a single source, nothing corroborates it

Set the naming constraints before you brainstorm

Fix the rules first, an available dot com, two words, unambiguous over the phone, no connotation that contradicts how the product works, then generate far more candidates than you need. Show the shortlist to people without revealing your favourite, and change it late if readers keep misreading it.

The method

1. 01

   Set hard constraints on the name before brainstorming: an available .com, two words at most, three syllables at most, unambiguous over the phone, and not confusable with an existing word.

2. 02

   Generate the name by dumping every word that pairs with your subject even though most options will be poor.

3. 03

   List every word that relates to the product, then feed them one at a time into a domain combination tool to surface available two-word .coms.

4. 04

   Reject a name whose connotation contradicts how your product actually works.

5. 05

   Show a shortlist to trusted friends without revealing which one you favour, so their reactions stay unbiased.

What it returned

• Candidates included Boise Bulletin, Boise Advisor, Boise Program, Boise Newsletter, Boise Happenings, Boise Chronicles and Boise Dispatch

• Seed words included plan, email, mail, send, convert, course and trust, run through LeanDomainSearch; the pattern produced SendGrid, Dropbox, MailChimp, Facebook and MailGun, all two words and two syllables

• He dropped SnapConvert because snap implies instant, the opposite of the gradual conversion process the product teaches

• Blunt replies included dismissing every hello- prefix and calling one option negative-sounding

Sources

• Join me as I create & launch a product in 24 hoursNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · 7:30 PM update: · 2014-12-01
• iOS Design Weekly: Launch Story and StatisticsNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Planning & Design · 2011-08-16
• How we grew a local newsletter to 10,000 subscribersNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · The first 74 subscribers · 2022-03-22
• Naming your productNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · 2013-02-04
• The Story Behind OneVoiceNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Building OneVoice. · 2011-08-09