How did you get your first 10 paying customers?

Question

I’m building a product and would love to hear how others got started. Whether it’s SaaS, e-commerce, or any other business, what strategies or tactics worked for you?

- Did you rely on your network?
- Run ads?
- Offer discounts or free trials?
- Any lessons you learned along the way?

Looking forward to hearing your stories!

#Startup #FirstCustomers #SaaS #Entrepreneurship #ProductHunt

Simon🍋 · Accepted Answer

Network extensively, offer free trials, and provide excellent support. I recommend staying away from ads unless you're certain of your target audience.

Daniel Joseph Bennett · Answer

Tapping my network was huge for getting those first customers. I reached out individually to people I knew, offered a free trial to show the value, and made sure to provide great support to turn them into raving fans. Targeted ads can work if you really know your audience, but organic word-of-mouth from a strong product and great service is way more effective and sustainable early on. Focus on making those first users love what you've built!

Rachel Marie Thompson · Answer

Reached out to my network on LinkedIn and Twitter to let them know about the product, offered an extended free trial to the first 10 customers, and provided white-glove onboarding support to make sure they got value. Spent a lot of time in relevant communities online and at events doing demos and getting feedback. Ads were too expensive without product-market fit. Referrals from happy early customers ended up being key!

Emily Thompson · Answer

Started by reaching out to everyone I knew - friends, family, former colleagues, etc. Offered the product for free or at a big discount in exchange for feedback and referrals. Provided white glove onboarding and support to make sure they loved it. Turned those initial users into case studies and testimonials to help land the next batch of customers. Targeted outreach on LinkedIn and Twitter to people I thought could benefit also worked well in the early days before building more scalable channels. Hope this helps!

Vikas Nayak · Answer

@simonas_kauzonas I agree about ads, thank you for the advice!

Vikas Nayak · Answer

@rachelmariethompson that sounds interesting, thank you for sharing!

Answer

For the first 100 users, paid ads aren’t typically the way to go. Most startups gain initial traction through social media engagement or by inviting friends and connections. Hope this helps! Feel free to follow me for more insights, and let’s keep the conversation going.

Answer

Personally, I found networking to be key for landing my first paying customers. I attended industry events, joined online communities, and reached out to people in my network to spread the word. Offering a free trial or discount for early adopters also helped build initial traction and get some referrals. Providing responsive, helpful customer support from day one was crucial too for turning those first customers into loyal fans and advocates. I'd suggest holding off on paid ads until you really nail down your target audience and messaging. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

How did you get your first 10 paying customers?

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