Found in 5 comments on Hacker News
airstrike · 2024-02-22 · Original thread
happy to help! it's hard to have enough perspective on things we build ourselves, so I'm always happy to try to contribute with some user confusion feedback

> I've basically built a white-label general purpose app, and you can put your images/text/API URL in there and have your own custom app (with a feed, likes/favourite content, account settings, login in/log out/sign up) extremely quickly.

NOW I get it and I think that's great! it's like a CMS for apps, I guess. you can show that upfront. "Why waste time reinventing the wheel writing basic functionality when you can have your app up and running in one day with hyper fast?"

you want to make the description of your product as short and easy as possible. "when you confuse, you lose"

the challenge there is proving to me that the "framework" will allow me to continue building when it inevitably needs to, as is the case with any framework. so one of your product goals should be to allow people to stay within HyperFast to move fast without feeling they can't customize it enough. at some point, though, you become as complex as React Native because of all the customization. but I do love sane defaults. that's why I use vscode and not vim anymore—just gotta have those vim keybindings and I'm game ;-)

good luck! and if you'd like advice from a real authority on building a clearer message check out https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Clarify-Message-C...

or even better, go to Donald Miller's workshops ;-) they cost $995 (!!) but he was a guest speaker in something else I attended and I learned more from him in a couple hours than I learned in a 2-year MBA at Kellogg...

his website is https://storybrand.com/

paulcole · 2023-04-11 · Original thread
> But you better build great cars. If you don’t, you might be inclined to say “we couldn’t find product market fit”

I think this is close but not quite right. There are many "great" products that nobody wanted to buy. Sure building a great product gives you a chance to succeed, but building a product people want to buy is the real goal.

"Great" is also just too vague to be useful. Is a great car one that's cheaper than the rest? Better mileage? More dependable? More beautiful? More luxurious? Safer for kids to ride in? More fun to drive?

I've always liked the Donald Miller Storybrand framework for figuring out these kinds of puzzles:

https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Clarify-Message-C...

thewileyone · 2020-09-30 · Original thread
Since you're creating one product, you should focus on the branding of it. I found this book very helpful in getting my startup to focus:

https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Clarify-Message-C...

Also depends on your target client base. Are you targeting a large general market or a specific type of market? If it's specific, be ready to do one-on-one sales pitches and be wary of potential clients that may want you to pivot your product away from your strategic goals.

paulcole · 2019-02-19 · Original thread
This is where I got it from:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFJ2JGR

Overall worth taking a look at.

ericskiff · 2018-06-21 · Original thread
I often find that if I'm having trouble conveying a point in writing, it's because I don't understand the needs of my audience and the story arc of the information I'm conveying in the context of that audience.

You want to create an urgent need in the reader for whatever it is you're trying to convey. What problem are they facing? How can you position them as the hero that will solve that problem, and how will they use your product, information, or point of view to become the hero of their own story.

It seems that you're feeling that your points are being understood or acknowledged, despite the fact that you know you have important information to convey.

We all want to be heard and to be valuable contributors, and I'll share that I've personally found the best way to be heard is to listen. By framing the presentation of your information in terms of your audience's problems and needs, you allow them relax. You haven't just heard their point, you're addressing it.

Now you can use the shared momentum of their attention and needs to guide them towards the solution you're proposing.

When done well, you'll make people feel profoundly heard and that you are empowering them solve their own problems, using ideas or suggestions they might have otherwise rejected if presented as simple fact or advice.

If you'd like to learn more, I'd recommend two fantastic books on the topic:

https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0...

https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Clarify-Message-C...

Despite their titles (and apparent focus on marketing), these books are both about empathy, listening, and finding ways to convey information that resonate deeply with your listeners.

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