What’s your go-to strategy for getting your first 100 users?

@lenny_rachitsky’s newsletter breaks down seven strategies for acquiring your first 1,000 users, including (1) offline outreach, (2) online outreach, (3) inviting friends, (4) creating FOMO, (5) leveraging influencers, (6) getting press, (7) building a community. My favorites have been number three and two. If you struggle to find people to reach out to, it may signal a lack of familiarity with your product category or industry. I highly recommend founding members should focus on building relationships with their target audience early on to ensure they are addressing a real need (pain), collect feedback and iterate quickly.

Inviting 20 people I knew would genuinely benefit from the product. And once they loved it, they spread the word to their circles.

I am hoping our mailing list and beta cohorts will fill that void but otherwise - Product launches / paid media and 1 to 1 outreach will be where we land.

I'd say, forget mass marketing at first. The best strategy I've seen work consistently is what I call the "coffee chat method." Find 10 people who have the exact problem you're solving and talk to them personally. Make their experience amazing, then ask them to connect you with 2-3 others who face the same challenge. Find relevant Slack or Discord communities and become genuinely helpful there first - no pitching, just pure value. When you do mention your product, it feels natural because you've already built trust. Pick 2-3 of these channels and do them really well instead of spreading yourself thin everywhere. Launch a wait list with early-bird perks as people love feeling special!

My go-to strategy for getting the first 100 users is a mix of multiple channels: - Personal Outreach: Reaching out to my network directly is always step one. Friends, colleagues, and professional contacts are often the first users who can give valuable feedback and spread the word. - Product Hunt: Launching on Product Hunt is a great way to get visibility with early adopters who are actively looking for new tools and solutions. - Email Outreach: A carefully crafted email campaign to targeted lists works wonders for spreading the word and getting those first signups. - Social Media: Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram are great for creating awareness and driving initial traffic. A mix of organic posts and targeted messaging helps connect with the right audience. This combination helps cover different channels and ensures you’re tapping into both your existing network and a wider audience.

I used Reddit and forums to answers questions related to my product’s problem. It drove organic interest and sign-ups.

I focused on engaging with communities where my target audience already hangs out. Being genuinely helpful made people curious about my product.

For me, attending local events and showcasing my product worked wonders. Face-to-face connections turned into loyal users.