👍🐜The Little Instant Pot That Could...

sidsmom · ‎11-25-2011

I'm seeing lots of articles about the Instant Pot...and it's success.

For those few people out of the loop, it's an amazing electric pressure cooker with a 'cult' following. Many Veg bloggers/cloggers have been talking about the Instant Pot for some time, but recently, the success has gone worldwide on Amazon.

Here's one article from inc.com:

Instant Pot:

How a Tiny Company With No Marketing

Landed the #1 Product on Amazon

It's a lesson in how to sell $14.8 million worth of product in a single day with no advertising.

By Bill Murphy Jr.

Last July, Amazon touted the success of its second annual Prime Day promotion in a press release, rattling off how much stuff people bought in different categories:

90,000 televisions
2 million toys
1 million pairs of shoes
200,000 headphones
215,000 Instant Pot 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cookers...

I'm sorry--wait, what? Pressure cookers? And more than that, why the focus on a specific brand of pressure cooker?

At this point, readers of this article will separate into two (and only two) categories. There are those who, like me, last heard the phrase "pressure cooker" mentioned either in the context of people being too stressed, or when some terrorist puts together an improvised bomb. (No links for that one, for obvious reasons.)

And, there are those whose reaction is more like: Yes, no kidding, the Instant Pot--here are the first seven things you should make with one when you buy it.

Because it turns out that the Instant Pot is a calculated viral phenomenon. And there's an innocuous, interesting, and perhaps even inspiring story behind it.

How to make a product go viral

Background: The Instant Pot is a product of a small Canadian company, founded by engineers (as opposed to say, chefs or experienced entrepreneurs). They have 25 employees, no traditional advertising to speak of, and an Amazon-centric sales strategy.

Their primary marketing strategy? Social media, which leads to word-of-mouth promotions.

Over the last six years, since they first hit the market, the company "has provided free Instant Pots to 200 bloggers and cookbook authors who represent many styles of cooking, including Chinese, Italian, sous-vide and vegan," according to NPR.

(By the way, NPR says Instant Pot was the "top-selling item in the U.S. market" when they reported on it; it seems to have dropped to the #2 item in the Kitchen and Dining section--no longer tops, but still impressive.)

In any event, those bloggers and authors loved it. They came up with recipe after recipe, and review after review, giving the company tons of free publicity. The Instant Pot's owner's manual, and the company's website featured these crowd sourced recipes and excitement, ensuring that even customers who bought the product on their own have a chance to get sucked into the virtual Instant Pot community.

"Cooking is very much a social behavior," the company's CEO explained to NPR. "If people make good food, they will be raving about it, including the tools used."

And just about everything the company does is designed to fan the flames of that kind of free, word-of-mouth advertising.

Product first, marketing second

The Instant Pot retails at $99. During Amazon Prime it was discounted to $69--but that still means they sold $14.8 million worth of pressure cookers in a single day.

They've got 15,278 reviews on Amazon as of this writing, and an average of 4.5 stars. (Don't take that as an endorsement or encouragement on my part to buy one; I've never even seen one of these things in real life. I'm just impressed by the sheer volume.)

Sure, savvy marketers game Amazon all the time, but the only way to generate that kind of response is if people actually love the product. My colleague Candice Galek reported recently on something Tim Ferriss said, when he was asked how he'd drive traffic to a new brand if he had a budget of only $5,000:

"Use the $5,000 to have experiences and then write about them."

I've been thinking about that quote all week--how the first thing that matters is your product. If you're writing for Inc.com, it's the quality of your content. If you're making pressure cookers, it's how good they work.

Do it well enough, and in an age of social media, people will share what you've come up with to their friends and followers. It's just that easy--and that hard.

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

Why is it any more amazing than any other pressure cooker? My Cook's Essentials PC will do everything it will do and is a pretty color. I don't want a big, ugly black thing sitting out in my kitchen.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

tansy · ‎01-02-2011

Do you use one, @sidsmom? I've come close to buying one but I wonder if I'd actually use it.

sidsmom · ‎11-25-2011

@tansy wrote:
Do you use one, @sidsmom? I've come close to buying one but I wonder if I'd actually use it.

@tansy

Yes, I got 7-in-1 last year to make soy yogurt.

I love mine. Like I mentioned, it's HUGE in my plant-based world.

I like the fact there are so many bloggers/vloggers/FB groups

dedicated specifically for the Instant Pot.

I really like the stainless steel aspect of the liner.

That's the feature which set it apart from others up until now.

What would you envision making with your IPot?

tansy · ‎01-02-2011

@sidsmom wrote:
@tansy wrote:
Do you use one, @sidsmom? I've come close to buying one but I wonder if I'd actually use it.
@tansy
Yes, I got 7-in-1 last year to make soy yogurt.

I love mine. Like I mentioned, it's HUGE in my plant-based world.
I like the fact there are so many bloggers/vloggers/FB groups
dedicated specifically for the Instant Pot.

I really like the stainless steel aspect of the liner.
That's the feature which set it apart from others up until now.

What would you envision making with your IPot?

Not taters, @sidsmom. Stew and pot roast mostly. Thanks for the response.

momtochloe · ‎11-03-2013

@tansy wrote:
Do you use one, @sidsmom? I've come close to buying one but I wonder if I'd actually use it.

@tansy further to @sidsmom post for me yes there is a big difference in electric PC's. I had a three quart Cook's Essentials PC and it was ok but I figured the problem was more me than the pot. I kept reading those fabulous IP reviews and bought one when Amazon ran a sale and I have never looked back. I am by no means a good cook but I can't seem to ruin anything in that cooker and trust me that is saying a lot.

I have an older version (I have the 6 in 1) and make all sorts of great meals in there. I just bought a piece of beef which I cut into sections as it's just me and will be trying a new sour cream gravy beef roast recipe. I wasn't please with my CE version (everything seemed to come out ok at best) but I cannot recommend the IP more as it improves my efforts . . .

tansy · ‎01-02-2011

@momtochloe wrote:
@tansy wrote:
Do you use one, @sidsmom? I've come close to buying one but I wonder if I'd actually use it.
@tansy further to @sidsmom post for me yes there is a big difference in electric PC's. I had a three quart Cook's Essentials PC and it was ok but I figured the problem was more me than the pot. I kept reading those fabulous IP reviews and bought one when Amazon ran a sale and I have never looked back. I am by no means a good cook but I can't seem to ruin anything in that cooker and trust me that is saying a lot.

I have an older version (I have the 6 in 1) and make all sorts of great meals in there. I just bought a piece of beef which I cut into sections as it's just me and will be trying a new sour cream gravy beef roast recipe. I wasn't please with my CE version (everything seemed to come out ok at best) but I cannot recommend the IP more as it improves my efforts . . .

Wow, @momtochloe. Can you post the sour cream gravy recipe or where it came from? That's right up my alley😊

momtochloe · ‎11-03-2013

@tansy wrote:

@momtochloe wrote:
@tansy wrote:
Do you use one, @sidsmom? I've come close to buying one but I wonder if I'd actually use it.
@tansy further to @sidsmom post for me yes there is a big difference in electric PC's. I had a three quart Cook's Essentials PC and it was ok but I figured the problem was more me than the pot. I kept reading those fabulous IP reviews and bought one when Amazon ran a sale and I have never looked back. I am by no means a good cook but I can't seem to ruin anything in that cooker and trust me that is saying a lot.

I have an older version (I have the 6 in 1) and make all sorts of great meals in there. I just bought a piece of beef which I cut into sections as it's just me and will be trying a new sour cream gravy beef roast recipe. I wasn't please with my CE version (everything seemed to come out ok at best) but I cannot recommend the IP more as it improves my efforts . . .
Wow, @momtochloe. Can you post the sour cream gravy recipe or where it came from? That's right up my alley😊

@tansy well yes as a matter of fact I would be happy to do so:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/238008/pot-roast-with-sour-cream-gravy/?prop28=body&prop29=MainRecipeTi...

My heritage is from Czechoslovakia and my mom would make something along these lines (kind of an abbreviated version of what my mom used to make but I think the flavors may be in the ballpark) . . . I hope you (and I) enjoy it!

And again, the IP is for me really the bomb . . . great little appliance!

tansy · ‎01-02-2011

YUM! Sour cream and dill, what could be better? THanks, @momtochloe. The recipe's printing as I'm typing.

mima · ‎03-14-2010

I LOVE my Instant Pot. It is not big, black and ugly. LOL Mine is a beautiful stainless steel with black trim. I love the SS inner pot that does not stick.

I had a Cooks Essential pressure cooker and it quit in exactly one year. I had a Nesco pressure cooker that looked exacly like the CE one (same manufacturer I'm sure) and it quit in exactly a year. I also have the oval 6 qt. PC from QVC that was a TSV. I hate that thing. It talks and it is so irritating. I will never use it again ever. It is also very hard to get the insert exactly where it should be so it will seal.

I started researching and found rave reviews for the IP and ordered it. It is so awesome. I will never have anything else.

Food is wonderful. Love the SS insert the best. Great size. Easy to get the lid off and on. I purchased the glass lid for it also. I can't say enough good about this gem.

As far as recipes, I have converted most of my regular recipes to the IP. I guess at the time. If not done, just close it up and cook it some more.

If one is shopping for a PC, I would get the IP!!!