Ask HN: Your best marketing idea that has helped spread the word about your product?

[ctingom]

Question: What has been your best marketing idea that has helped spread the word about your product?<p>Or if you don't have a web app yourself, how do you hear about new web apps?

[jmtame]

Paul Buchheit at Startup School '08:

Focus on making 100 people happy, and then you'll be validated for opening up your app to more people.

I don't think it's that difficult getting 100 people (especially if you offer private beta invites to smaller niche sites that you're targeting). Plus it gives you a chance to understand what your customers want, which is crucial to early development in an application. You'll need to constantly get customer feedback and validation.

[icey]

With any product I've worked on that has succeeded, nothing has ever beat word of mouth by way of providing a superior product.

With the software I work on now, every sale we've ever made has been from word of mouth.

Also; I missed you at Gangplank on Wednesday - I hear you don't make it down there much?

[babul]

Competitions.

Prize can often be trivial/small, but competitions that are fun and involve the userbase often get great response in my experience.

[ctingom]

Great feedback everyone, thank you.

[iamdave]

Networking.