how'd your actually get your earliest users?
Andrew Ginn
14 replies
i think prescriptions hardly work. it's all so nuanced anyways.
so where online did you find your first 10 users and what was your growth curve like? if you had one.
Replies
TJ Larkin @tjlarkin
Launching soon!
Gave the option for a free trial to a limited number of users to try the product out.
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We acquired our earliest users through a combination of personal outreach and leveraging Product Hunt. Tapping into my personal network allowed us to gather valuable feedback and refine the product early on. Getting into the community on Product Hunt helped us gain visibility and attract early adopters genuinely interested in exploring new tools.
This blend of personal connections and public exposure was instrumental in building initial momentum. However, the downside is that scaling through these channels is challenging. While we’ve maintained steady growth, it hasn’t been exponential, which is something we’re continuously working on.
@felix_sattler thanks for sharing, Felix! what does getting into the Product Hunt community look like in action? "promoting" is a fine balance in these communities. but, of course it's useful to.
By reaching out in relevant online communities, word of mouth helped too—friends and early users shared the product. Growth is slow at first, but as users started spreading the word and I received feedback, things picked up!
@mehvish_shafiq right on, thanks for sharing Mehvish! how do you strike a balance online of not over-promoting and offending the senses of people in communities like this? haha
I love hearing about first-user stories. Was it a slow grind for you, or did someone take a leap of faith early on.
@nylah_cook haven't cracked it yet! launched one product about a year ago. crickets.
working on a new project (https://foundationessays.com/) that i'm just getting feedback on right now - haven't added sign up yet. so, i'm figuring it out!
have you found users online in the past without ads?
@os_c_ar haven't captured them yet. I'm getting decent traffic to project (https://foundationessays.com/) (~20 visits a day), but some of that's direct traffic that i don't know what to make of.
i'm about to add Accounts and try and get my first users.
any luck on your by going directly to them where they are online?
I totally agree that the process is nuanced! the first users came through direct outreach to niche communities
@gwendolyn_kira were those communities cool with you "promoting" (whatever that looked like) what you built?