Advice Needed: Promoting a Project
So yesterday I launched my new project, Dead Advice. And I’m wondering how I should best promote this site.
I have a regular list of places I send new projects to, and have met with random success each time. I usually send a link in to BoingBoing, add it to MetaFilter Projects, and send it to local sites like Coudal and Gapers Block.
I’ve announced it on the one forum I frequent (Twelvestone), and also spammed the crap out of my friends on Facebook and Twitter. The usual stuff.
At this point, I feel like I’ve exhausted all the avenues that I am familiar with. I’m sure there are other sites I could submit to, or other places I could try to promote this project… but I’m drawing a blank. Any suggestions or advice?
Make a poster, put it up around town.
Alex (July 20, 2010 at 8:50 am)You could try writing blogs, journaling blogs, literary blogs… this is all shooting from the hip but… you could write to mortician blogs (http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=mortician+blogs&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) I do this daily for my biz, so I’m kinda used to finding blogs for totally random things :D Hope that helped somewhat.
TJ Mapes (July 20, 2010 at 10:27 am)I’m pretty fond of the poster idea, particularly if you make it appropriately gaudy.”Need advice??? DEADADVICE.COM Life lessons direct from the grave! Learn from the mistakes and successes of the dead. LOG ON NOW!!!”Then add those little tab strips at the bottom that just say http://deadadvice.com.
Chris (July 20, 2010 at 10:37 am)I’m not a great resource, but here’s my 2¢. If you want contributors rather than readers, I would go to where the writers go. Make a handbill and distribute it at local readings. Put flyers up in independent bookstores and coffee shops. Contact college departments (Creative Writing, English Lit, etc.). They all have departmental billboards. Solicit bloggers of a literary bent, directly. Organize and sponsor an event. Present at Pecha Kucha. The web route is important, but you’ll find more consumers than creators there; the standard promotional vehicles might draw more traffic than submissions.
Justin (July 20, 2010 at 10:37 am)Some vague ideas that come to mind revolve around a separate Twitter or Tumblr (or even Vimeo/YouTube) in the voice of the site, but with some kind of hook far beyond news updates. I hate to use the word “viral”, but I’m just imagining something that could pique interest and leverage communities well outside the site. Let me brainstorm on this some more…
Allison (July 20, 2010 at 10:42 am)These are some great suggestions. I’m not as keen on the flyer approach, as it seems a lot more limited in terms of range… but it does make some bit of sense, when factoring in Justin’s visitor vs. contributor angle.Thanks for the thoughts!
avoision (July 20, 2010 at 12:07 pm)I-am-bored.com gets a lot of traffic and you can submit your own stuff, although they may not necessarily link it, it may be worth a try.
Rachel W. (July 21, 2010 at 2:16 am)