Push origin master error on new repository

I just started using git with github. I followed their instructions and ran into errors on the last step. I'm checking in an existing directory that isn't currently source-controlled (project about a week old). Other than that, my use case should be pretty run of the mill.

Here's what's happening:

$ git push origin master
error: src refspec master does not match any.
fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly
error: failed to push some refs to 'git@github.com:{username}/{projectname}.git'

Github's instructions:

Global setup:

  Download and install Git
  git config --global user.name "Your Name"
  git config --global user.email {username}@gmail.com

Next steps:

  mkdir projectname
  cd projectname
  git init
  touch README
  git add README
  git commit -m 'first commit'
  git remote add origin git@github.com:{username}/{projectname}.git
  git push origin master