

Ask HN: How should we promote our web-based startup for as-free-as-possible. - Chirag

Folks, We need your help with suggestions/feedback on how to spread word about our project. We are one month old startup based out of Bangalore and have a team of 4 people spread across India.<p>Thanks,
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patio11
First, your project needs to solve a problem for an identifiable group of
people. Then, you build a relationship with the people that group of people
trusts (e.g. by blogging, commenting on their blogs, etc). Then, you introduce
your thing as something which will help their readers/colleagues/etc solve
your problem.

That is the general gist of it. Your bigger problem: what identifiable group
of people has a hole in their life shaped just like a news aggregator/mashup
machine?

Edited to add: It is almost never, ever, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeever in your interest
to allow yourself to appear poor and desperate, much less to make a point
about it. "We are in desperate need of PR person (who can work for free :) )"
is the first thing I see on your home page. That tells me you're poor,
desperate, and unprofessional. "Indiameme is seeking forward-thinking PR
professionals" is a much, much better way to phrase it.

(Forward-thinking, in this case, means willing to work for an unconventional
arrangement in which they do your PR and you help them surface their stories.
Word to the wise: no sane PR flack will go for this. However, having the offer
on your front page won't hurt you.

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Chirag
Added: I have read this comment and sitting with my team today to discuss it
in detail. Thanks again.

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javery
A link or description of your startup would be a good first step. :)

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Chirag
Well Thanks, @javery

Site Url <http://www.indiameme.com/>

Short Description: As a bloggers we are all passionate about the news and
daily on goings in India, it is really hard to catch up with the best stuff in
news and blog. I also faced simillar problem a while ago and decided to wrote
a program to grab the best of stories around India and show it on easy to read
simple page.

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maurycy
Sorry to say but personalized home pages and RSS mashups are like five years
ago. Competing in this sector takes much more.

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Chirag
@maurcy Thanks, this technology behind the site which is as rightly pointed
out is rss mashup is not the core strength.

The main USP, if you will of the site is the sources it polls and the
editorial team.

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pclark
why is your site so hard to find the news? when I go to your homepage I see
_no_ news.

