Blog
First Users
A practical guide to acquiring your first 100 users for a startup. Covers 15 proven channels including Reddit, Hacker News, cold outreach, building in public, and more — with specific tactics for each.
Articles
Building in Public: How Sharing Progress Gets Users
A practical guide to building in public as a user acquisition strategy — what to share, where to share it, how to turn followers into users, and how to avoid the common mistakes.
Cold DM Templates That Get Replies (For Founders)
Proven cold DM templates for Twitter, LinkedIn, and Reddit that founders can use to get replies, book demos, and acquire early users — without sounding like a spammer.
Do Things That Don't Scale: A Practical Guide
A hands-on guide to Paul Graham's 'do things that don't scale' philosophy — with specific unscalable tactics founders can use today to acquire users, build relationships, and find product-market fit.
First 100 Customers for AI Apps: What's Different
Getting your first 100 customers for an AI app requires a different playbook than traditional SaaS. Learn what changes — and what stays the same — when your product runs on AI.
First 100 Users Timeline: How Long Should It Take?
Realistic timelines for getting your first 100 users based on product type, market, and acquisition strategy — with benchmarks, milestones, and warning signs at every stage.
How to Find Your First Users on Reddit
A step-by-step guide to finding and converting your first startup users through Reddit — without getting banned, downvoted, or ignored.
How to Get Early Users From Hacker News
A detailed guide to getting your first users from Hacker News — covering Show HN posts, community participation, timing, and how to handle the HN audience without getting flagged.
How to Get Your First 100 Users for a SaaS Product
A practical, step-by-step playbook for getting your first 100 SaaS users — covering outreach, communities, content, and the tactics that actually work in 2026.
How to Turn Beta Users Into Paying Customers
A practical guide to converting free beta users into paying customers — covering pricing transitions, communication strategies, feature gating, and the psychology of the beta-to-paid switch.
Zero-Budget User Acquisition: How to Get Users Without Spending Money
A complete guide to acquiring your first users with zero marketing budget. Covers organic channels, community tactics, content strategies, and partnership approaches that cost nothing but time.