Ask HN: Chicken and Egg issue, getting some feedback/traction?

7 pointsHackrNwsDesignr15y ago5 comments

How do you guys go about getting initial traction for your product? How many users do you usually get when doing so (if you post on Hn, for example). I'm finding this is the barrier to moving forward after building a good product.

I thought we could use this post to each discuss different methods for bringing in users initially without spending much if any money, and doing so in an ethical way.

Ideas such as contests, twitter, etc. What have you guys done? and What is a good # of users to start with to get over the "chicken or egg" hump?

7 pointsHackrNwsDesignr15y ago5 comments

I thought we could use this post to each discuss different methods for bringing in users initially without spending much if any money, and doing so in an ethical way.

Ideas such as contests, twitter, etc. What have you guys done? and What is a good # of users to start with to get over the "chicken or egg" hump?

5 comments

5 comments · 3 top-level

stuntgoat15y ago· 2 in thread

Feedback and traction are 2 different things. For feedback: directly contact people in the sector which your product is intended to serve. Send people whom you respect in the industry an email and ask them for their thoughts.

Getting 'initial traction' is likely about not losing interest while waiting for 'real traction', and being confident that your product/service accomplishes it's core function/value very well. Someone correct me if I am wrong: traction is measured in gaining popularity ( increasing users, or sales at an increasing rate ).

HackrNwsDesignrOP15y ago

great response. thanks! do you find it okay to email people in the industry for their thoughts on an idea your planning on building? is this considered an ok email etiquette practice?

stuntgoat15y ago

Some people emailed me back.

Not one person emailed me back to say I was not following etiquette standards.

markw15y ago

I've been thinking through the same problem recently, and while I don't have any good suggestions myself, I did find the following particularly helpful, perhaps you will too:

http://blogs.balsamiq.com/product/2008/08/05/startup-marketi... (hacker news discussion: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=267639)

Mz15y ago

This question has come up repeatedly here recently. Here is a link to where I gathered links to a few previous discussions. This is the third time I have posted this in a, say, the past week. So if search the site, you might get lots more info:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2126209

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