Naming a Startup: What Do Bownty and Jennifer Aniston Have in Common?

Some startups leave name-picking to fate. Some follow the latest naming trends. Others use their main keywords and blend them together into a name.

The one thing that all startups do (and should do), is putting a lot of thought into coming up with even one name option.

Here are some things to seriously consider when naming your soon-to-be startup.

This blog post is part of a series called Building a Startup. Read previous entries about how to get initial funding and testing your startup idea.

1. Keep it simple, stupid

Before anything else, take these guidelines into consideration (yeah, name picking is hard):

• Try keeping it short (1-2 syllables)

• It should be easy to spell

• It should create an emotion that’s related to how you want your brand’s values to be perceived

2. The name has to roll off your tongue

A good exercise for that is to go outside and shout out the name a few times. Seriously.

If it feels funny saying it – bend it, change it, scratch it. Do everything you can until it feels right when you say it out loud.

The name should be natural to say — for humans. 

Remember that you are going to have to say that name for at least a thousand times in the future. You have to like it yourself first.

3. Suit the name to the characteristics of your target market

But you have to make sure that your target market would like it too. You should be aware of the characteristics of your target market and what the best way for approaching them would be.

If your startup is within a conservative industry, coming up with a cute dog’s name is probaly not the best way to go. The name has to sound right to the people you are trying to sell your product.

If the target market is supposed to be a bunch of serious folk, then make the name be just that.

If the target market is going to be cool and savvy people, then a cool and savvy name is probably your best pick.

4. Check the name availability!

With more and more companies focusing on having a presence in social media, it is absolutely vital to check whether e.g. Twitter, Facebook and the domain name are available.

Here you can also start putting some thought into which social media channels would actually benefit your startup and which would just be time-wasters.

The domain name is probably going to be the biggest weight, because there are only so many options left these days without having to be seriously creative.

5. Have a story behind the name, no matter how out-of-the-box

Because what your startup will need is a personality. Nobody likes a brand with no personality, because if there is no personality, there is nothing there to like.

Okay, but how did Bownty get its name?

Though the process of ending up with the name ‘Bownty’ was anything short from interesting  (Since when is naming something interesting anyway? It is bloody hard!)

But one thing was for sure from the very beginning – we didn’t want neither ‘daily’ nor ‘deal’ in the name. So after looking up 20-something domain names that would be available on all social media channels as well, Bownty stood out the most.

There was something very appealing about “hunting” for that best deal – bou(w)nty hunting.

Naah, that’s just trying to seem smart.

We actually picked ‘Bownty’ because we really like Jennifer Aniston in The Bounty Hunter, alright? ;)

Some of the hottest startups picked their name in the most random ways, but they still put a fair share of thought into even coming up with suggestions.

What methods have you used to come up with your startup’s name?

What methods do you think are the most valuable?

Let us know in the comments.

Further reading:

How Today’s Hottest Startups Got Their Names

17 Mutable Suggestions For Naming A Startup

What Are Good Company and Startup Names?

Posted by Kadi