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PR for Startups
- skmurphy 17y agoAre there implications for Ycombinator's approach to incubating startups? Tony's current perspective seems to have shifted considerably from when he graduated from the program: "I think there’s a lot of built-in contempt for PR and marketing among entrepreneurs (especially hacker-flavored entrepreneurs). We’ve all been in companies with fat communications budgets wasted by blow-hard marketeers, so many of us have dismissed the profession altogether. We’re so entranced by the concept that just building something people want[1] will win the day. I remember cheering the first time I read the quote, "marketing is a tax you pay for being unremarkable[2]". I remember reading a statement on Hacker News that said, "my code speaks for itself[3]". Two years ago, I would’ve said, "Right on, brother! Preach it!" But my mindset has shifted about 180 degrees over the past few years. I now believe that how you say something is at least as important as what you’ve built." [1] http://www.paulgraham.com/start.html http://www.paulgraham.com/start.html [2] http://www.slideshare.net/Thor/geek-squad-marketing-is-a-tax-you-pay-for-being-unremarkabe http://www.slideshare.net/Thor/geek-squad-marketing-is-a-tax... [3] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=474313 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=474313