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    How to recruit early adopters to a PMF validation?

    Vitor Seabra
    14 replies
    Hey folks! I am Vitor, responsible for the international expansion at Pluga, a brazilian IPaaS focused on SMB market and non-tech people. At this very moment we are testing and validating our product to launch it at US market on the upcoming months but we still have some questions and hypotheses to get answered. There are some known paths to get interested potential users to validate (or not to) our ideas such as releasing a landing page with an embedded contact form, investing in paid ads, etc... This is the usual "by the book". But what I want to know is: How do you recruit potential first users (a.k.a early adopters) to run PMF research? Is there any kind of "hack" or aimed tool for that? Best,

    Replies

    André J
    Don't try to recruit early adopters. It's fake validation. Instead ask other makers of some pedigree what they think. Here you will find more critical feedback. They will tell you the truth. Then with the feedback improve your bet. Then make the bet and launch a pilot. Pilot != MVP. Think of the pilot as what gets Hollywood interested to finance the whole season. Show the pilot to potential customers. See if they think the pilot is good enough to start watching the rest of the season. This is the Hollywood validation process. I just came up with that now 😂 But more or less what I do atm.
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    Leonid Mikhalev
    Well, Im kinda lucky, because Im launching the product in the area, where I worked for the last 3 years, but here are some tips: 1) I have a network. 20-30 potential customers right in the messenger. I acquired them mostly on the project-based network. It's like when you propose the idea of a product/project and ask them to join. Firstly u think about their profit from it, so they will be interested. Conferences and meetups are also the case. Find only one customer and ask where they talk, what they care about it. 2) Just learn where they fish :D. I recruit users from Linkedin and Twitter on a daily basis. Same industry, same pains, jobs, gains. Connect + warm message. 3)You're in the right place now. Just create a discussion for potential customers in your area, and see what they say. It's possible, that they're not here. 4) Forums and chats. I live in Telegram messenger and there are a bunch of chats about whatever: collecting payments from the App Store, fintech, SEO, ASO, etc. I believe in WhatsApp or some forum there are folks, who fits your product perfectly. 5) Reddit. There are some subreddits about SMBs, startups, etc. I think you should ask them. Try it It's okay if none of these ways are working for you. Every segment and product is different, and you should try them all. Good luck with testing hypotheses. I'm on the same page now. Trying to understand the demand, without creating a real product.
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    Vitor Seabra
    @leonid_mikhalev Thank you so much for the advices. Defininetly finding the right place where those people are is the turning point. Gotta take it into consideration
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    Richard Gao
    Evoke
    Evoke
    Doing lots of customer interviews! Soon, you'll get enough info on what they like and you'll find someone that likes your product
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    Fidel Avendano
    Engage potential early adopters on platforms like Product Hunt, highlight your product's unique value, and invite them to actively shape its future through feedback and collaboration.
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    Clustr
    Hey Vitor! Have you tried bribing potential users with free coffee? Just kidding...or am I? 😂 Jokes aside, reaching out to communities and leveraging social media are great ways to find early adopters. Best of luck with your product launch! 🚀
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    Mei
    Narrow your positioning down to a specific type of customer. Onboard in batches. Prioritise a close-knit community of super users who will amplify your product and stay loyal to first version.
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