What strategies have worked best for you to build an early community around your product?
Zhiqi Shi
8 replies
For me,
1. Identify your existing resources
There's always a reason why you created your product-whether it's based on interest or experience. Focus on your strengths, which are your resources, and build around your interest or expertise.
2. Leverage social media
There are many ways to utilize social media, such as sharing your entrepreneurial journey or engaging with the Community based on your product. However, the most effective approach might be using your product to generate compelling content.
3. Value early users
In the early stages, the first few users are especially critical. Their feedback and involvement can significantly influence the direction of your product. Offering them additional benefits or exclusive privileges is essential.
Indeed, building an early community is incredibly challenging. Looking forward to hearing about your experiences!
Replies
Karen Cravens@karen_cravens
Small events and Q&A sessions were key to building strong relationships with my early users.
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Launching soon!
@zhiqi_shi I was actually curious if you can develop a bit more these 2 points: ,,using your product to generate compelling content" - u mean UGC type of content or paid collabs? ,,value early users" - did you use your own network as first users or u had them native? I feel that the feedback from our friends sometimes might be not the most relevant one....
Launching soon!
@zhiqi_shi at Selftalk, together with @tina_sisman, we started an initiative called 1000 True Fans.
The idea comes from an 2008 essay of Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired magazine called “1,000 True Fans”
He said that:
"To be a successful hashtag#entrepreneur, you don’t need millions of dollars, customers, clients, or fans—you only need 1,000 true fans."
And we develoed this landing page for the initiative and we give some unique benefits for our fiorst 1000 True Fans.
Check it out here: https://selftalk.space/backers
Happy to chat more about this!
Recap
@tina_sisman Yes, exactly, it's a form of content marketing. But the best approach is always to create unique using your own product, similar to Wordware.
Valuing early users is essential. I made sure to engage with them personally and offer them exclusive perks to keep them invested.
I always prioritize user feedback.
I started with a small, passionate group and treated them like VIPs. That really made a difference.
Great insights, @zhiqi_shi Building an early community is definitely a game-changer. I totally agree with leveraging social media and valuing early users.
On a similar note, I’ve been exploring how AI tools can help streamline content creation and community engagement. It’s interesting to see how AI is reshaping the way we connect and grow communities.
By the way, i'm also building a space where people can connect, share ideas, and discuss how AI can be a game-changer.