PostHog Lemonade Stand

What's the play

They set up a lemonade stand in San Francisco and handed out free lemonades along with early access invites to PostHog Code. People in town could grab a drink, get a sneak preview of the new features they were building, and walk away with an invite. They tied the whole thing together with a bus ad running 'when life gives you lemons.'

What was the alternative?

Buying digital ads or pushing out a standard launch email to announce early access.

Results / what moved

The stand pulled in people who were in town that week and turned a product launch into something people actually wanted to show up for. It carried on LinkedIn too, with folks outside the company posting about the lemonade stand and tagging the team, so the reach went well past the people who walked up for a drink.

Cost breakdown

Lemonade supplies and a couple days on the street, plus a bus ad to promote it.

Steps

1. 1

   Pick a busy spot

   Set up in a high traffic part of the city during a week when your audience is around. They did it in San Francisco.

2. 2

   Hand out lemonades and invites

   Give people free lemonades along with early access invites to the product.

3. 3

   Promote it loud

   Run a simple promo like a bus ad to build awareness before and during the event.

4. 4

   Post it on LinkedIn

   Have the team post with a clear ask, like DM for access or sign up via the link.

5. 5

   Talk to everyone

   Chat with everyone who stops by and give them a sneak preview of what you're building.

Notes

The whole thing leaned into the lemon bit, from 'come thirsty' to the bus ad. A few people from the team worked the stand in person and posted about it across LinkedIn to drive walk-ups. The DM-for-access angle kept it low friction and gave them a reason to talk to everyone who stopped by.