MegaMaker - An easy choice

In business, you want people who are searching for a particular product/service/solution to find you.

But what people are really seeking is the best version of that thing.

If there's another business down the street that's better than yours, people will pick the better option.

Carl Newport describes this dynamic (referencing Sherwin Rosen's "Superstar Effect"):

"Why would I ever listen to the second-best podcast on a topic if, for the exact same effort, I can get the best? Why would a buy a record from a band that 'sounds like the Beatles' if I can get the Beatles for the same price?"

Anything you build has to compete for attention with the other available options.

If someone can just as easily buy a similar product from a more trusted brand for the same price, why would they choose you?

To compete with established brands, you’ll need to figure out how to differentiate yourself in meaningful ways.

Think about:

What do customers care about? (product quality, service, story, community, values, features)
Which of these items can you deliver at a high level?

For example, Tony Dinh built a screenshot tool called Xnapper.

There were already existing options, so Xnapper had to be better in a few areas that customers cared about.

So Xnapper focused on generating "beautiful 'twitter-ready' screenshots without using Photoshop."

He nailed the execution. It's super easy to create screenshots for your website, or social media. Each image looks like it came from a professional designer. I use it 3-5x a day.

How to make your product the better choice

"How can I make my product/service the more attractive choice?"

The answer will depend on what certain customers value.

The key is to combine multiple attributes (that certain customers care about):

Pricing: "Start unlimited podcasts for $19/month."
Customer Service: "We provide the very best customer service, customer experience, and company culture."
Features: "Auto-post your podcast to YouTube."
Your story: "Did you hear about Jack and Paul? They bootstrapped an analytics company and compete with Google."
Your values: "We're standing up to big tech."
Packaging: "Ugmonk products make such great gifts because of the packaging."
Reputation: "I've heard Cloudflare is the best way to speed up your website."
Distribution: "I chose this product because it was the first result in my Google search."
Product quality: "Stephen Kenn's furniture is an example of quality craftmanship."

Remember, this isn't just about delivering "more practical value;" it can also include emotional properties that people desire.

For example:

"This is the brand my friends use."
"I resonate with the founders' story."
"This company aligns with my values."
"This is the brand that people like me use"

"People are seeking the version of that thing that delivers the value they need; one business might be "the best" in some areas but fall on its face for the person's specific needs. So they'll fill that need elsewhere." – Kevin B.

You can view this article online.

As always, let me know what you think! (I'd love to make this better)

Cheers,
Justin Jackson

🐘 Find me on Mastodon

View article

Suite 1, 3000-30th Street, Vernon, BC V1T 2C1
Not getting what you need? Unsubscribe

Older messages

Why do you want to be famous?

Thursday, December 1, 2022

hey, here's a few thoughts from today Here are a few things I've been thinking about. As always, if you have something to say – please reply to this email. 👍 ----- avoid fame if you can There

Classic mistake

Thursday, November 17, 2022

hey, here's a few thoughts from today Here's a few thoughts for today. (BTW - thanks for all the thoughtful replies I got to my last email. Keep those coming!) ---- A common estimating mistake

is twitter done?

Sunday, November 13, 2022

hey, here's a few thoughts from today I'm not cheering for the death of Twitter. I've been on the platform since October 2008, and it's meant a lot to me. Twitter is where I go to

Content warning

Thursday, November 10, 2022

hey, here's a few thoughts from today Hey friends, Here's a few thoughts from today: ---- Thoughts on Mastodon I've been trying out Mastodon. People bill it as a "Twitter alternative.

“you’re being overly pessimistic”

Saturday, November 5, 2022

hey, here's a few thoughts from today Howdy, Thanks to everyone who replied to my last email (over 33 of you!). People were overwhelmingly supportive of the new format. I appreciate you. ❤️ I have

Initiator Creator - Issue 117

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Initiator Creator - Issue #117 By Saurabh Y. // 4 February 2023 This issue is brought to you by Sunsama, your planning assistant designed for deep, focused work. Try it for free Developer AI

Today's Digest: Underhead: I made an app that turns your to-do list into a life coach

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Your Indie Hackers community digest for February 4th ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Generative AI: Why now?

Saturday, February 4, 2023

We should do better than "Generative AI", fellow humans ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

What's 🔥 in Enterprise IT/VC #327

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Hope springs eternal especially when it comes to AI ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

🗞 What's New: Tips for building a successful landing page

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Also: When to add a new feature! ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Elon Musk wins in court, a look at how OpenAI kicked off an arms race, and Google is Anthropic's mystery investor

Saturday, February 4, 2023

View in browser Friday! Hoping you're in for a fine weekend, all. We're thinking of you in particular, friends and relatives on the East Coast. "Artic" and "blast" are not

🚀 Virgin Orbit in Trouble?

Friday, February 3, 2023

Sidus tanks on public share offering, $RKLB is Deutsche Bank's top pick for 2023, two startup raises and more! View this email in your browser The Space Scoop Week Ended 02.03.2023 Happy Friday!

Predicting Cloud Growth Rates for 2023

Friday, February 3, 2023

Tomasz Tunguz Venture Capitalist If you were forwarded this newsletter, and you'd like to receive it in the future, subscribe here. Predicting Cloud Growth Rates for 2023 I'm watching public

10words: Top picks from this week

Friday, February 3, 2023

Today's projects: flareAI • Bookipi • CS Resources • Brandbeam • SaladTools • Vettted • GermanListening.com • Verbatik • FormKiQ Core • Popupfox • Feeder • Simplex Wireless 10words Discover new

Issue#74: Building $1K - $10K MRR Micro SaaS products around Freelancer ecosystem - Part 2

Friday, February 3, 2023

Welcome to the 272 new subscribers joined this week. You can connect with me on Twitter & LinkedIn, where I share my insights on building profitable solo business, SaaS products, newsletters, info