FIRST USERS

How to Get the First Users for Your Side Project

A practical first-user plan for solo makers: define a narrow audience, recruit manually, observe real use, and turn early conversations into evidence.

A finished product does not automatically create distribution. The first users usually arrive because a maker identifies a small group with a specific problem and speaks to them directly.

Your first goal is not scale. It is to find five to ten people who match the intended user, watch what happens when they try the product, and learn which promise is strong enough to repeat.

Start with one observable user situation

Replace a broad audience such as 'creators' with a situation you can recognize. For example: solo developers who have a working web app but have not received feedback from anyone outside their immediate circle.

Write one sentence that combines the user, the moment, and the desired result. This gives you a testable recruitment filter and prevents friendly but irrelevant feedback from shaping the product.

  • User: who experiences the problem repeatedly?
  • Moment: what event makes the problem urgent now?
  • Result: what useful change should happen after one session?

Recruit manually before automating acquisition

Choose two places where the target users already discuss their work. Read the rules and recent conversations before posting. A short personal message that explains why the product may be relevant is more useful than dropping the same promotional link into many communities.

Ask for a small commitment: a ten-minute test or an answer to one question. Track invitations, replies, completed trials, and follow-up conversations in a simple table. This reveals whether the problem, message, or product experience is the current constraint.

Observe behavior instead of collecting compliments

Give the user a realistic task and avoid explaining every control. Note where they hesitate, what they expect to happen, and whether they reach the promised result. After the attempt, ask what they thought the product was for and what would make them use it again.

A useful early signal is repeated behavior from the intended audience. One return visit or one voluntary share can be more informative than dozens of supportive reactions from people who never needed the product.

Turn the first ten sessions into a launch asset

Group observations into messaging, onboarding, reliability, and missing-value issues. Fix the smallest high-frequency obstacle first, then invite the same users back. Record only factual outcomes and obtain consent before publishing a quote or case study.

Use the language users naturally repeated to improve the headline, product description, and call to action. The result is a clearer launch page supported by evidence rather than assumptions.

  • Define one narrow user situation and one desired result.
  • List 20 relevant people or conversations, not 20 generic channels.
  • Send personal invitations with a small, clear request.
  • Observe at least five real attempts before redesigning broadly.
  • Measure replies, trials, successful outcomes, and return use separately.

Need a clearer first-user invitation?

Founding 30 reviews your target user, launch message, and first-use path before you recruit more people.