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What's in name?... and a tag line.

1 points by ayusaf ↗ HN
Hi,

I'm about to embark on a new startup (which is a pivoted idea from a previous startup) called Smug Owl and I want to get the messaging and tone right of the couple of lines of copy that we put on the 'register your interest' page. This copy intentionally doesn't go into too much detail but it should give people coming to the site enough of an idea to register their interest.

Rather than tell you what the startup is I thought I would put the 2 options I have come up with for the mentioned copy.

I would love it if you could help me out by telling me: 1. What do you think my startup is, based on this copy? 2. Would you sign up? (why or why not?)

Any thoughts welcome. You can be constructively cruel if you like. Thanks in advance :)

Option 1: Smug Owl - Great, recommended audio for the urban commuter [smuhg oul]

- noun 1 . Busy commuter who conveniently enjoys audio recommendations hand picked by well informed guides.

Option 2: Smug Owl - Great, recommended audio for the urban commuter [smuhg oul]

- noun 1 . Busy commuter who conveniently enjoys periodical audio recommendations selected by knowledgable curators.

5 comments

[ 2.5 ms ] story [ 23.9 ms ] thread
bgraves
I'm assuming this like a definition style description -- took me a few minutes to figure that out in this post.

You need to be more concise, especially with a tag line.

  SmugOwl: Curated audio content for the busy urban commuter.
or

  SmugOwl: Music, podcast, and audiobook recommendations you're going to love!
ayusaf
Thanks for feedback. I just realised I should have posted this to Ask HN - oops, I'll do that today.

I see what you're saying. The content is only spoken word (no music) so perhaps that should be stated explicitly. I haven't been sure about using the word podcast because it is off putting for some people and it doesn't necessarily mean audio (podcasts can be video too).

Maybe I should do a quick on the ground survey to see what term I should use - podcast, audio programme, spoken word programmes....

bgraves
Use Google Trends (that's what I do when searching for the most popular terms)

http://goo.gl/SKdJC -- assuming your in the UK

ayusaf
Brilliant tip, thanks. I am based in the UK and am using it now.

BTW, we have also decided to change the name to Super Owl. Too many people associated a negative tone with the word 'smug' - we were trying to be cheeky but perhaps it was a bit too cheeky! :)