail. App store optimization, SEO, and paid search ads targeting problem-focused keywords won't work because users aren't searching for solutions.

2. The value proposition must be immediately clear. Since users didn't come looking for your product, you have seconds to explain why they need it.

3. Product-market fit is harder to measure. Search volume and keyword difficulty can validate demand for search-driven products, but discovery-driven products need different signals.

The Hidden Opportunity in Discovery-Driven Markets

While discovery-driven products face unique challenges, they also present enormous opportunities. Tim explained the situation at Blossom:

"There are people looking for these communities, but they're not necessarily looking for an app for this community, if that makes sense. People are joining Reddit subgroups, they're using Facebook, they're Discord. They're in WhatsApp. They're in all these dispersed places where they're getting like stock advice, financial information, and sharing like ideas around which ETFs am I going to buy this, that."

This dispersion represents a massive opportunity. Users are solving their problems through inefficient, fragmented solutions. A purpose-built app that consolidates and improves this experience can capture enormous value once users discover it.

Growth Strategies for Discovery-Driven Products

Tim's experience at Blossom reveals how successful discovery-driven products grow:

Creator partnerships become essential. Rather than relying on search, Blossom built relationships with finance creators who could introduce their audiences to the concept. As Tim noted:

"Think about that for a CTA, you've been following a YouTuber for a long time and they're like, hey, by the way, if you want to see everything I'm investing in, like check me out and blossom. You're like, okay, that's really cool."

Word-of-mouth drives sustainable growth. Tim shared Blossom's growth breakdown:

"One third is paid ads across meta and TikTok and Reddit, other channels that we're experimenting with, podcasts, whatever it is that Brandon is experimenting with. One third is word of mouth, which is the most important, amazing. We know that that eventually builds up into that beautiful K curve, which is what we all want to see take us to the promised land. And then one third comes from the creators."

The product experience must be exceptional. Since users didn't come looking for your solution, the first experience needs to immediately demonstrate value and create an "aha moment" that justifies their attention.

Recognizing Which Type of Product You're Building

Understanding whether you're building a search-driven or discovery-driven product is crucial for resource allocation. Here are the key indicators:

Search-driven indicators:

• Users are already searching for solutions to the problem you solve
• Existing keyword volume around your problem space
• Clear, identifiable user pain points
• Users can articulate the problem before finding your solution

Discovery-driven indicators:

• Users are using inefficient workarounds or fragmented solutions
• Low or no search volume for your core value proposition
• Users express excitement but say "I didn't know I needed this"
• The problem becomes obvious only after seeing the solution

The Path Forward

Whether you're building a search-driven or discovery-driven product, success requires aligning your growth strategy with user behavior. Search-driven products can invest heavily in SEO and keyword optimization, while discovery-driven products need to focus on creator partnerships, exceptional user experiences, and word-of-mouth growth.

The key is recognizing which type of product you're building early and doubling down on the appropriate growth channels. As Tim's experience shows, trying to force search-driven tactics on a discovery-driven product wastes valuable time and resources.

Understanding this fundamental distinction can mean the difference between scaling efficiently and burning through runway while chasing the wrong metrics.

Key Points

• Search-driven products benefit from users actively looking for solutions, enabling SEO and keyword-focused strategies

• Discovery-driven products require users to first understand they have a problem, making traditional acquisition channels ineffective

• Creator partnerships and word-of-mouth become essential for discovery-driven products

• Discovery-driven markets often represent larger opportunities due to fragmented, inefficient existing solutions

• Recognizing which type of product you're building early is crucial for proper resource allocation

• Product experience quality becomes even more critical for discovery-driven products

Want to hear more insights on building and scaling B2C products? Listen to the full conversation with Tim Johnson on the Levels Podcast.