

Ask HN: How do I get people to try my (free) service? - jasonlingx

http://cansend.com/<p>I've tried posting a Show HN - got 5 points, 1 new user, some feedback on my site's lack of info.<p>I've submitted it to the mailchimp integrations directory - got listed but no new users.<p>I've tried pitching it to startup people I know, website owners - I've tried pitching it at startup meetups, events - people think it's a cool idea but no one to actually try it yet.<p>I've also tried posting to programming groups, forum software groups...<p>Would be grateful for any good ideas
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jasonlingx
Thanks for all the responses. A common theme in the responses seems to be 1)
design of the site/homepage, images, videos; 2) landing page copy / unclear
proposition.

I'm not sure how critical 1) is and am hesitant to invest more resources into
it having not gotten any traction so far.

I'm struggling with 2) and not quite sure how to better pitch the service and
its benefits... needs a lot more thought on my part perhaps. I'm currently
thinking if I can create some sort of flowchart graphics that shows at a
glance what it does...

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rdubb
As a first impression from viewing the site, I didn't understand what it was
offering. It mentions social sharing, but it wasn't until I read over the copy
a few times that I actually understood that your service will takes new
content from a website and post links to that content on social media sites
and newsletters. I agree with what other people are saying, try to make it
clearer what you're offering.

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pizza
Here's some armchair advice: focus on e-mail and _hunt_ for website owners
that send out newsletters. Make sure to tell them exactly why what you're
offering is better than what they already have.

Some organizational advice: have less stuff on the landing page. Keep the what
and the why, but have the how elsewhere. And there's a lot of wasted real
estate with that grey box; try to use it to pitch.

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jmathai
There's a lot of text on your home page. A clear synopsis would help convert
users that show up. Do you know if people visit but don't sign up or are they
not visiting at all?

I agree with `pizza` though, target specific website owners and see if they'd
be willing/interested in using your service. You really have to know what the
value proposition is though, which is a good practice anyways.

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tstegart
I second the above. The current text "Intelligent fully automated email
newsletters and social media sharing for your website" is pretty useless. Tell
a business owner how it will save them time or money and how its better than
what you suspect they use.

You might want to do a search for "landing page copy" in an effort to increase
your sign-ups.

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murtza
I like your initiative on the product. You need to improve the design of your
homepage. I am not affiliated with Simplicant (<http://www.simplicant.com/> ),
but I think they have a good homepage design that could serve as a starting
point for your redesign.

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ryankals
I'd try explaining what you do in a clear and concise sentence which should
headline your landing page. A good indicator is whether or not a young child
can understand it. Basically if users are confused, they won't stay and
obviously won't sign up (even if it's free). Good luck!

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impostervt
It actually seems like a VERY useful tool for forum-type sites. Who else would
use it? Maybe focus on some specific markets, and reach out directly to owners
of those sites.

The site does look unfinished without any images.

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jasonlingx
Yes it was built for a forum site I ran. But any kind of site that generates
more than 1 page a day would benefit from automated newsletters. Any site that
generates more than around 10 pages or so a day would benefit from automated
social sharing.

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orangethirty
You need a better website with a better explanation of what it is that you do.
Get a cheap template from one of the big providers, and ditch bootstrap.

Then (drum roll), email people about it.

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allwein
One of things I think you need to answer is why I would use/switch to this
service if I'm already using some WP Plugins that handle this social media
sharing.

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barakstout
Try to show it to as many people as you can. Post some youtube videos on how-
to. Use every web 2.0 network you can to try to get more people to your door
step.

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byjess
changing news letter providers is a high hurdle for people. The fact that it
is "free" doesn't matter, since its such a pain to setup and run campaigns.

I would buy google ads on newsletter related keywords so you know you are
getting people looking for a solution to try.

Also your copy is bad and your proposition is unclear.

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jasonlingx
Yes this currently only integrates with Mailchimp. Although it should be
simple enough to make it such that it generates an email that is sent to your
'broadcast address' which should work across newsletter providers.

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tstegart
Clickable: <http://cansend.com/>

