Finding Your First 100 Users: A Step-by-Step Guide

Your product is live. Now what?

The gap between "launched" and "100 users" is where most indie products die. Not because they're bad — because no one knows they exist.

Here's the tactical playbook for finding your first 100 users.

Why 100 Users Matters

100 isn't just a vanity metric. It's the minimum viable audience for:

• Meaningful feedback — Patterns emerge from 100 data points
• Social proof — "100+ users" sounds real
• Validation — If you can't find 100, the problem might be product-market fit

The Three Sources of Early Users

Every startup's first 100 users come from three places:

1. Your Existing Network (Users 1-20)

Start with people who already know you:

• Twitter/LinkedIn followers who engaged with your build journey
• Community members who saw you talk about the problem
• Friends and family who fit your target audience (yes, really)

Outreach template:

"Hey! I finally launched [product]. It helps [target audience] with [specific problem]. Would love for you to try it and tell me what's broken. Interested?"

Don't apologize for reaching out. If your product solves a real problem, you're doing them a favor.

2. Communities (Users 21-60)

Go where your target users already hang out:

• Reddit — Find the subreddit for your niche (r/SaaS, r/startups, r/webdev, etc.)
• Discord servers — Industry-specific communities with active discussions
• Slack groups — Professional communities in your space
• Twitter — Follow hashtags and engage with conversations

The 10-1 rule: For every promotional post, you should have 10 helpful contributions (answers, resources, feedback).

3. Content & SEO (Users 61-100)

Create content that attracts users searching for solutions:

• Problem-focused blog posts — "How to [solve the problem your product solves]"
• Comparison posts — "[Your product] vs [alternative]"
• Tutorial content — Show your product solving real problems

This takes longer but builds sustainable traffic.

The Launch Sequence

Don't just "launch." Create a sequence:

Week 1: Soft Launch

• Share with your immediate network
• Collect feedback and fix critical bugs
• Get 10-20 users

Week 2: Community Launch

• Post in relevant communities
• Share on Product Hunt, Indie Hackers, Hacker News
• Aim for 30-50 more users

Week 3-4: Content Push

• Publish your first blog posts
• Start engaging on Twitter/LinkedIn daily
• Build to 100 users

What to Say When You Reach Out

The best outreach is specific and low-pressure:

Bad: "Check out my new app!"

Good: "I built a tool that helps [specific person] solve [specific problem]. Since you [reason they're relevant], I thought you might find it useful. Would you try it for 5 minutes and tell me what's confusing?"

The difference: you're asking for feedback, not a purchase.

Tracking Your Progress

Create a simple spreadsheet:

This shows you where to double down.

The Mindset

Finding 100 users is work. It's not passive. You have to:

• Reach out to people
• Post in communities
• Handle rejection
• Keep going when nothing seems to work

But each user is a step toward product-market fit. And that's worth the effort.

After 100: What's Next?

100 users isn't the end — it's the beginning. Now you have:

• Real feedback to improve the product
• Users to convert to paid (if applicable)
• Social proof for the next 100

Rinse and repeat. The process doesn't change, just the scale.

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Need accountability to stay consistent with user acquisition? Join a founder circle with others at the same stage.