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« How I got into YC as a non-technical single founder | Main | Program above and beyond your actual ability by using FreeMind »

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Good info.

Some things that get noticed in my inbox:

1. You demonstrate you know what I care about and demonstrate you read my tweets, my blogs, and other things I write (I've done 500 answers on Quora, for instance). In other words, if you send me world-changing technology (YC companies almost always apply since they are prefiltered) then you probably will get noticed.
2. You give me a shot at going out with the first group of news. Nothing turns us off more than an email that says "hey, check out the cool writeup I just got on Techcrunch." Um, why would I write about you if you already gave everything to someone else?
3. You understand what I do and why I'm different than Techcrunch. I try the tech I write about and I COME TO YOUR OFFICE AND VIDEO YOU. Techcrunch rarely does that. So, I need more time than a Techcrunch writer needs (they only need about 20 minutes to rewrite what you tell them in Skype, I need at least a few days, and like a couple of weeks to shoot you, try out your technology, and edit that all together into a video.
4. You think about the visuals and the headline that you'd like to get. People who send screen shots tend to get paid attention to more than someone who just pitches me in text. Yes, this runs the risk of leaking, but is that really that bad anyway? And, if someone leaks, you will certainly let all the other YC companies know, right? So, I don't do it. I'm in this for the long run, not to make a quick shot at Techmeme (which I probably won't get on anyway unless your name is Steve Jobs).
5. Have a great story. I like stories about how you are gonna change the world. Do you have one? Is it tweetable? If not, you need to get a tweetable story. Make one up, if you have to. eBay did. They built a service for people who liked Pez dispensers and wanted to sell/trade them with others. Or so you were told.

Anyway, I'm at [email protected] and at +1-425-205-1921 so you can always just call or email.

Aweomse job on the list. There were a lot of ideas in here I had never thought of but they all make perfect sense. I love the idea of geo targeting tweets (from the doctor) for people in your area talking about your topic. Interacting with them can be a really cool experience for people, especially if you can offer them something out of it. And I'm glad you emphasized building relationships with the influential bloggers you want to be involved with. Getting someone like that on your side can create a huge opportunity to be exposed to a market segment you may not have otherwise been able to reach. Just remember, that all of these things can work negatively for you if you aren't careful. Thanks for the great post.

Wow, this is a great post. I will try doing this thing and hopefully I can manage to follow every step.

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