Getting your first 100 users without paid ads (Part 1)

Short answer: Build momentum, and have a strategy laid out in advance before you start sho*ting aimlessly.

Question # 1: How to build momentum?

Answer: Have a strategy!

Question # 2: How to build the strategy?

Answer: (Read my newsletter?)

Let me lay it out for you:

• First, list the tools you are going to use.

• Second, clearly jot down what purpose each would serve.

• Third, build a list of tasks for each of the individual platforms/initiatives (turn them into programs or projects. You’re all professionals. Do what you do at your job when you’re given a project - break it down).

• Finally, procrastinate.

I’m not kidding. It’s okay to procrastinate. Just make sure you do it at the right stage. If you’ve created the “list of tasks”, go for it. Procrastinate. Don’t do anything - just sleep over it. Your subconscious mind would be thinking over it in the background - just try to jot down the “creative ideas” that come to your mind (maybe before going to bed.. or walking, or whatever works for you) to make your strategy just .. 2% better.

Let it cook.

Question # 3: I have the strategy. What do I do next?

Answer: Go deeper.

You created those list of tasks earlier before the procrastination phase.

Start doing them one by one.. don’t overburden yourself. Set a low goal. Maybe one task off the list per week.

Better to get there in a year vs never getting there at all because you set the goal to a 1 week deadline!

(I’ll share an example below).

Question # 4: How to break things down, I mean.. to what level do they need to be broken down to?

Answer: EVERY single post that you’re going to make on each of the platforms should be written down or at least ideated in advance (i.e. at least write 4 sentences about what you would say).

It gives your mind clarity and confidence as well. And makes procrastination become your best friend.. because you get to refine it .. over and over and over again.

The Sunday edition that you’re reading right now is the “build in public” version - so I won’t tell you to do something that I don’t do myself. Here’s the proof of us doing exactly that:

The task was created back in August.. when even the MVP was not done yet. First part was: look at how others do it, analyze what works, what doesn’t work. And then create posts for our own product.

We’re almost done with 60% of our promotions on Reddit - some posts took off (~200K views, 100+ comments, 500+ shares), some did not do so well (<10K views), some were removed by automations.

Question # 5: Great, I have “visualized” what sort of things I would need to do. How do I “structure” i.e. what goes first, and what comes after?

Answer: Procrastinate. In two phases:

1. First come up with something - that follows a natural pattern.
   
   Example of posts sequence: Sharing the idea and asking for feedback, get feedback on the landing page, ask for design suggestions for any page of your website, launch in beta - ask for beta testers with unlimited free tier (timed) for feedback, launch - share the value prop, the pain it solves, who it is for, etc., announce when you get your first user, announce when you get to a 100, announce when you get to a 1000.
   
   (very basic example).

This post was “ideated” 3 weeks ago when I was coughing my lungs out on bed rest. I knew we’d get to a 100 users. I had a post ready for the “final push” that gets us over the edge. It took us from ~80 to 110+.

2. Treat it like LiGo… i mean lego. Keep putting different things in different sequences and see if it sticks better theoretically. If it does, adjust the sequence. Told you procrastination is not all that bad.

Question # 6: Me shy, cannot post. People scary.

Answer: There’s more or less a solution for every problem or excuse that you have. In this case, go with platforms where you can be “anonymous”.

Examples: Reddit, Facebook groups (where no one knows you - it’s a big world), and there are many more.

Question # 3 (No, I haven’t forgotten how to count.. just showing what I promised above)

Reference: Sept, 23rd

(Focus on the tagline - not the handsome lad in the picture).

Oct, 6th:

That’s enough questions for this one. Feel free to ask if you have any more and I’ll try to squeeze them in the Part 2 next Sunday!

For designers only

Would appreciate it if you could give the landing page a quick look and let me know your “blunt” thoughts if the below feedback sounds accurate? (Any quick fix recommendations would be appreciated).

Cheers!