Ask HN: How to shed my apprehensions about self-promoting my startup?

[anonfounder747]

I'm sometimes on an online forum when someone asks for a product recommendation. My (bootstrapped solo founder) product can solve their problem, but instead of plugging my product, I hesitate and do nothing about it. I pondered why I do this and came up with several reasons: 1. There are so many people liking an answer with a competitor's product on that thread, that I feel insignificant. 2. I think people will view me promoting my own product as inferior compared to others being recommended there. 3. My product has a fraction of the features of other products being recommended.

Could you give me a mental model or framing, different from the one I have, so I can think differently about self promotion on online forums? I would really like to put myself out there but my internal objections inhibit any action on my part.

[muzani]

Someone is suffering because of a problem. You are there to remove that suffering.

Competition shouldn't matter. CRMs are a saturated market. Instead of making yet another CRM, someone could learn to use Excel better or find an existing one that works better. But there's always someone out there who can't figure out how to share her Excel. She can't get Google Sheets to do what she wants it to do. And she's out there hacking her mailchimp to connect into google sheets, or pull calendar and customer info from some other tables. She has tried using one of the millions of CRMs out there but she doesn't understand the interface. There's some douchebag from the CRM company who emails asking her if she can take a call Tuesday or Thursday. That guy could explain it to her, but she doesn't want to deal with that call.

When selling, your responsibility isn't to make sure they buy the product. Your responsibility is to make sure that those who have the problem are aware of your product, and understands how it can help them. They're free to shop around for other solutions.

But it's irresponsible to not get your solution out there. If they understand and decide that this product isn't for them, then you've done your part.

[anonfounder747]

Wonderful insight that I will print and keep at hand. This is SO helpful.

[PaulHoule]

I would advise you to spend some time watching infomercials like the guy who invented an expanding hose or the my pillow guy.

All of these people have a story for themselves like the origin story of a superhero. All of these people can talk your ear off about how much suffering they experienced from the inferior products of their competitors and can point to 10 or 20 attributes their project has that are superior to competitors.

If you don't feel that strongly about the product you ought to ask yourself if you want to go forward.

[anonfounder747]

I've been meaning to watch the my pillow guy. Will do today. Thanks for the tips.

[yuan43]

> Could you give me a mental model or framing, different from the one I have, so I can think differently about self promotion on online forums? I would really like to put myself out there but my internal objections inhibit any action on my part.

One framing might be that you'd actually be helping people. You note that your product "can solve their problem." They're the ones on the forum talking about the problem, and you have a solution. You've worked hard to develop the solution and make sure it will do the job at a fair price. A person looking for a solution to that problem would not only be happy to hear about it but to give you money for it.

[anonfounder747]

Think about the person asking for help rather than people replying with a product recommendation -- I like this framing. Thanks!

[themodelplumber]

It may help to take a look at Marcia Yudkin's works on marketing to/for introverts.

https://www.yudkin.com/index.htm

Replace "introvert" with "deep person / product" if that's a more comfortable model.

Self-promotion is a really important area of consideration here and our shouty marketing culture is really kind of unipolar about it until you know what to look for. Good luck.

[anonfounder747]

Very useful stuff, thank you so much.