[welanes]

1. I scoured the reviews of similar apps and listed the main feature requests that were being stonewalled and implemented them.

2. I then set up keyword alerts for Reddit and Twitter and when somebody mentioned [similar app] I popped in and suggested they try Lanes which, btw, has feature [similar app] has not implemented.

3. I got lucky^. Photos of Lanes began appearing on Tumblr blogs (the #studyblr community) and readers began asking 'what's that website on your laptop'. Queue, lotsa signups.

4. The next 100: I listened to the first 100, intently.

^Of course that stroke of luck would never had transpired had step 1 not helped me figure out how to add value.

The app is https://lanes.io

[codingdave]

As a side note to #2, I tend to monitor reddit for people who do that in response to my stuff...I watch discussions on reddit, and when people pop on just to pimp their own competitive products, I remind them via links to reddiquette that such behavior is not appropriate. Reddit is a funny place in that they'll stick with their own, and wait for you to implement a feature vs. jump to someone they think is on reddit solely to market their own product.

Of course, I've also found reddit traffic to be fairly worthless. They show up. They don't buy.

[welanes]

Yes, I should have stipulated you're not simply chasing every mention of a competitor and shouting 'me too'. That's lame, and - as you mention - mostly worthless.

Rather you're keeping an eye on the convo so that should somebody's point of frustration intersect with your solution you can let them know and see if they agree.

[RexM]

The product looks cool. Seeing as it's a free service, how do you make money?

Edit: nevermind, now I see the option to upgrade to lanes plus

[kbrownlees]

FYI: your website is broken on my android phone, it is too wide and doesn't allow me to scroll.

[redxblood]

How did you set up the reddit alerts?

[welanes]

Using https://mention.com.

[wjh_]

Lanes looks really neat! I'll be giving it a go, it does a lot of what I want.

[Siecje]

How do you make money or hope to make money?

[welanes]

> hope to make money

Definitely this one. The app is free out of the box but there's extra features for those who want them - productivity insights, Pocket-like features etc.