Ask HN: Launching a startup. To-do list?

by niico on 4/4/2011, 7:14 PM with 11 comments

Sup guys,

Im starting a new "social/dating" project all by myself. Im a designer so I did all the UI work and now sent the PSD files to convert them to HTML to India. All the back-end will be coded by a friend of mine in Amsterdam.

My question is. What should I do while the guy in India is slicing the PSD and my friend in Amsterdam is building the back-end?

Should I "ship quiet and ship often" or start generating some buzz. Although I don't think it will be a good idea to start making noise for a product that is not done yet.

What can I do in the meanwhile?

Thanks in advance

  • by markstansbury on 4/4/2011, 7:24 PM

    I suggest you grab a beer. First things first.

    After that, maybe see if you can get some people signed up for launch notices. Maybe see if you can get some female early adopters. That strikes me as the biggest dating-site problem.

    Good luck.

  • by anasol on 4/4/2011, 7:34 PM

    It depends on your timeline. You might want to generate buzz before the product comes out so that there is some level of expectation and, if you have been advertising correctly, then you should have some people coming in to check it out once you release it. Ideally your site will be good enough that they will free-advertise for you via word of mouth.

    Now, if it is going to take a while for the backend and the rest to be ready, you can make the best out of your time by creating what will be your advertisement strategies for the weeks before the site launches.

    Hope this helps.

  • by mindfulbee on 4/5/2011, 7:41 AM

    1) start a landing page using Unbounce.com and reach out to some 1st degree connections to be testers 2) start gathering some data to validate your idea--talk to the people around you and ask them questions that revolves around this topic. 3) If it's a Web app, maybe start working on the mobile UI 4) Research competitors (I would check out Okcupid), partners, financial prospects, etc. Learn the industry and do you homework!

    Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes!

  • by Mrinal on 4/4/2011, 11:03 PM

    Build relationships, relationships and relationships .. with your customers. Definition of "customers" vary from phase to phase of the startup. If you want to create awareness through media, get to know all the people (customer) who write about social dating. Later if you intend to seek funding, map that space and get to know investors ... so on and so forth. It is always best to build relationships with people when you dont seek something ...

  • by niico on 4/4/2011, 9:26 PM

    How come people are saying that comments at HN are getting worse, negative and unhelpful... every comment at this thread was awesome!

  • by niico on 4/4/2011, 7:47 PM

    Both advices were very useful. Cheers ;)

  • by bmelton on 4/4/2011, 8:27 PM

    You should almost certainly start trying to generate buzz.

    I put together a list of media contacts at loudstartup.com, though it's primarily for tech-related startups. Might be of help.