

Ask HN: Followed all advice, why still no virality? - agranig

So I listened to all start-up advice from the tech crunch, the next web, hacker news and more, launched my own start-up today at<p>http://www.doublestealth.com<p>but where is the virality? I'm doing what people want (although I don't know exactly what it is, but that's the point of MVP and pivoting, no?), but no one wants it? I don't want to reveal any more details because people might steal it and run away with it [sic!]. Please help!?
======
shyn3
Your page is kinda disappointing.

I click it and I get nothing of value. As a customer I see... cool a
product...

What does it do? Nothing. Why do I need it? I don't. What will it help me
solve? The owner doesn't know.

I don't know about your target market (maybe u have one?) but if it was me ..
you wouldn't receive a tweet/share or anything of that sort from my end
because well I will not have the time/energy and especially the MOTIVATION to
do that for you.

Also if you are scared that someone will steal your idea then you might as
well get out of the market. I bet you have competitors for whatever you are
doing, maybe they are hidden on page 102 of Google search, but they exist. If
you can't differentiate your product to a customer, nor can you explain your
product you have just lost many opportunities.

It's like going to the bank and saying, "I need a loan for a business." They
will ask, "What kind of a business?"

The sad part is you might be getting a good bunch of visits but I bet your
bounce rate is incredible because there are millions of pages with millions of
products on the internet.

------
sirwitti
one thing to note about virality is that users only share if they care about
you/your company/your product.

so, you're not giving your potential users any hint of what you're up to and
on the other hand expect everybody tell their friends about it.

your twitter account seems to be 1h old and your website tells me that you
will launch in 6 and a half years, which most people interpret as you _say_ /
_plan_ / _hope_ /... to launch at that time.

seriously, if your idea is good people will copy you. cope with it. once
again, execution is what matters. and the good thing about this is, that
execution can't be copied that easy.

if you ask me do the following: start a blog. write about what you do every
day (product, idea, company,...). follow people of your field on twitter.
tweet every day.

don't tell anyone you won't reveal more details because you'll be copied. (a
little secret (sorry to be that direct): it makes you look either
unprofessional or like a jerk. you don't want both i guess.

tell everybody about your awesome idea. you'll get valuable feedback from
people you wouldn't expect it.

sorry, this got so long.

martin

~~~
agranig
If you go lean, revenue is everything. You start with something small, you
fight to get every single customer, you grow with every project, staffing up
another developer or sysops engineer paid from your own pocket to do a bigger
project than the past one, trying to get your "side-product" ready to not be
dependent of more projects at some point...

And then, you've the Double Stealth. Why bother with revenues, if VCs are
throwing money at you? Why bother with customers at all? Why bother with
products? Hell, why not just completely hiding what we do, as long as the
money is flowing? Problem? :D

~~~
sirwitti
i kind of understand your point. the problem i see is that it might make you
think you're doing something amazing while not receiving and adapting to
customer feedback.

so in the end it's very linkely to build something that people don't care
about or don't need.

this would be perfectly fine if you'd use your own money. but your investors
invest in you because they want their money back plus profits.

so, you're right. _now_ you're fine. but when the money or money or both are
gone you get into trouble if there's no revenue and profit.

good luck!

------
cracell
I'm apprehensive about your product because of the grey background. Studies
have shown that blue is very calming and perhaps you should add some more of
it. <http://www.precisionintermedia.com/color.html>

Also how do I share your launch progress bar with my friends on Facebook?

~~~
agranig
Blue is so facebook, and everybody hates facebook at the moment, so we are
grey/yellow for now. Has some potential for pivoting though.

And since customer satisfaction is everything, we published our progress on
<https://twitter.com/doublestealth/status/220277242935246848> just for you.

------
kellros
Virality? What are we supposed to get excited about - a clock ticking down?

~~~
agranig
Yes!?

------
duiker101
this id a joke right? i mean what should go viral in this? do you expect
people to go around screaming "oh my god a website that i do not know what
it's for and neither do the creators".

Meh.

~~~
cracell
It is mocking all of the startups with splash pages trying to promote their
prelaunch product with absolutely nothing to show about the product or even a
description of what it actually is.

~~~
agranig
You are just jealous of our plan :)

------
youngdev
I hope Mayans are wrong and I get to see your launch or acquisition in 2018.
Good luck..

