Ask HN: How do you market your side project? - max0563
======
JayNeely
I've relied heavily on search traffic / SEO, because it provides ongoing
benefit even if I step away from it for a while.

It's an easy fit for the information-focused sideprojects I've typically
created, providing the content needed to rank with no additional effort, but
it can work for any project creator willing to put a little effort into
creating content about their project and promoting that content (to gain links
to their domain). And most importantly, it keeps me focused on creating
something people want, because I'm typically expanding the project in areas
where I see there's a high volume of searches (through keyword research
tools).

------
connorski
There are tons of different ways to market your side project and what works
for someone else may not work for you, of course.

I think it really just comes down to where your potential customers may be
hanging out / searching. For my side project, I've had decent success
responding to posts/questions on sites like Quora, where someone is looking
for exactly what you offer. It's free too (besides for your time!).

The book Traction ([https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-
Cu...](https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-
Customer/dp/1591848369/)) gives a pretty solid overview of different marketing
methods/strategies.

~~~
shanecleveland
Tapping into an existing, niche community seems to be a pretty common and
successful method. Does your project help solve a common problem for a
narrowly defined group of people? If so, is there a forum where this problem
is commonly discussed? Become a helpful member of this community. Ask and
answer questions there without only constantly pushing your project in a
spammy way.

