Ask HN: What's the best way to get people interested in your beta?

6 points·travisglines··6 comments

We posted beta signups (to open soon) earlier today for exipe.com and found weaker response than we would have hoped.

This is the post: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2258877

What could we do better?

I just visited your site, but it isn't compelling to me. Please don't take this the wrong way - I'm not trying to be harsh:

1. It looks cheap - and I don't know how to explain that. 2. What's the story with the buildings? Is that the best image you can come up with? 3. The page is very sparse, but yet I have to scroll to see everything. 4. I don't understand the name. 5. What is the "best of local?" Exactly what are you bringing to me? 6. Why do I want to sign up? Tell me why! What am I going to get out of it? Be very specific, because right now, I don't have a clue. 7. Tease me a little. Make me WANT to sign up.

1. The design is just really bad.

2. The value proposition is not easy to understand ("Browse, share, vote and discuss in a community that brings the best of local to you"). It also makes me think this will be just yet another empty community site.

3. Since I'm not excited, why would I join the beta?

I would remove everything from that page except the screenshot (put it on top), and the beta form. That'll at least make it look intriguing.

Your logo is taking up a lot of space. I would just take it out, you don't need it. That would put the form on top so people see that first.

Looking at it, I have no idea what the product does.

Ditto. To me, it looks like hipster.

1. Prepare nice demo video if you can. 2. You need to post more detailed also post it on reddit , as well as relevant communities .

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