What to do if you are a startup. BetaList, Indiegogo and more
If you once discovered that you are a startup, then sooner or later you will want global fame. Or at least wide popularity in narrow circles. What to do in such cases and what tools to use, and what not, we will begin to tell on the example of our own experience.
In our case, the main problem is the lack of a finished version of the product, which can be presented and explained. The problem is temporary, as the beta is in development and should open soon. But while it is not there, we decided to write about ourselves at betali.st - there the guys in the development stage just tusit.
Startapper! BetaList is not worth your attention. Explain.
After registering on the service, we were really hacked on social networks. Here are so many people:
')
As it turned out, most of these people did not even see our page. The fact is that users registering on BetaList agree that new social information about start-ups will automatically be added to their profiles on social networks. It looks like this in the profile settings:
By default, the Auto-Tweet feature is enabled for everyone.
According to analytics, practically none of these people visited our site.
The next thing any start-up does, if he does not want to look for an investor (and we don’t want, why - we'll tell you later), this is an attempt at crowdfunding.
It is believed that the best crowdfunding platform is Kickstarter. But not in our case. Two moments depressing in Kickstarter. First, if the goal is not achieved, then the money will not give you back. That is, if you wrote that you want to collect $ 10,000, and collected $ 9,999, then Kickstarter will not give them to you. Because you failed.
Well, the second point. Only companies or people registered in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand can crowdfand on Kickstarter. We did not have a partner in the United States, on whose shoulders one could dump registration on a resource. Our company is not registered at all yet - we just need money for registration.
So Kickstarter dropped.
In light of these circumstances, we chose IndieGoGo platform for crowdfunding. There are no territorial restrictions there. There are two types of campaigns - on a fixed system (like Kickstarter, you can’t pick up how much you said - they won’t give anything) and flexible (you’ll be given all the money you collected, no matter how many). If you reach the goal, in any case, the service will take 4% of the amount. If not, then in the case of a fixed system, you will not receive anything, and in a flexible service, it will take 9%.
Dear startups, if you go to the crowdfunding platform, do not read American articles about it. For in all articles it says: “First of all, bring information about the start of your campaign to your friends in social networks. They will give the first couple thousand dollars. "
Of course, we told all friends. In all social networks. We were praised, we were wished good luck, we were told that we are doing important and necessary work. Our friends liked and reposted the message that we need help. But no one gave us even a dollar.
The matter is not in the mentality, not in the distrust of Internet payments, or in our own insolvency - although the message was very clear and difficult to understand. And yet. On the very first day, we ourselves threw $ 11 into our account - just to not see a sad zero on our page. For today 15 days have passed, the page looks like this:
igg.me/at/psyproblems/x/5155164
The only dollar that came in was from StartUp Genesis, who distributed 284 startups for one dollar.
We disassemble existing crowdfunding instructions further. It says: "Write about the fact that your campaign has started, and send it to all specialized publications."
Have written. If interested - you can read here . Sent out. Post it on free blogs, IT and psychotherapeutic topics - we have no money. Would have - would not go on indigo.
No one answered. Conclusion: if there is no money, and there is no product yet, they are unlikely to write about you. Finish all personally.
Then we added ad-libs and sent out about prestigious specialized psychotherapeutic associations. The result somehow pleased me - in many associations they said that we are doing everything correctly, and as soon as we start, they will immediately start using us. But no one gave the money.
Then we decided that we should strain our campaign not only with ourselves, but also with someone who was already engaged in this. Found here this office crowdfundbuzz.com , promised for 80 bucks "to make noise about us."
Dear Startup! Do not give anyone your hard-earned 80 bucks without first finding out the effectiveness of this person / service. Preferably with his past clients. It is desirable personally.
A day after the payment, we received a letter saying that within 24 hours CrowdFundBuzz will start making noise about us in the American social environment, and within 48 hours - also in the specialized media.
After that, the company CrowdFundBuzz issued one tweet about us (successfully lost in the tape of this company) and one post on Facebook (also lost in the mountains of the kind). And sent for approval release.
Today, five days have passed since we were supposed to “make noise”. Around it is suspiciously quiet.
We are continuing to study the tools available to the hungry startup. In the next issue of the heading "What to do if you are a startup," we will talk about the budget creation of videos and animated videos.
In our case, the main problem is the lack of a finished version of the product, which can be presented and explained. The problem is temporary, as the beta is in development and should open soon. But while it is not there, we decided to write about ourselves at betali.st - there the guys in the development stage just tusit.
Startapper! BetaList is not worth your attention. Explain.
After registering on the service, we were really hacked on social networks. Here are so many people:
')
As it turned out, most of these people did not even see our page. The fact is that users registering on BetaList agree that new social information about start-ups will automatically be added to their profiles on social networks. It looks like this in the profile settings:
By default, the Auto-Tweet feature is enabled for everyone.
According to analytics, practically none of these people visited our site.
The next thing any start-up does, if he does not want to look for an investor (and we don’t want, why - we'll tell you later), this is an attempt at crowdfunding.
It is believed that the best crowdfunding platform is Kickstarter. But not in our case. Two moments depressing in Kickstarter. First, if the goal is not achieved, then the money will not give you back. That is, if you wrote that you want to collect $ 10,000, and collected $ 9,999, then Kickstarter will not give them to you. Because you failed.
Well, the second point. Only companies or people registered in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand can crowdfand on Kickstarter. We did not have a partner in the United States, on whose shoulders one could dump registration on a resource. Our company is not registered at all yet - we just need money for registration.
So Kickstarter dropped.
In light of these circumstances, we chose IndieGoGo platform for crowdfunding. There are no territorial restrictions there. There are two types of campaigns - on a fixed system (like Kickstarter, you can’t pick up how much you said - they won’t give anything) and flexible (you’ll be given all the money you collected, no matter how many). If you reach the goal, in any case, the service will take 4% of the amount. If not, then in the case of a fixed system, you will not receive anything, and in a flexible service, it will take 9%.
Dear startups, if you go to the crowdfunding platform, do not read American articles about it. For in all articles it says: “First of all, bring information about the start of your campaign to your friends in social networks. They will give the first couple thousand dollars. "
Of course, we told all friends. In all social networks. We were praised, we were wished good luck, we were told that we are doing important and necessary work. Our friends liked and reposted the message that we need help. But no one gave us even a dollar.
The matter is not in the mentality, not in the distrust of Internet payments, or in our own insolvency - although the message was very clear and difficult to understand. And yet. On the very first day, we ourselves threw $ 11 into our account - just to not see a sad zero on our page. For today 15 days have passed, the page looks like this:
igg.me/at/psyproblems/x/5155164
The only dollar that came in was from StartUp Genesis, who distributed 284 startups for one dollar.
We disassemble existing crowdfunding instructions further. It says: "Write about the fact that your campaign has started, and send it to all specialized publications."
Have written. If interested - you can read here . Sent out. Post it on free blogs, IT and psychotherapeutic topics - we have no money. Would have - would not go on indigo.
No one answered. Conclusion: if there is no money, and there is no product yet, they are unlikely to write about you. Finish all personally.
Then we added ad-libs and sent out about prestigious specialized psychotherapeutic associations. The result somehow pleased me - in many associations they said that we are doing everything correctly, and as soon as we start, they will immediately start using us. But no one gave the money.
Then we decided that we should strain our campaign not only with ourselves, but also with someone who was already engaged in this. Found here this office crowdfundbuzz.com , promised for 80 bucks "to make noise about us."
Dear Startup! Do not give anyone your hard-earned 80 bucks without first finding out the effectiveness of this person / service. Preferably with his past clients. It is desirable personally.
A day after the payment, we received a letter saying that within 24 hours CrowdFundBuzz will start making noise about us in the American social environment, and within 48 hours - also in the specialized media.
After that, the company CrowdFundBuzz issued one tweet about us (successfully lost in the tape of this company) and one post on Facebook (also lost in the mountains of the kind). And sent for approval release.
Today, five days have passed since we were supposed to “make noise”. Around it is suspiciously quiet.
We are continuing to study the tools available to the hungry startup. In the next issue of the heading "What to do if you are a startup," we will talk about the budget creation of videos and animated videos.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/201466/
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