Shipping the app is the part people prepare for. Getting anyone to use it is the part that surprises them. You launch, you post once, a few friends sign up, and then it goes quiet.
That is normal. The first 100 users almost never come from one big launch. They come from a lot of small, manual efforts that do not scale. That is fine. You are not trying to scale yet. You are trying to learn.
Here is how I approach it.
Why 100 is a useful target
One hundred is not a magic number, but it is a useful one. It is enough users to see patterns in how people use the product. It is small enough that you can talk to many of them personally. And it is reachable through effort alone, without a marketing budget.
The goal is not 100 signups. It is 100 people who actually tried the core thing your app does. Track that number, not just accounts created.
Start with people you can name
Write a list of every person you know who has the problem your app solves, or who knows someone who does. Former coworkers, clients, people from groups you belong to, people you interviewed while validating the idea.
Then message them one at a time. Not a mass email. A short personal note:
Hey, I built a tool that does [one specific thing]. I remember you mentioned dealing with [problem]. Would you try it and tell me what is confusing? It takes about five minutes.
Asking for feedback instead of asking them to "check it out" gets a better response, and the feedback is the real point anyway.
For a lot of founders, this list alone gets the first 10 to 30 users. Do not skip it because it feels small.
Go where your users already gather
Your users already spend time somewhere online. Find those places:
- Subreddits for their profession or hobby
- Facebook groups, which are still very active for many industries and local businesses
- Slack and Discord communities
- LinkedIn, if you are selling to professionals
- Industry forums and niche communities
The rule in every community is the same: be a member first. Answer questions. Share what you know. When you do mention your app, frame it around the problem and be upfront that you built it. Read each group's rules about self promotion and follow them. Getting banned from the one group full of your ideal users is an expensive mistake.
Do things that do not scale
Early on, your advantage over bigger companies is that you can give each user personal attention. Use it:
- Email every new signup personally within a day.
- Offer to set up their account for them on a short call.
- Import their existing data for them if that is a barrier.
- Fix a small bug they report the same day, then tell them you fixed it.
None of this works at 10,000 users. All of it works at 50. It also turns early users into people who tell others about you.
Write about the problem, not the product
Search is slow to start, but it compounds. Write posts that answer the questions your users type into Google. Not "Introducing our new app," but posts like "How to track [task] without a spreadsheet" or "[Tool A] vs [Tool B] for [specific use]."
A few basics for each post:
- Pick one specific question per post.
- Put that question, or close to it, in the title.
- Answer it directly and completely.
- Mention your app where it genuinely helps, not in every paragraph.
Do not expect this to bring users in the first month. It usually takes months for new pages to rank. Start early so it is working by the time you need it.
Use launch sites, with the right expectations
Sites like Product Hunt, Hacker News (Show HN), and various startup directories can send a burst of traffic. They are worth doing. Just know what to expect:
- The traffic is often other founders and builders, not necessarily your target user.
- The spike fades within days.
- Preparation matters: clear screenshots, a short description, and being around to answer comments.
If your app is for builders, these sites are a great fit. If your app is for dentists, a dental practice Facebook group is probably worth more than a Product Hunt launch.
Partner with people who already have your audience
Look for people who already reach your users: newsletter writers, consultants, YouTubers, local business groups, or other tools that serve the same people. Offer something useful in return, like a free account for their audience, a guest post, or a co-hosted workshop.
One good partnership can be worth more than a month of posting.
Keep the users you get
Getting users is half the work. If they sign up and never come back, 100 signups means very little. Watch these closely:
- Activation: what percent of signups complete the core action at least once?
- Return: what percent come back within a week?
- Drop off: where in the signup or setup flow do people quit?
This is where analytics pays off. If most people sign up but never finish setup, the problem is not traffic. It is the first few minutes of your app. Fix that before you go looking for more users.
Also, talk to people who stopped using it. A short, polite email asking why gets a surprising number of honest answers.
Keep a simple weekly routine
Consistency beats bursts. A routine I suggest:
- Send five personal messages to potential users.
- Spend some time being helpful in one or two communities.
- Publish or update one piece of content.
- Email every new signup.
- Look at your activation numbers and pick one thing to improve.
Small steps, every week. That is how most products get to their first 100.
What not to do
- Do not buy email lists. It hurts your sender reputation and often breaks the law.
- Do not spam communities. One honest post beats twenty copy and paste ones.
- Do not spend heavily on ads yet. Until people stick around, paid traffic mostly buys you signups who leave.
- Do not wait for the app to be perfect. Your first users will tell you what to fix.
If you want other builders to compare notes with while you work on this, the Outlaw and Crew memberships include a weekly group office hour where we work through exactly these problems.
What would have made it better?