It is a great way to get data, which is why I mentioned "except for quick tests".
For actual growth, it's actually a pretty poor channel. A lot of time and energy will need to be spent optimizing ads, LP, CTA, etc. Time spent on funnel optimization can be better spent running tests elsewhere.
I have personally found it to be far easier to pop a few emails and reply over the course of the day. People who are genuinely interested about the product will link to it (take for example this fine lady: http://preppypaleo.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/paleo-banana-brea...). Those are the people we want to look for.
That way we can more effectively run tests and grow users more naturally, as opposed to having a HN-level spike and not have any follow up activity.
The current tests we're running/actively developing for are pro-accounts. So instead of spending time obsessing over ad quality, CTRs, optimizing landing pages, we can spend more time working on writing the software needed to test our assumptions.
I think it really depends on the kind of product and your target market. Certain types of ads might not be worth the time and effort due to various factors.
To provide a counterexample though, I'm working on a student planner (tabuleapp.com). Homework management is a surprisingly big pain point for students, and we've found that Facebook ads are an excellent way to reach our audience. Near the beginning of the semester, when the need for a new organizational tool is highest, we had a lot of success from our first ad with no time spent on optimizing it. I can't think of a better way to reach thousands of college students that's scalable and affordable for a startup.
Just gave your app a shot (design student here). Some feedback:
As a designer:
* I love the expanding bottom bar and it's a very creative use of that space, you might have in your hands the new "Path menu" phenomenon.
* Your Path menu, on the other hand, could use a little bit more design effort.
* Item details is too busy / roughly designed that it looks busy, would benefit from a second look.
* Your logo on the other hand and above all, is quite awful. You might want to hire a real logo designer or illustrator to get that working.
* "Location" looks like the header of the details box as you're visually connecting them.
As a student:
* I like the idea, and I can immediately see the use case,
* but the intent is unclear in having "duration". Deadlines don't, and it feels like you're trying to replicate google calendar. Removing that ability would make it more clear that it's essentially a deadline app.
* I have different kinds of assignments, so for example this does not work very well for assignments other than those on paper.
* I want to be able to take a photo of the assignment sheet (there is almost always one) and attach it to the deadline.
* Better yet, do OCR on the sheet and fill the deadline for me. That's tricky, but not impossible to get 90% right.
* New Due Date is unclear. I'm not adding due dates, I'm adding assignments.
* There is no point in having a global class name search for a single user.
* It's unclear if the global names listed here are attached to specific universities. If yes, you're not showing me the uni name or allow me to search for it, if not, what's the point?
Here you go. If you need more feedback, reach me from HN profile, happy to give more. I'll be using your app.
I absolutely agree. If your startup/project etc is the kind that falls into the long tail, you will stand to benefit from advertising a lot.
For Fork the Cookbook, we had at one point contemplated targeting "recipe management app" and related keywords. I did a quick estimation of effort (I work in online advertising as my day job), and decided that effort was better spent blogging and looking for bloggers.
It depends, but I'd say in the beginning you want to get qualitative and not quantitative data. Adds are good for quantitative data, but if you write mails and people respond, they will usually tell you stuff. Most only a bit, but some a lot.
1-to-1 communication is the best way to learn about your potential customers in the beginning. And once you need to learn about them quantitatively, it'll become easier to use adds, because you know the pain points but also the wording of your customers.
