Directory index · Guide · 50 stories

How 50 startups got their first users

We read 50 founders' own accounts of how they got their first users, customers or sales: blog posts, interviews, podcasts and forum threads. Each story below says what they did, the numbers they reported, a short quote and where to read the whole thing. The numbers are the founders' own; we haven't checked them.

Where the first users came from

32 of the 50 credit more than one channel. The most common were communities, social media, and word of mouth. Counting every channel each story credits:

Channel	Stories
Communities	16 (32%)
Social media	13 (26%)
Word of mouth	13 (26%)
Launch platforms	12 (24%)
Cold outreach	10 (20%)
A waitlist	8 (16%)
Content marketing	6 (12%)
Partnerships	6 (12%)
Paid ads	5 (10%)
Press	5 (10%)
Something else	5 (10%)
App Store search	3 (6%)
SEO	1 (2%)

12 stories credit a launch platform, most often Hacker News (7) and Product Hunt (4). The results range widely, from thousands of users to a lot of visits and no customers. Their numbers are in the stories below.

We also collected 53 founders' reports of what a single launch brought them: visits, signups, customers and what they paid. They're on each platform's page: BetaList (20), Product Hunt (19), Hacker News (10), Peerlist (3), Fazier (2), There's An AI For That (2), Uneed (2), Dev Hunt (1), PeerPush (1), Launching Next (1), AlternativeTo (1).

None of the 50 credits a directory for its first users. Directories are better for links than for first users: how to raise your DR without wasting links.

5 stories that credit something else

Predictable Revenue

Other · first 100 customers

The first five clients of this outbound sales agency were startups sharing their coworking space. Referrals and a merger with a training business then carried them toward 100.

Reported: 5 customers from a coworking space; referrals took it to 7, then 25; a merger brought about 200 leads

“some of the other entrepreneurs in the co-working space we shared needed help with outbound sales.”

Something else, Word of mouth, Partnerships propellercrm.com, Collin Stewart, July 2019

Houseparty

Mobile app · first college users

The team picked 10 Greek houses in Michigan, flew there and pitched them in person week after week. Over that period the team talked to about 10,000 students.

Reported: 10 fraternities and sororities in Michigan; about 10,000 students talked to

“We targeted 10 of them in Michigan, flew there, & pitched them week by week.”

Something else suhaild.medium.com, Ben Rubin, June 2018

ErasmusInn

Marketplace · first 100 hosts

To supply a student housing marketplace in Istanbul, the founders knocked on doors in several districts to sign up hosts. They also offered airport pickups to make the first guests talk about them.

Reported: Goal of 100 hosts recruited door to door

“Day by day we were knocking on random people’s doors in the streets of Beyoglu, Kadikoy and Sisli.”

Something else medium.com, CJ Koseoglu, January 2016

Everflow

SaaS · first 2 paying customers

The team spent $5k to $6k on a booth at an industry conference before the product was finished. Two prospects met there became the first paying customers.

Reported: $5k to $6k for a booth at Affiliate Summit; 2 customers

“we actually were able to get two prospects from that that became customers”

Something else saasclub.io, Sam Darawish

Whatnot

Marketplace · first buyers

Before they had sellers, the founders listed collectibles they did not own and bought them on eBay once a buyer paid. This let buyers transact on the marketplace before real supply existed.

“the founders would list products on Whatnot that they didn’t have (i.e. fake listing), and when the item would sell, they’d purchase it on eBay.”

Something else ycombinator.com, Grant LaFontaine, September 2022

Quotes are short excerpts; each story links to the founder's original write-up.