How do you get (free) publicity for your brand new startup?

[krausejj]

so, we've launched a site (http://skychalk.com - check it out!)... and now we need people to visit it.

"build it and they will come" doesn't seem to work on the web! for those who have successfully launched sites/startups and garnered traffic, what is your strategy?

ignoring the simple answer - have a great site that people want to visit - how do you let person X across the street know your site exists?

is it possible to get publicity and write ups if you don't have funding or famous entrepreneurs at the helm of your project?

[steventruong]

how do you let person X across the street know your site exists?

Go across the street and tell them about it. Not everyone will sign up and its a slow and painful process, but this is the best way to get to know your users and their needs early on. Ideally you should have iterated the idea before touching a single line of code or design with a group of interested people who not only like the idea or what you're saying but would have been committed to trying it out and actually offering feedback on whether or not the idea is something they would be interested in.

I'll assume the above was never done and you guys went ahead and got the site build out anyway. The best alternative is to reach out to the people around you (like your neighbors directly), as well as communities online that relate to the sort of problem you're aiming to solve (hopefully there is a problem you're solving and not just a solution). Blogs, forums, competing sites, etc... The trick is not to be intrusive and try to offer a compelling solution and get feedback.

is it possible to get publicity and write ups if you don't have funding or famous entrepreneurs at the helm of your project?

Yes but this is not a long term strategy to retain or attract the right set of users needed to get the site up and running. Early on, it is better to get a few users on board during the beta who absolutely loves your product and is willing to grind through it and give you feedback than a bunch of people who half heartedly like your site.

Hope that helps.

[nreece]

Couple of ideas:

1. Start a site blog and write about the industry or the technology that your service relates to. Share your blog posts on HN, Reddit, Digg, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ etc.

2. Get some advisers on board. They can not only help you shape your service but they can also spread the word for you through their social network.

3. Email some tech bloggers about your service and request them to write a review.

[krausejj]

thanks! good ideas. for #3, have you or others had much success with this strategy? it seems like tech bloggers are inundated with these requests. any tips on how to stand out? or blogs that you'd recommend?

[mburst]

Since you seem to be targeting local discussions it may help to get local newspapers involved. Local newspapers pretty much live off of people in their community doing potentially big things.

As nreece said, contacting tech bloggers is a really good way to get started. Here is a really good article detailing some ideas http://jasonlbaptiste.com/featured-articles/how-i-pitched-te...

[mudge]

Hey krausejj, you could pledge for a cheap advertisement on http://1000milerunningman.com

The ad will be free unless I actually do run the 1000 miles, which depends on if I get enough sponsors/advertisers.

But if I do run the 1000 miles, your ad will be worth it. With the traffic I will get and how the advertisements are featured on the website, you will get traffic.

[nbalce]

Have you tried betali.st? they send me sites of new startups every day. They are also European, so you also get global readers to see your site. Good luck!

[guruz]

Hm, you could pre-fill the page with geotagged tweets. Then it doesn't look so empty for areas outside SF and more people might consider using it?

[nreece]

Then the messages won't be anonymous anymore, but not a bad way to start seeding the location comments (maybe strip-off the twitter Id).

[ABrandt]

I only took a quick look at your site, but it seems ripe for some cool promotional event to kick things off. Use your app to chalk up your city with all sorts of hints that lead to a prize. Kind of like a virtual scavenger hunt. Then write about it everywhere you possibly can (local blogs, craigslist, social networks etc.). Could lead to some real publicity as well. Good luck!

[ypcx]

Besides the other specific/great tips in this discussion, get a top tech journalist to write about your startup. This will usually happen if you are very interesting _and_ you offer some form of exclusivity - e.g. during a closed beta, etc. Quora has a whole section on this topic, and it's very good. I remember Scobleizer himself giving advices there, if I'm not mistaken.

[glimcat]

I only visited your site because you forgot to say what it does. I'm still not that sure what it does, or how, or why.

Fixing that would be a big step forwards. You want to always be communicating about your service, and in a clear way, and focusing on why I should care rather than on why you're awesome.

[krausejj]

Thanks for all the ideas. There is clearly no silver bullet or shortcut but this is some good stuff. Appreciated.

[Stealx]

Unrelated, but I'd recommend using the same header with links on your welcome page too.