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How did you get your first SaaS users? Curious to learn from real stories
r/SaaS
7/22/2025
Content Summary
The post asks how founders got their first SaaS users. Responses reveal that the first users almost always come from highly manual, relationship-driven tactics rather than scalable marketing. Cold outreach works when framed as feedback requests, not pitches. Reddit, LinkedIn, Indie Hackers, and Product Hunt are the dominant early channels, but success requires specificity, screenshots, and community engagement rather than vague posts. Paid ads usually flop early due to lack of intent. Directories like Capterra and G2 provide high-intent leads once profiles are set up. The overarching theme is to launch early, treat first users as co-founders, iterate publicly, and leverage every piece of feedback into social proof and word-of-mouth.
Opinion Analysis
Mainstream consensus: The first 10–20 users come from 1:1 conversations, niche communities, and build-in-public transparency—not from ads or automation. Cold outreach succeeds when it asks for feedback first. Product Hunt and directories work only after groundwork of testimonials and clear messaging. Controversy: Some swear by paid directories early, others say they’re too expensive and social channels are enough. A minority still believe in polishing the product before launch, but the majority advocates launching rough and iterating with users. Automation tools like CrowdWatch/Notifier are pitched repeatedly, showing demand but also skepticism about losing authentic engagement.
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprout24 | - | SaaS Analytics | Early users via LinkedIn/Reddit feedback |
| CrowdWatch | https://crowdwatch.tech | Social Listening | Finds relevant Reddit/LinkedIn/X conversations |
| Notifier | - | Social Listening | Found this Reddit post via own tool |
| Marketowl | https://www.marketowl.ai | Cold Outreach | Automates LinkedIn & email outreach |
| PostHog | https://posthog.com | Product Analytics | Tracks user behavior & heatmaps |
| Apollo | - | Sales Engagement | Sequences for warming leads |
| Pulse | - | Reddit Monitoring | Surfaces live Reddit threads |
| Hotjar | https://hotjar.com | Analytics & Feedback | Heatmaps, session recordings |
| Product Hunt | https://www.producthunt.com | Launch Platform | Upcoming launches & directory pickups |
| Capterra | - | Software Directory | Paid & organic listings, high-intent leads |
| G2 | - | Software Directory | Reviews & listings |
| SaaSHub | - | Software Directory | Alternative listings |
| CrozDesk | - | Software Directory | B2B software discovery |
| BetaPage | - | Directory | Beta product listings |
| AlternativeTo | - | Directory | Software alternatives |
| Startups.fyi | - | Directory | Startup tool listings |
| SideProjectors | - | Directory | Side-project discovery |
| SaaSworthy | - | Directory | SaaS product listings |
| Slant.co | - | Directory | Product comparisons |
| F5Bot | - | Keyword Alerts | Free keyword/mention alerts |
| Indie Hackers | - | Community | Founder discussions & launches |
| Hacker News | - | Community | Show HN launches |
| Discord | - | Community | Waitlist & feedback groups |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Getting first real users feels like climbing a mountain
- Cold outreach often ignored or flagged as spam
- Paid ads bring clicks but no intent/ conversions
- Manual monitoring of Reddit/LinkedIn/X is time-consuming
- Lack of audience makes launches flop
- Messaging/copy not resonating without social proof
- Product not polished enough for public launch
- Hard to find high-intent leads in niche communities
- Difficulty tracking which channels actually convert
Problems to Solve:
- How to identify and engage early adopters
- Where to find conversations about the exact pain point
- How to build trust without a brand or testimonials
- Balancing product polish vs. speed to market
- Scaling outreach without losing personal touch
- Turning directory traffic into activated users
- Generating word-of-mouth from first 10 users
Potential Solutions:
- 1:1 conversations & feedback calls instead of mass outreach
- Build-in-public updates to create transparency & trust
- Share user-requested features publicly to show responsiveness
- Use social listening tools to find warm leads in real time
- Launch on Product Hunt with teaser page 30 days early
- List on software directories (Capterra, G2, etc.) for high-intent traffic
- Offer free extended trials in exchange for weekly feedback
- Ship blockers within 24 h and post changelogs publicly
- Collect micro-testimonials from first users for social proof
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Treat first 10 users as co-founders; hand-hold through onboarding
- Build in public: share roadmap, feature requests, weekly updates
- Relaunch on Product Hunt every major feature update
- Push back PH launch date repeatedly to stay in "Upcoming" feeds
- Stack directory listings for passive SEO & referral traffic
- Use testimonials from friends/family as initial social proof
- Cold outreach framed as feedback requests, not sales pitches
- Founder-led content on LinkedIn, Reddit, X, and Indie Hackers
Marketing & Acquisition:
- Reddit: niche subreddits, competitor mentions, keyword tracking
- LinkedIn: cold DMs without pitch, personalized pain-point hooks
- Product Hunt: teaser page + hunter with large following
- Software directories: Capterra, G2, SaaSHub, AlternativeTo
- SEO + LLM recommendations for long-term organic growth
- Partnerships & integrations with key ecosystem players
- Word-of-mouth via "Powered by" signatures in consumer modules
- Community launches (Show HN, Indie Hackers, relevant Discords)
Monetization & Product:
- Launch with less polish, more interaction; iterate with early users
- Add features requested by 80% of early clients to reach PMF faster
- Free 30-60 day trials in exchange for structured feedback
- Paid directory bids (Capterra) once budget available
- Price increases justified by continuous 24-hour feature shipping
- Freemium or low-friction entry to reduce adoption friction
User Engagement:
- Weekly 30-min feedback calls with first users
- Public changelogs posted in same threads where users were acquired
- Discord/Slack communities for real-time support & feature voting
- Micro-testimonials collected after each solved blocker
- Referral loops: early users invite colleagues after public iterations
- Build trust through transparency: share revenue, roadmap, failures