When you build these type of projects is there an actual consistent method to getting people to look at your work? Because from my experience it seems like any amount of feedback I've had came from freak lottery type events like getting covered in a magazine or something like that.
How would someone who is really clueless and horrible at promotion learn those kind of skills?
There's Show HN, ProductHunt, meetups, connections (which you can get through meetups), pitching events/contests, sponsorships, influencers...
Part of it may come from designing the product to help with the marketing. That may also help with viral marketing.
Marketing is a pretty broad topic, and it can vary a lot, too. Maybe it's a good idea to talk to some of your customers face to face to learn more about their industry vertical. If you share some specifics, maybe more people here could suggest ideas.
There is a lot of luck involved in posting on the internet, for sure. I posted a Show HN one time that ended up on the front page for over a day, with half of that time at #1. That led to media coverage all over the world.
Another Show HN I posted went nowhere — even though it was a good enough idea to separately get media coverage because it was timely (including in a front-page article of the NYT). There is a lot of luck involved, but you can also make your own luck, by reaching out to folks who might be interested.
How would someone who is really clueless and horrible at promotion learn those kind of skills?