Why Paid Ads Are Hard Early On
Running Google or Meta ads for a brand-new product, with no reviews, no case studies and no idea of your conversion rate, is an expensive way to learn things you could learn for free.
Until you know how visitors become users, and how users become paying customers, you can't tell whether an ad is worth what it costs. Most founders find their first hundred users by hand, and learn what to say to the next thousand along the way.
Listening for Pain on Social Channels
People complain about their software in public every day. Search X, Reddit and LinkedIn regularly for phrases like:
- "Looking for an alternative to [Competitor]"
- "Is there a tool that does [Task] without [Annoyance]?"
- "Frustrated with [Legacy Tool]'s pricing increase"
Reply while the problem is fresh. Don't pitch hard: answer the question, mention your tool if it really fits, and offer a free trial. Say that you built it.
Launch Boards and Communities
Launch boards and founder communities put your product in front of people who like trying new tools. Launch on a weekly board such as Hauntboard, share what you're building on Indie Hackers and r/SideProject, and post a Show HN if your product is technical. Our guide to launching with no audience covers how to prepare.
Free Tools That Bring People In
A free, single-purpose tool that solves a small part of your customer's problem, with no signup or credit card, can bring in people who later need the full product.
Examples:
- A site speed checker from a company that sells a performance plugin.
- A free invoice generator from a company that sells accounting software.
- An interactive launch checklist or pricing calculator from a launch board.
A useful tool that answers a specific search can rank and get linked to more easily than a product page, and it introduces your product to people at the moment they have the problem.
Turning Beta Testers into Paying Customers
When someone agrees to test your app, look after them. Offer a short video call, or send a personal screen recording that answers their questions. When users see the founder ship the thing they asked for, many of them start recommending the product to others.
Once the first users are paying, track what you earn and lose each month with the MRR calculator.