Ask HN: Lifehacker mentioned my app & traffic boosted. How to keep momentum?
13 comments
1. contact a Lifehacker writer and offer to: do an interview and give them some 'promo' codes as a 'thank you' for their readers taking a look at your app
2. write a blog post introducing the app, thanking all the new users and lifehacker.
3. spend some money on advertising (facebook/google/maybe even on lifehacker) for two weeks.
4. update something in the app and release a 1.x version update for free. then start working on v2 with the goal of shipping as soon as possible. keep your blog updated on a weekly basis with a simple 'status' of how the new version is coming along, with teasers about new features or speed or whatever.
2. write a blog post introducing the app, thanking all the new users and lifehacker.
3. spend some money on advertising (facebook/google/maybe even on lifehacker) for two weeks.
4. update something in the app and release a 1.x version update for free. then start working on v2 with the goal of shipping as soon as possible. keep your blog updated on a weekly basis with a simple 'status' of how the new version is coming along, with teasers about new features or speed or whatever.
Thanks! I think this is a really great step-by-step script that works perfectly for someone really new to this, like I am.
Can't say how much I appreciate you spending your time to give me (a complete stranger) such great feedback!
Can't say how much I appreciate you spending your time to give me (a complete stranger) such great feedback!
Congrats!
This app has tons of PR potential, but you have to do the work. The lifehacker piece is a nice bit of social proof that you can use when contacting folks. I'd email a few dozen productivity blogs/bloggers with the new years resolution angle ("How to give your new years resolution some teeth!").
Building an app is step one. Step 2-10 is figuring out how to acquire users. Try spending literally 40 hours a week trying things on this front. Facebook ads? 2 sided referral program? Linkbait on your blog? PR hustle? Find lifehacker-y folks on Twitter and give them discount codes for their followers? Viral loops (could you get users Facebook friends to sign up?)?
Don't touch the code for 1-2 weeks and see what you can pull off! :-)
This app has tons of PR potential, but you have to do the work. The lifehacker piece is a nice bit of social proof that you can use when contacting folks. I'd email a few dozen productivity blogs/bloggers with the new years resolution angle ("How to give your new years resolution some teeth!").
Building an app is step one. Step 2-10 is figuring out how to acquire users. Try spending literally 40 hours a week trying things on this front. Facebook ads? 2 sided referral program? Linkbait on your blog? PR hustle? Find lifehacker-y folks on Twitter and give them discount codes for their followers? Viral loops (could you get users Facebook friends to sign up?)?
Don't touch the code for 1-2 weeks and see what you can pull off! :-)
Thank you for your feedback!
I must confess that I'm a (unhappy) lawyer by profession and decided to change paths this year (when I turned 37, so I'm probably one of the oldest guys around here ;)
Being so, the technical part of things, which is what I've just learned and am experimenting with, is where I focused. No marketing, SEO, social media, etc. I was just enjoying learning to code with a project that interested me. I don't even have a blog setup for Aherk!
I loved your ideas, especially the cold-emailing productivity blogs/bloggers, and I think this is one of the things that I'll focus on over the next few days.
Once again, thanks a lot!
I must confess that I'm a (unhappy) lawyer by profession and decided to change paths this year (when I turned 37, so I'm probably one of the oldest guys around here ;)
Being so, the technical part of things, which is what I've just learned and am experimenting with, is where I focused. No marketing, SEO, social media, etc. I was just enjoying learning to code with a project that interested me. I don't even have a blog setup for Aherk!
I loved your ideas, especially the cold-emailing productivity blogs/bloggers, and I think this is one of the things that I'll focus on over the next few days.
Once again, thanks a lot!
> I turned 37, so I'm probably one of the oldest guys around here
Nope! You're not... Keep pushing hard :)
Nope! You're not... Keep pushing hard :)
I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to respond to all these thoughtful comments in a timely fashion. I feel like a bad mannered host that leaves the party while the guests are arriving to celebrate his birthday.
Just so that you all know what's going on (and without trying to justify my bad behavior, which is in itself unjustifiable), I'm a divorced dad from Brazil, and all this happened while I'm in the middle of a road trip alone with my 6 year old son. This is the only time of the year when we can spend a few days together, and I can't (and wouldn't) abandon it. Furthermore, infrastructure here is not 100% and wireless/3g internet access is not ubiquitous to say the least.
Anyway, please know that I'm attentively and thankfully listening. This community always surprised me and today you really made me feel welcomed here.
Just so that you all know what's going on (and without trying to justify my bad behavior, which is in itself unjustifiable), I'm a divorced dad from Brazil, and all this happened while I'm in the middle of a road trip alone with my 6 year old son. This is the only time of the year when we can spend a few days together, and I can't (and wouldn't) abandon it. Furthermore, infrastructure here is not 100% and wireless/3g internet access is not ubiquitous to say the least.
Anyway, please know that I'm attentively and thankfully listening. This community always surprised me and today you really made me feel welcomed here.
I guess you aren't looking for app critique but my thought is that most web users see "Facebook" and "compromising photo" as part of the app requirements and no matter what your privacy policy or mechanisms you have, most average users will not go for this
I disagree. This is the thing that gives this app "teeth". It makes it controversial and keeps it in people's thoughts after they've read the blurb on lifehacker. It's interesting enough to make someone mention it at the pub during a "new years resolutions" conversation etc etc etc. Maybe it doesn't appeal to everyone and would put alot of people off, but at the same time that exact thing is what makes it interesting.
Exactly how I feel! Glad to see there are some mad people like me ;o)
Thank you very much for your input. And I'm always looking for app feedback! :) I think you point out a real obstacle to wider user adoption, but I believe in the concept (and I think it needs some 'lack of privacy' for it to work).
Furthermore, I reckon we sell fun, rather than productivity.
Furthermore, I reckon we sell fun, rather than productivity.
This is something I would personally use but won't simply because there's no way to stop it. It seems like a bad idea to just add a 'cancel' button but I'm not willing enough to post a goal without a lot of detail about the process, how the votes determine if a photo gets posted to Facebook or not, etc. Let's say I made a goal to exercise 3 times a week for the next 3 months and then broke my leg a week in. Boom, picture released. I also wonder how many people would vote that you didn't complete a goal when knowing they would be rewarded with a compromising picture (if familiar with the app). A picture needs to be bad enough to motivate. I don't have a solution for you unfortunately, but hopefully this helps you see the thought process of a potential user who won't try it and help you from another perspective.
Congratulations! That's a huge achievement!
One nice way to keep the momentum going is to provide ways to encourage users to tell others about your product. I don't mean just a "Share" button either.
Right now, you have a form of "virality" if a user does not fulfill his/her goals. But presumably, if users use your app well, they'll never have their embarrassing photo shared, and thus, the success of your app prevents your app from being shared. So are there ways to encourage users to want to promote your app?
For example:
I'm going to take a step back and think about what Aherk is really doing. Aherk is a useful tool using negative reinforcement to encourage goal achievement.
Ah, goal achievement. Is that something an individual would share with others? Perhaps. Some people like to brag about the goals they've achieved. Perhaps you can give users awards or badges for goals they've successfully done, then allow those awards to be shared on Facebook, Twitter, their blogs, etc. Ego gratification can be a good motivator too (albeit in a positive reinforcement kind of way, which is ironically diametric to your current system).
Also, what if a happy user of yours knows a friend who could use Aherk as well? Instead of just emailing your URL to the friend, what if there was a way to post Aherk to that friend's Facebook page or something? This could be accompanied by a playful taunt that the user could type in, such as, "I'll bet you're too chicken to Aherk yourself if you don't finish your paper by next week!" (This feature could potentially be abused, so if you consider this one, think it through some more.)
Hope this helps. Good luck!
One nice way to keep the momentum going is to provide ways to encourage users to tell others about your product. I don't mean just a "Share" button either.
Right now, you have a form of "virality" if a user does not fulfill his/her goals. But presumably, if users use your app well, they'll never have their embarrassing photo shared, and thus, the success of your app prevents your app from being shared. So are there ways to encourage users to want to promote your app?
For example:
I'm going to take a step back and think about what Aherk is really doing. Aherk is a useful tool using negative reinforcement to encourage goal achievement.
Ah, goal achievement. Is that something an individual would share with others? Perhaps. Some people like to brag about the goals they've achieved. Perhaps you can give users awards or badges for goals they've successfully done, then allow those awards to be shared on Facebook, Twitter, their blogs, etc. Ego gratification can be a good motivator too (albeit in a positive reinforcement kind of way, which is ironically diametric to your current system).
Also, what if a happy user of yours knows a friend who could use Aherk as well? Instead of just emailing your URL to the friend, what if there was a way to post Aherk to that friend's Facebook page or something? This could be accompanied by a playful taunt that the user could type in, such as, "I'll bet you're too chicken to Aherk yourself if you don't finish your paper by next week!" (This feature could potentially be abused, so if you consider this one, think it through some more.)
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Thanks so much for your input! A lot of your ideas are close to either things that are planned for the future or ideas that I have discussed with friends.
Badges, for instance, are something that I'm definitely going to implement. And although I think goal-achievement is important, it appears to me that it shouldn't be the only "metric".
For instance, I thought that it would be nice to let a user's friend verify if the picture posted is really compromising, and if it is, award a badge to the user.
Another feature that is definitely coming and that I think will improve "virality" (and that is also similar to something you mentioned) is the ability to set goals (and "bombs") for your friends. Of course they would depend on the friend's approval, but it would be a way to spread the word.
Oh, and honestly I don't think that failed goals are bad marketing. As I see it (and said earlier), I think that fun is our product, not productivity.
Badges, for instance, are something that I'm definitely going to implement. And although I think goal-achievement is important, it appears to me that it shouldn't be the only "metric".
For instance, I thought that it would be nice to let a user's friend verify if the picture posted is really compromising, and if it is, award a badge to the user.
Another feature that is definitely coming and that I think will improve "virality" (and that is also similar to something you mentioned) is the ability to set goals (and "bombs") for your friends. Of course they would depend on the friend's approval, but it would be a way to spread the word.
Oh, and honestly I don't think that failed goals are bad marketing. As I see it (and said earlier), I think that fun is our product, not productivity.
You should break your problem into pieces, the more your understand your problems, the easiest it will be to improve:
Here 3 subproblems to begin with:
1. How to bring new visitors to your service
2. How to convert new visitors into subscriptions
3. How to retain the users
With no traffic sources, even if you convert all the incoming visitors, you will still have 0 subscriptions. It is not your case, you have the some visitors and a PR momentum so you should have enough visitors to tracks your performance on subproblems 2 and 3. Your product has a viral mechanism. That means that all your active users will expose their facebook friends (throught the vote) to your app. So you should be able to get some organic growth. (that means you shouldn't waste time on traffic acquisition)
Thus 3 success factors: - convert your new visitors into active users
- push your users to promote their "goals" to their friends
- make it easy and appealling for the friends to become user
To be sure you are working on the most important task, use google analytics and track the bottle neck. Even if most of the suggestions you've got there are good marketing tactics, if you are alone, focus on only a few tasks so you can execute them well.
Good luck !
Here 3 subproblems to begin with:
1. How to bring new visitors to your service
2. How to convert new visitors into subscriptions
3. How to retain the users
With no traffic sources, even if you convert all the incoming visitors, you will still have 0 subscriptions. It is not your case, you have the some visitors and a PR momentum so you should have enough visitors to tracks your performance on subproblems 2 and 3. Your product has a viral mechanism. That means that all your active users will expose their facebook friends (throught the vote) to your app. So you should be able to get some organic growth. (that means you shouldn't waste time on traffic acquisition)
Thus 3 success factors: - convert your new visitors into active users
- push your users to promote their "goals" to their friends
- make it easy and appealling for the friends to become user
To be sure you are working on the most important task, use google analytics and track the bottle neck. Even if most of the suggestions you've got there are good marketing tactics, if you are alone, focus on only a few tasks so you can execute them well.
Good luck !
Wow! You really managed to help me see my problem much clearer!
I'll definitely spend some time trying to come out with mechanisms to achieve these 3 goals.
I think I can actually focus on the last two, since you need to register to vote (that's how we keep track of who already voted).
Thank you very much! I cannot even begin to tell you how much this "methodical" approach helped me to see my problems clearer!
I'll definitely spend some time trying to come out with mechanisms to achieve these 3 goals.
I think I can actually focus on the last two, since you need to register to vote (that's how we keep track of who already voted).
Thank you very much! I cannot even begin to tell you how much this "methodical" approach helped me to see my problems clearer!
If you are getting a flood of traffic, anything you can do to establish a connection with people is vital. Keep in mind there may be some people who aren't willing to sign up for the service today, but might be willing to subscribe to your blog, sign up for a contest, etc.
Also your site is something that people may be willing to share with their friends more than they are willing to sign up for it themselves. You might consider making the social media buttons a bit more prominent. I might not be willing to login with Facebook, but may be willing to click "share this on Twitter" because my friends will think it is funny. (Obviously you should test this. My assumption may be wrong and the social buttons hurt things.)
You might also consider adding a bit of social proof to the site. A testimonial of a user or something like that. My first reaction is "I don't know if I'm comfortable adding their facebook application." A headshot and "wow this is wonderful" from a user might lessen that feeling.
By the way, you said you got a subscriber. Is this a paid service or are you referring to people to add your facebook application?
Also your site is something that people may be willing to share with their friends more than they are willing to sign up for it themselves. You might consider making the social media buttons a bit more prominent. I might not be willing to login with Facebook, but may be willing to click "share this on Twitter" because my friends will think it is funny. (Obviously you should test this. My assumption may be wrong and the social buttons hurt things.)
You might also consider adding a bit of social proof to the site. A testimonial of a user or something like that. My first reaction is "I don't know if I'm comfortable adding their facebook application." A headshot and "wow this is wonderful" from a user might lessen that feeling.
By the way, you said you got a subscriber. Is this a paid service or are you referring to people to add your facebook application?
Call me hopeless newbie, but I really haven't thought about people who may not sign up right on their first visit, but may do so later - and a way to "track" them.
I think the social buttons you've mentioned are good for this too - if people tweet/share and get feedback, they may be more likely to come back to the site.
I'm not happy with Addthis, the social solution I'm using. I chose them for analytics, but I'm starting to feel that sticking with the default buttons might generate more engagement.
I really have to put more thought & effort on social. Thanks for reminding me of that!
I think the social buttons you've mentioned are good for this too - if people tweet/share and get feedback, they may be more likely to come back to the site.
I'm not happy with Addthis, the social solution I'm using. I chose them for analytics, but I'm starting to feel that sticking with the default buttons might generate more engagement.
I really have to put more thought & effort on social. Thanks for reminding me of that!
Some other suggestions:
1. Add your logo to your Twitter account and get some additional content up there. People aren't going to follow you if you haven't posted anything.
2. Create a G+ page as well.
3. If people are tweeting about your app, you might want to have a running list of those tweets on the front page of your site.
4. Fix the app. I'm getting a "sorry but something went wrong" when I try it.
1. Add your logo to your Twitter account and get some additional content up there. People aren't going to follow you if you haven't posted anything.
2. Create a G+ page as well.
3. If people are tweeting about your app, you might want to have a running list of those tweets on the front page of your site.
4. Fix the app. I'm getting a "sorry but something went wrong" when I try it.
About points 1 to 3, I think e acknowledged above with enough emphasis my complete lack of social wisdom so far... :(
Regarding 4, just as the app said automatically, I'm also sorry that something went wrong... ;) Can you tell me where, on the flow of the app, you experienced this? I'm on Heroku using their free tier for now, so maybe you just experienced a lack of server resources... =O
Regarding 4, just as the app said automatically, I'm also sorry that something went wrong... ;) Can you tell me where, on the flow of the app, you experienced this? I'm on Heroku using their free tier for now, so maybe you just experienced a lack of server resources... =O
Oh, about the "subscriber" I was just referring to an HN member that added the Facebook app. Sorry, I'm a native Portuguese speaker and my English is not very good... :S
Lifehacker featured my app a few years ago too. The wave lasted for a few weeks and then petered out as you might expect.
My best advice is to start worrying about user retention in a hurry. 99% of people who come to your site from Lifehacker aren't going to keep using your app, but that's okay. If your scenario is anything like mine was, you'll have a steady (albeit much smaller) stream of traffic to your site from now on.
- Is your signup process as frictionless as possible?
- Are you collecting email addresses (for a newsletter or followup emails– Twitter does a great job of this with their "We notice you haven't posted anything lately" emails)?
- You now have some users. Get in touch with them and find out how it falls short!
Specifically, I have a lot of goals I'd like to achieve, but I don't have any compromising pictures of myself. I also don't like the idea of apps posting on Facebook on my behalf.
Congratulations and good luck!
My best advice is to start worrying about user retention in a hurry. 99% of people who come to your site from Lifehacker aren't going to keep using your app, but that's okay. If your scenario is anything like mine was, you'll have a steady (albeit much smaller) stream of traffic to your site from now on.
- Is your signup process as frictionless as possible?
- Are you collecting email addresses (for a newsletter or followup emails– Twitter does a great job of this with their "We notice you haven't posted anything lately" emails)?
- You now have some users. Get in touch with them and find out how it falls short!
Specifically, I have a lot of goals I'd like to achieve, but I don't have any compromising pictures of myself. I also don't like the idea of apps posting on Facebook on my behalf.
Congratulations and good luck!
I cant thank you enough! It's great to talk to someone who had the same experience. Now The Next Web has also done a piece on us too and things are moving.
You point to something that sounds obvious, but truth is I have barely interacted with my users so far. Need to start doing this in a hurry.
I think I also need to improve my sign up process, making it happen on a pop up window through Facebook JS SDK.
You point to something that sounds obvious, but truth is I have barely interacted with my users so far. Need to start doing this in a hurry.
I think I also need to improve my sign up process, making it happen on a pop up window through Facebook JS SDK.
Are you looking to turn this into a viable business? It's great you're featured in LifeHacker but I don't see how this app can provide thicker value, alone as it is.. I think just attaining more users won't help you find a business model, so you should perhaps broaden the scope... as it is, it sounds like a cool feature. So my contrarian advice is to focus on making this of thicker value, rather than just leave it alone as it is
Thank you very much for taking the time to provide me with your insights!
With all honesty, I don't have a business model. Aherk! was the project I used to learn how to program, and I think it did more than well!
Of course it would be fantastic if I could make money out of it, though...
Hey... you may have just given me the idea of a business model... Being a cool feature... for someone else?!
I know an exit strategy is not a promising game nor the sexiest choice... But this started just as a game, so..
With all honesty, I don't have a business model. Aherk! was the project I used to learn how to program, and I think it did more than well!
Of course it would be fantastic if I could make money out of it, though...
Hey... you may have just given me the idea of a business model... Being a cool feature... for someone else?!
I know an exit strategy is not a promising game nor the sexiest choice... But this started just as a game, so..
Turn on re-marketing as quickly as possible. You don't have to start paying for it right now but at least setup the tags so you can start cookie-ing new visitors - you can do this with Google Adwords. Feel free to contact me if you need help setting this up.
Press is the best way to leverage re-marketing.
Press is the best way to leverage re-marketing.
Great idea on re-marketing, it is really cost effective - downright cheap to do. If you are not sure what is is - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_retargeting but basically a banner follows a user that has come to your site for 30/60/90 days and keeps your brand in their focus.
A better (cheaper) solution is http://adroll.com, I use them for my corporate site at http://www.webheat.com and they are pretty cheap and easy to setup.
The only thing you need before you sign up is a banner, any banner - even if it gets rejected you can still have the tracking pixel on your site and then target your users.
A better (cheaper) solution is http://adroll.com, I use them for my corporate site at http://www.webheat.com and they are pretty cheap and easy to setup.
The only thing you need before you sign up is a banner, any banner - even if it gets rejected you can still have the tracking pixel on your site and then target your users.
Thanks! I'll try to figure out what this re-marketing thing is and check out the tools you've mentioned!
Thank you very much for such a kind offer! I'll definitely get back to you after I find out what re-marketing is... :-S
Hey I guess I'll be the first to say make sure your doing enough for the traffic that you already have. Make sure your nailing your conversion rates, and try and get a reasonable level of virality happening i.e. Users inviting other users. Give them a bounty (maybe?).
Thanks! I'm trying to give a boost to my quasi non-existent social efforts and I think this is helping! :) I have to let go of my wallet too and pay for some extra server power. I have to admit the site is too slow...
1. Demand creation-
On your front page it would be cool to see "Jane D. lost 10 lbs by using our service", etc.
2. Get social! Tweet with people. Engage. Tweet examples, etc.
2. Get social! Tweet with people. Engage. Tweet examples, etc.
Thank you very much! I really think your first idea is amazing, and the homepage is presently too static and oh-so-boring...
energytonic(1)
This was my first web project ever, and while I was proud about what I have achieved (launching a product), I was also disappointed with the lack of response.
Now, on Christmas Eve, I started getting a lot of new subscriptions after a period of relative inactivity. Through Google Analytics I saw the traffic came from Lifehacker. You can see the piece here: http://lifehacker.com/5870288/top-10-under+hyped-web-apps-2011-edition
My app is number 9 - Aherk!, and you can access it @ http://aherk.com. It's pretty simple and unpretentious.
Now, although I'm enjoying my 15 minutes of fame, glory & unspeakable success, I'm wondering what steps I should take to keep things moving. How can I not waste this precious opportunity?
Any input is more than welcome! Thanks a lot.