Ask HN: Should I pretend that my startup is already successful?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2829242
by whitelies • 15 years ago
2 3 15 years ago

For SEO reasons (after reading patio11's greatest hits), I'm starting a blog in parallel to developing my webapp.

Now, I realize that I could write posts in two different tones: admit that I'm at the very early stages of this product and that I don't have users yet, or I could talk like I already have several users and I'm talking about some topic because someone mailed me about it, and I felt like clearing things up.

Even features could be presented in this way: "Several folks have asked me to implement X, so I finally did it this weekend. Tell me what you guys think about it."

The first is the one I'm naturally inclined, but by judging by some unanswered emails I've sent, being sincere this way makes you look like you're begging for them, and no one likes that (aka a loser).

The second one would be a "white lie" which would make customers feel safer and confident about the webapp. This might also make them less forgiving to any errors I make in the early days.

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