Finding Your First Users: Where Product Builders Actually Find People

Your product is live. You've shipped. Now the hardest part begins: finding people who actually want to use it.

Many builders start by broadcasting (“check out my product”) and get silence. Early distribution usually works better when it’s targeted: find the places your users already spend time, contribute, and then share your solution when it’s relevant.

The Brutal Truth About Distribution

Your product is not special to strangers.

If your first users are mostly friends and colleagues, that’s normal. The next step is learning repeatable channels that put you in front of strangers who already have the problem.

Where Your First Users Actually Hide

These are common places early users tend to come from.

1. Communities Where Your Users Already Hang Out

Find 5-10 communities (Slack groups, Discord servers, forums, subreddits) where your target customer already spends time solving this problem.

How to find them:

• Search Reddit for keywords related to your problem
• Google "[your industry] + Slack communities"
• Ask your friends: "Who do you know who has this problem?"
• Look at Twitter conversations using your target keywords

How to approach them (the right way):

Do NOT post "I built a thing, check it out." You'll get removed faster than you can say "spam."

Instead:

1. Join and lurk for 2 weeks. Learn how people talk, what problems they mention, what solutions already exist.
2. Contribute genuinely. Answer questions. Share insights. Be helpful with zero expectation of a return.
3. When it feels natural, mention your product (1-2 times max). Frame it as: "I actually built a tool for this exact problem. Would love feedback."
4. Have a low-friction way to share. A link to a landing page with a simple email signup. Not a sales pitch.

Example (hypothetical): You’re building a content planning tool. You spend a couple of weeks answering questions in a writers’ community. When someone asks about editorial calendars, you share a simple landing page and ask for feedback.

2. Twitter (If You Can Be Authentic)

Twitter is where many solo builders congregate. But most posts disappear into the void.

The secret? Write about your journey, not your product.

People don't want to hear about your features. They want to hear:

• How you solved this problem
• What you learned building it
• The mistakes you made
• The insights that surprised you

High-engagement Twitter post formula:

Problem hook (why this matters)
↓
Specific story/example
↓
Counterintuitive insight
↓
Call to action (soft, not "buy now")

Example:

"Spent 2 months building a social scheduler. Launched it. Got 10 users.

Took 3 days posting in a niche Slack group. Got 50 users.

The difference? Real people with real problems vs random Twitter followers who don't care.

Distribution beats product. Always."

Posts like this work when people recognize the problem in themselves - not because you’re pushing features.

3. Email (Your Secret Weapon)

You probably don't have an email list yet. Start one today.

Even a small list can outperform broad social posts because readers opted in.

Build your email list before you launch:

1. Create a simple landing page (Webflow, Carrd, or even Notion)
2. Add an email signup form
3. Drive traffic to it through the channels below
4. Offer something for free: a checklist, template, guide, or early access

By the time you launch, you have a set of people who already raised their hand.

Then on launch day: Email them. Measure open rate, click-through, and replies; those signals will tell you if your message and positioning are resonating.

4. Direct Outreach (The Underrated Channel)

This feels uncomfortable. Do it anyway.

Find 30 people who clearly have this problem. Reach out to them directly.

Not spam. Not a form letter. An actual personal message.

Direct outreach email template:

Subject: Quick question about [their specific problem/situation]

Hi [Name],

I noticed you [specific thing that shows they have this problem].

I've been working on a tool for this, and I'd love to get your feedback
in 15 minutes. No sales pitch - just curious if it solves your problem or
if I'm completely off base.

[Your product link]

Would love to know what you think.

[Your name]

Track the reply rate. If nobody responds, tighten your targeting and make the “why you” clearer. If people respond but don’t convert, your offer or onboarding probably needs work.

5. SEO (The Long Game)

SEO can compound over time, but it’s slow and uncertain - treat it as a long-term channel, not a week-one growth lever.

Start with long-tail keywords:

• "Best [category] for [specific use case]"
• "How to [solve problem] without [current solution]"
• "Free alternative to [competitor]"

Write helpful content (blog posts) targeting these keywords. Link to your product naturally.

Expect to wait weeks or months to see meaningful results, then keep iterating based on what’s actually bringing qualified traffic.

6. Product Hunt (If Timed Right)

Everyone launches on Product Hunt, so most products get buried.

But if you:

• Build a community of supporters before launch day
• Ask them to upvote and comment on launch day
• Actively respond to every comment in the first 6 hours

You can get visibility, but it’s competitive. Plan it like a campaign: assets ready, supporters coordinated, and fast responses to comments.

Your First 100 Users Roadmap

Week 1: Setup

• Identify 10 communities where your users hang out
• Create a simple landing page with email signup
• Set up Twitter/LinkedIn profile showcasing your journey
• Write a personal email to 10 people you know who have this problem

Week 2: Outreach

• Share your product in 3-5 communities (genuinely, not spam)
• Send direct emails to 20 potential users
• Post about your launch on Twitter (journey-focused, not "buy now")
• Share with your email list if you have one

Week 3: Iterate Based on Feedback

• Collect feedback from everyone who signed up
• Fix the top 3 complaints
• Ask customers: "How did you hear about us?"
• Double down on whichever channel worked best

Week 4: Optimize

• Focus 80% of effort on the channel that got you to 50 users
• Refine your messaging based on what resonates
• Start building your email list actively
• Plan your Product Hunt launch for week 8

The One Metric That Matters

It’s easy to get obsessed with total signups. A better north star is activation: how many new users actually reach a “first success” moment and come back.

100 signups who never return is worth zero dollars.

10 engaged users who actually use your tool is worth 1,000 signups.

So focus on getting users into communities where they'll actually find you, use you, and tell their friends about you.

The Real Secret

The solo builders who succeed at growth don't have some magic hack.

They just:

1. Go where their users actually are (not the sexy channels)
2. Be genuine and helpful first, self-interested second
3. Iterate based on what works, not what's trendy
4. Repeat for months

Most builders give up after 2 weeks when they get 5 signups. The people who win persist for 3-6 months and try 10 different channels.

Your first 100 users won't come from viral luck. They'll come from you being systematically patient and persistently genuine.

So pick one channel this week and get to work.

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Which channel are you going to try first? Pick one, run it for two weeks, and take notes - distribution is a skill you build.