How to Get Your First 100 Users for a SaaS (Without an Audience)

Your first 100 users won't come from ads or SEO. They come from you, one conversation at a time. The good news: 100 is a small number, and every one of them can teach you something that makes the next 1,000 easier.

1. Start with the people who already have the problem

Write down where your future users spend time online: specific subreddits, Slack and Discord communities, forums, LinkedIn groups, GitHub issues of related tools. Then find people who are already complaining about the problem you solve.

A short, specific message works best:

"Saw your post about juggling three tools for X. I built something that does it in one place — would you try it and tell me what's missing? Happy to set it up for you."

Twenty of these a day for two weeks is 280 conversations. Even a 10% reply rate gets you most of the way to 100.

2. Do things that don't scale

• Onboard early users on a call and set up their account with them.
• Import their data for them.
• Reply to support emails within minutes.

Early users remember this, tell their friends, and give you the honest feedback you need.

3. Launch on platforms built for new products

Launch platforms exist to put new products in front of people who like trying them. Each launch is a small spike of visitors, feedback and backlinks.

• Weekly launch editions such as LaunchStall give your product a full week on the leaderboard, so you don't need a large audience ready at one exact minute.
• Daily platforms like Product Hunt reward a strong first few hours and an existing network.
• Niche platforms focused on developer tools, AI tools or no-code reach a more targeted crowd.

See our comparison of Product Hunt alternatives to pick two or three that fit your product.

4. Share what you're building, in public

Posting progress on X, LinkedIn or Indie Hackers builds an audience while you build the product. Share real numbers, decisions and mistakes — people follow stories, not announcements. Tag the makers whose tools you use; they often reshare.

5. Submit to directories in your niche

Directories won't send floods of traffic, but a dozen relevant listings add steady discovery and help your new domain get indexed and trusted. Our guide to startup directories explains which ones are worth your time.

6. Write the article you wish existed

Pick one specific problem your users search for ("how to export X to Y", "X vs Y for small teams") and write the most useful answer on the internet. One genuinely helpful article can bring signups for years.

7. Turn every user into the next one

• Ask happy users for a short quote you can put on your homepage.
• Add a simple referral incentive (an extra month, more credits).
• After launch, put your "Featured on" badges on your site — social proof matters most when you're new.

A realistic 30-day plan

1. Week 1: 100 personal messages in communities where the problem lives.
2. Week 2: launch on one weekly launch platform and post in two communities.
3. Week 3: submit to 10 relevant directories and write one helpful article.
4. Week 4: follow up with every user, fix the top issues, ask for referrals.

The mindset that gets you there

Your first users aren't a growth problem; they're a conversation problem. Talk to more people than feels comfortable, make it easy to say yes, and keep showing up.

When you're ready for your first public launch, launch on LaunchStall — free with our badge on your site, with a full week on the leaderboard.