How to get your first 10 customers?
Getting your first 10 customers is a rite of passage in the startup world.
Look at this picture below. People have been asking the same question three years ago, ten months ago, and even yesterday!
In my quest for solutions, I delved into Reddit discussions and responses, and now here, I distill the common threads of wisdom I discovered.
Additionally, I'll share some strategies gleaned from founders on successfully acquiring their initial 100 customers for their SaaS ventures.
Reddit insights: Strategies for Acquiring Your First 10 Customers
I delved into Reddit discussions and responses, and now here, I distill the common threads of wisdom I discovered.
a. Pure Hustle:
Attend local meetups and events to build connections.
Connect with company founders on LinkedIn and establish relationships.
Contribute guest blogs on industry sites to showcase expertise.
Spend time in relevant online communities like subreddits and Facebook groups.
Participate actively in niche Reddit communities to attract clients.
Leverage unconventional tactics like solving problems for podcast guests.
b. Community Engagement:
Focus on providing value and contributing to discussions within the community.
Engage genuinely without spamming, seeking feedback and sharing your product. Avoid spammy behavior such as posting links without context.
Write blog posts offering valuable insights and subtly mentioning your project. Emphasize providing solutions rather than self-promotion.
Engage with potential users in community groups by providing real answers.
Utilize LinkedIn and cold email outreach to expand your customer base.
c. Personalized Outreach:
Focus on personal networks and targeted outreach.
Prioritize warm introductions and referrals from previous connections.
Offer personalized demos and onboard customers manually to ensure quality feedback.
Wrap-up
Prioritize personal engagement and hustle. Focus on building your specific context, adding value to your audience. Foster personal relationships rather than just sales relationships.
The end, period.
How SaaS founders successfully acquired their first 100 customers
I came across an interesting article on Reddit where someone shared their study of "how 7 founders found their first 100 customers for their SaaS."(link) It was so captivating that I wanted to share it. I'll share my thoughts on the four aspects that resonated with me the most.
a. Llama Life by Marie
Marie founder of Llama Life, she shared Snowballing effect advice:
“Need to think about what you have that you can leverage based on your current situation. eg..When you have no customers, think about where you can post to get the 1st customer eg Product Hunt.
If you do well on PH, say you get #3 product of the day, then you post somewhere else saying ‘I got #3 product of the day’.. to get your next few customers. Maybe that post is on reddit with some learnings that you found.
If the reddit post does well, then you might post it on Twitter, saying reddit did well and what learnings you got from that etc. or even if it doesn’t do well you can still post about it.”
She also suggested creating complementary products that have the potential to go viral more easily than the main product itself.
Within these complementary sites, you can subtly reference your startup, such as with a line like "sponsored by Llama Life," along with a link to your main website for those who want to learn more. If one of these sites gains viral traction or ranks well on search engines, it can become a passive source of traffic for your startup.
b. Saner dot ai by Austin
Austin successfully acquired 100 users for his startup from Reddit.
His strategy for marketing on Reddit revolves around providing value to the community:
Write value-driven posts on your niche.
Rather than initiating new posts, find posts where people are looking for solutions.
DM people facing problems that your SaaS solves. But instead of selling, ask about their problem to see if your product is a good fit.
Heartfelt posts about why you built it.
c. A Stock Portfolio Newsletter
A financial investor got his first 100 paid newsletter subscribers for his stock portfolio newsletter.
Now to 100 users, he partnered with a guy running an investing website and getting good traffic. That guy got a cut of his revenue, in exchange.
That one simple step got him to 100 users.
d. Hypefury by Yannick and Samy
Yannick and Samy from Hypefury, Twitter and Social Media Automation tool got their first beta testers and users from a paid community.
They launched Hypefury there and asked if someone wanted to try it. A couple of people tried it and gave feedback.
Samy conducted user interviews and product demos for them, And shared the reviews on Twitter.
That alone, along with word-of-mouth marketing on Twitter got them their first 100 users.