No one knows about your startup: 5 ways to fix that

You created a super cool startup.

You got a little seed money from your 3rd cousin twice removed.

Coming up with an idea for a startup is a great beginning.

Building a minimum viable product (MVP) is a wonderful next step.

After all, getting into the startup world can be very lucrative.Valuations and fundraisingare growing.

But only if you dont get users and customers, you wont bequitting your day jobanytime soon.

It’s free, every week, in your inbox.

Here are five genius ways to fix the problem of no one knowing about your startup.

Idea 1: Get some press

Im not talking about hiring an expensive PR firm.

But theres a trick to getting the most out of services like these.

Brad Smith, CEO ofCodelesswrites that, HARO sounds like a promising idea.

Until you realize each journalist gets instantly bombarded by dozens (hundreds?)

So dont hedge or bury the lead.

Lead with pattern interruption and back it up with substance (stats, examples, links, etc.)

in as fewest words possible.

So be part of that conversation.

Is there a subreddit that you could engage in?

What about social media?

Its not scalable but right now you need hustle not scale.

And dont forget about podcasts.

You might not be listening to podcasts, butyour ideal customers likely are.

Your future customers are consuming their content, watching their stories, and buying their advice.

Most of the time, this is a pay to play field.

Savvy businesses are demanding movement on the bottom line from the influencers they work with.

You cant argue that Facebook Ads arentvaluable for driving awareness of new brands.

But that doesnt mean its not still very effective.

Her web traffic and Instagram account surged much more than I would have initially thought.

But, this goes beyond just magazines.

Radio, TV, magazines, and even billboards, are great ways to reach your ideal customers.

The estimated cost per 1,000 impressions (CPM) was under $1.

To track success, we tested a billboard design that had a high ROI on Facebook ads.

Typically its best to start with what you know already works.

These are just five ideas for making sure people know about your startup.

Try them out and see what works for you or, come up with your own.

Dont be afraid to get creative.