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Ask HN: What's your latest failed side project and why?

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Re: Ask HN: What's your latest failed side project and why?

#141

Post by Igrom »

ad31mar wrote: post #64

https://binnedart.com A marketplace to connect artists looking to recoup the cost of supplies with art lovers who are looking for a bargain. Didn't pick up, even tho the initial feedback was great - guess the demand wasn't there after all, from both sides. It's still live, only losing money. https://damnshort.com Recently launched a service to serve nice (or so I thought) dotcoms at well below market value, however i…

Thanks for linking to Binned Art - I am very fond of both the concept and the website.

Could you delve more into how you've managed the project? How did you market it? How significant are your operating costs or losses?

Re: Ask HN: What's your latest failed side project and why?

#142

Post by relaunched »

WheelsAtLarge wrote: post #87

Given what I've read here, it seems that most people here forget or don't know that most apps need a strong marketing plan from the start to give it a decent chance to succeed. Writing an app that sells itself is very rare and even if it takes off it needs constant marketing. If you read the financials from most software companies that are public you'll see that marketing costs are way higher than development and mai…

So...does anyone want to help me figure out a way to better market my product? Contact info in my bio.

Re: Ask HN: What's your latest failed side project and why?

#143

Post by jotakami »

muzani wrote: post #94
WheelsAtLarge wrote: post #87

Given what I've read here, it seems that most people here forget or don't know that most apps need a strong marketing plan from the start to give it a decent chance to succeed. Writing an app that sells itself is very rare and even if it takes off it needs constant marketing. If you read the financials from most software companies that are public you'll see that marketing costs are way higher than development and mai…

Strong marketing plan is true, but not accurate. I think a lot of people's marketing plan is to show it on HN/Product Hunt/Indie Hackers/Reddit entrepreneur groups, which is a horrible marketing plan. I think the marketing plan is part of the project design - you should have it before you build it. Are you targeting remote workers? That should be part of the UI, the features, etc. Do you plan on marketing via social…

Judging by my own side projects, there seem to be two varieties: scratching your own itch, or scratching someone else’s. In the former case, marketing really does come later because you already have a perfect user to consult on product design (yourself) and just need to find other people with the same problem you have.

The latter case is when marketing is a lot more integrated with building the product. If you’ve made it all the way to a public release but don’t really know how to market, then there is a dangerously high probability that you built something nobody really asked for.

Re: Ask HN: What's your latest failed side project and why?

#144

Post by fierro »

muzani wrote: post #94
WheelsAtLarge wrote: post #87

Given what I've read here, it seems that most people here forget or don't know that most apps need a strong marketing plan from the start to give it a decent chance to succeed. Writing an app that sells itself is very rare and even if it takes off it needs constant marketing. If you read the financials from most software companies that are public you'll see that marketing costs are way higher than development and mai…

Strong marketing plan is true, but not accurate. I think a lot of people's marketing plan is to show it on HN/Product Hunt/Indie Hackers/Reddit entrepreneur groups, which is a horrible marketing plan. I think the marketing plan is part of the project design - you should have it before you build it. Are you targeting remote workers? That should be part of the UI, the features, etc. Do you plan on marketing via social…

how can something be true but not accurate

Re: Ask HN: What's your latest failed side project and why?

#145

Post by jotakami »

Tried to start a local in-person meeting for CGAA (Computer Gaming Addicts Anonymous). Posted flyers all over my university campus, which has like 30k undergrads. Nobody showed up, week after week. Not sure how to let people know and I’m not a “growth hacker” type so I gave up.

Re: Ask HN: What's your latest failed side project and why?

#146

Post by davchana »

williamdclt wrote: post #52
matt_heimer wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd suggest making it a little more generic and targeting the agriculture space. Have templates for animal alerts etc but also days without rain when plants need to be watered, etc. You might get more usage from busy people trying to have a backyard garden than more professional farmers that have already solved this problem. And email doesn't cut it as an alert mechanism. You'd need to support both SMS and have nativ…

> And email doesn't cut it as an alert mechanism I wouldn't invest any time in any other alert medium before verifying this. I doubt it brings anything to the value proposition of the product (but I don't know either, so that would need to be verified)

Maybe add SMS option for paid/premium accounts?

Re: Ask HN: What's your latest failed side project and why?

#147

Post by jamestimmins »

NoOneNew wrote: post #129
jamestimmins wrote: post #120

I made https://www.hackersubscribe.com as a way to get email notifications when certain people post/comment on Hacker News. So I get an email with patio11, Patrick Collison, or Alan Kay posts. When I first made it, I submitted a Show HN thread, but got zero response.

Add in a list of interesting people you would recommend on the site. I never thought about actually paying attention to who posts on HN, only what's posted. It seems obvious now that you've mentioned it.

That's a good idea! I'll update it to include a few suggestions.

Re: Ask HN: What's your latest failed side project and why?

#149

Post by winrid »

jotto wrote: post #73

https://www.roast.io/ I launched it shortly after https://www.prerender.cloud , which server-side renders JavaScript SPAs, to make integration easier. Prerender.cloud kind of sells itself, but roast.io does not. I've wondered if it appears too complex.

Maybe try partnerships with paid but self hosted software, is that a thing?

Re: Ask HN: What's your latest failed side project and why?

#150

Post by muzani »

fierro wrote: post #144
muzani wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strong marketing plan is true, but not accurate. I think a lot of people's marketing plan is to show it on HN/Product Hunt/Indie Hackers/Reddit entrepreneur groups, which is a horrible marketing plan. I think the marketing plan is part of the project design - you should have it before you build it. Are you targeting remote workers? That should be part of the UI, the features, etc. Do you plan on marketing via social…

how can something be true but not accurate

"Incomplete" might be a better word.
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