How to Get Your First 100 Users

A Repeatable Playbook for Founders, Agencies, and Builders

Most early-stage products don’t fail because they’re bad.

They fail because no one sees them.

If you want users—real users—you don’t need to go viral. You need to show up consistently, across the right channels, and make your product easy to find, understand, and try.

This is the practical system we use with clients and internal projects to get from zero to 100 (and then 1,000) users.

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Step 1: List Your Product Everywhere

This step alone can drive your first 30–50 users if done right.

Submit your product to:

• Product Hunt
• BetaList
• DevHunt
• Peerlist
• AppSumo
• Indie Hackers
• DailyPings
• AlternativeTo

If it accepts new apps or tools, submit. Manually, if needed.
Use submission tools if they help, but don’t overcomplicate it.

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Step 2: Post Daily on Social Media

One post won’t do much.

But 100 posts—consistently, with iteration and improvement—can completely change your traction curve.

What to do:

• Choose 1–2 platforms where your users spend time (e.g., X, LinkedIn, Instagram)
• Post every day for 100 days
• Recycle what works and build on momentum
• Use visuals, customer insights, behind-the-scenes, feature walkthroughs, and user testimonials

You’re not just marketing—you’re learning what your audience responds to.

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Step 3: Study (and Borrow From) Your Competitors

Find competitors in your niche. Reverse-engineer where they’re being discovered.

• Look at where they’re listed
• Find backlink sources using tools like Ahrefs or SimilarWeb
• Analyze what content ranks on Google for their brand and category
• Look at Reddit, newsletters, niche communities, and roundups

Then: replicate those listings. Write better blog posts. Submit to the same directories. Offer more useful answers in forums.

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Step 4: Master Reddit (the Right Way)

Reddit is one of the most overlooked organic marketing channels.

Done right, it builds trust, generates feedback, and drives targeted traffic.

Consider these 30+ subreddits:

1.  r/startups  
2.  r/Entrepreneur  
3.  r/startup  
4.  r/ProductMgt  
5.  r/sweatystartup  
6.  r/smallbusiness  
7.  r/RoastMyStartup  
8.  r/SideProject  
9. r/indiebiz  
10. r/business  
11. r/startups_promotion  
12. r/thesidehustle  
13. r/growmybusiness  
14. r/productivity  
15. r/InternetIsBeautiful  
16. r/Webdev  
17. r/programming  
18. r/Webdesign  
19. r/EntrepreneurRideAlong  
20. r/Plugyourproduct  
21. r/MadeThis  
22. r/AlphaandBetausers  
23. r/advancedentrepreneur  
24. r/design_critiques  
25. r/Coupons  
26. r/LadyBusiness  
27. r/AskReddit  
28. r/TodayILearned  
29. r/WantToLearn  
30. r/marketing  
31. r/IndieDev  
32. r/B2B  
33. r/ecommerce  
34. r/freelance  

But don’t just drop links. Instead:

• Be helpful first
• Answer questions
• Share your thought process
• Ask for feedback
• Then, when relevant—share your product

People on Reddit know when they’re being marketed to. Build trust before making the ask.

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Step 5: Use AI + SEO to Drive Free Traffic

AI tools like ChatGPT can help you create high-quality SEO content quickly.

Here’s a basic plan:

• Generate 50 blog posts targeting long-tail search terms
• Use your product’s features, use cases, and customer pain points as inspiration
• Format content with clear structure, subheadings, and examples
• Publish regularly to build authority

With consistent effort, you can drive search traffic and build domain trust (aim for DR15+ early on).

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Step 6: Run Low-Budget Ads

Paid ads can validate your offer and messaging quickly.

Start with:

• X (good for tech/startup niches)
• Google Ads (great for intent-based search)
• Facebook/Instagram (strong for visual or lifestyle products)
• Bing (underrated and cost-effective)

Keep the budget lean. One simple ad, one goal, one conversion path.

Set and forget—then analyze what worked and improve from there.

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Step 7: Cold DMs and Replies

Sometimes the best traction comes from 1:1 outreach.

Find people who would actually benefit from your product:

• On Reddit
• In comment sections
• On social media
• In Slack/Discord communities
• Inside LinkedIn groups

Then message them:

• Short
• Honest
• Relevant

Skip the sales pitch. Instead, explain what you’re building and why it might help. Ask for feedback, not a sale.

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Final Tips and Reminders

• Don’t try to do all of this in one day
• Focus on one action per day, consistently, for 30–60 days
• Track what works and double down on it
• Remember: this isn’t about virality. It’s about steady discovery.

Once you get to 100 users, the playbook doesn’t change—it just scales.

And if you need help structuring your launch, designing conversion-focused pages, or setting up a proper growth foundation, we do this every day.

Let’s talk.