Ask HN: How are you acquiring your first hundred users?

#1

Post by amanchanda » Tue, May 13, 2025, 8:41 AM UTC

I am building a B2C AI SaaS with $50/month price. How would you go about getting with first 100 users and then the next 500 users.

What we are currently doing: 1) Cold outreach to power users - to convert them into affiliates. 2) Cold outreach to individuals who have target ICP communities. 3) SEO for more long term (not for the first 500)

Re: Ask HN: How are you acquiring your first hundred users?

#2

Post by deekshaaashaaa » Tue, May 13, 2025, 8:44 AM UTC

let me know when you figure out

Re: Ask HN: How are you acquiring your first hundred users?

#3

Post by starbase3496 » Tue, May 13, 2025, 9:04 AM UTC

The YC Startup School series on YouTube is pretty good! There’s a video dedicated to the topic: https://youtu.be/hyYCn_kAngI?si=cSCikwHVu5e0NGf5

Re: Ask HN: How are you acquiring your first hundred users?

#4

Post by dandelion9 » Tue, May 13, 2025, 9:05 AM UTC

[flagged]

Re: Ask HN: How are you acquiring your first hundred users?

#5

Post by j45 » Tue, May 13, 2025, 9:15 AM UTC

Depends on the problem being solved, and where that audience hangs out.

I would go find the audience it was built for.

Re: Ask HN: How are you acquiring your first hundred users?

#6

Post by podnami » Tue, May 13, 2025, 9:17 AM UTC

Make a cool product video. It’s easier for people to grok the basic value prop for a product (and it forces you to think about it) vs needing to read product specs. It’s definitely worthwhile using a professional to get it created as it can be used for fundraising/sales etc

Re: Ask HN: How are you acquiring your first hundred users?

#7

Post by coolcase » Tue, May 13, 2025, 9:22 AM UTC

Experiment alot!

Re: Ask HN: How are you acquiring your first hundred users?

#8

Post by 999900000999 » Tue, May 13, 2025, 9:22 AM UTC

Find a way to make it free to start.

This is how Firebase, Supabase and friends work.

Getting 100 people to sign up for a free service is still work, but significantly less.

Re: Ask HN: How are you acquiring your first hundred users?

#9

Post by reillyse » Tue, May 13, 2025, 9:28 AM UTC

The basic (marketing) problem is find where your users hang out and go meet them there. Usually for these kinds of products your customers will congregate somewhere online, reaching them though can be very tough. Try and drill down super narrow (if you can’t find a large community together ). Don’t try to convert new people, find people who are searching for a solution.

Re: Ask HN: How are you acquiring your first hundred users?

#10

Post by vanschelven » Tue, May 13, 2025, 9:28 AM UTC

Grown way past 100 users with:

• Make a great product. Everyone tells you "build it and they will come" is not working anymore, but it's working _for me_.

• Outreach via your network. Talk to people with the intent of learning, not selling.

• I'm personally on a freemium model. But that's in the developer-to-developer market, which is vastly different from your B2C

EDIT:

https://www.bugsink.com/ link to product, may give an idea of what we're doing.