I want videos of your startup! Free advertising awaits...

As many of you know, I have been offering free advertising for startups during the month of March. mint is the latest such ad slot. I wrote earlier today about the importance of being able to "sell" your startup when you are talking to potential users, clients, VC, bloggers, writers, old media, etc. This can make or break your web app.

So to that end, here is what I am offering for the month of April. I want you to create a video (I guess you could do audio too) of your startup. "Sell" it. Explain what it is, does, and the benefits. Or whatever you think is most important. Create an infomercial. What will make me get off the couch and call that 800#? You have complete creative control (no nudity or swear words please). Once you have created your video, stick it on a video-sharing service. I don't care which one. I like Viddler for the timed tags/commenting but any one that I can embed on CN is fine. Then send me an email with the location and your contact details. Nothing else. No text about the company.

Every submitted video will receive:

• Video posted on CenterNetworks
• Product or Service reviewed by a CenterNetworks writer

The winner (best video overall) will win a 2 month advertising slot (May/June) on CenterNetworks. I am looking for 8-10 judges, let me know if you are interested.

But don't do it for the ad slot. Do it because it will help you feel out if your message is as crafted as it needs to be. Think of it as a chance to save the $5,000 entry to Supernova or the $20,000 to Demo. Or at a minimum, think of it as a dry run for either.

So it's pretty simple. The only rules are: startup must be 2 years or younger, can't be a public company, and is open to companies anywhere in the world (though the videos must be in English). I am excited about this because I think it will allow us to create a 360degree view into the company. (Allen's note: I hope I have thought of everything here, but some kinks might need to be worked out as we move forward - so let's call this a beta!)