Landing your first users is terrifying. You’ve built something, and now you need people to actually use it. But here’s what most founders get wrong: they obsess over user count when they should be obsessing over user insight.
Getting traction isn’t about going viral on day one. It’s about finding people who have the problem you’re solving, getting them to try your solution, and learning enough to make your product better.
Where to Find Your First Users
Forget about paid ads and growth hacks for now. Your first users should come from places where you can actually talk to them.
Go where your customers already hang out. If you’re building project management software for designers, join design communities on Reddit, Discord, or Slack. Don’t spam—participate genuinely, then share what you’re building when it’s relevant.
Leverage your network. Your first ten users might come from friends, former colleagues, or LinkedIn connections. Yes, they’re biased, but they’ll also give you honest feedback if you ask the right questions.
Create content that attracts your audience. Write about the problem you’re solving. If you’re building an invoice tool for freelancers, write about freelance payment nightmares. People searching for solutions will find you.
Launch on the right platforms. Product Hunt, Hacker News, and indie hacker communities can drive your first wave of users. But timing matters—launch when you’re ready to handle feedback, not when your product is half-broken.
The Personal Outreach Strategy
This doesn’t scale, and that’s exactly why it works early on.
Find 50 people who fit your ideal customer profile. Email them individually. Not a template—actually personalized messages that show you understand their problem. Offer them free access in exchange for a 20-minute call.
Most won’t respond. Some will ghost you after signing up. But five conversations with real users will teach you more than 500 silent sign-ups.
What to Actually Learn From Early Users
Getting users is pointless if you’re not learning from them. Here’s what matters:
Which features do they actually use? Not what they say they want—what do they click on repeatedly? Track this from day one. You might be surprised that your “killer feature” gets ignored while something you threw together in an afternoon becomes essential.
Where do they get stuck? Watch someone use your product (screen share, user testing sessions, or tools like Hotjar). Every moment of confusion is a learning opportunity. If three people get stuck in the same place, that’s a problem worth fixing immediately.
What problem are they really solving? Sometimes users come to your product for reasons you didn’t expect. Slack started as a gaming company’s internal chat tool. Instagram started as a check-in app before they noticed everyone just wanted to share photos. Stay open to pivoting based on how people actually use what you’ve built.
Why did they almost leave? Talk to people who signed up but didn’t stick around. These conversations hurt, but they’re gold. Maybe your onboarding is confusing. Maybe they didn’t understand the value. Maybe you’re solving a problem they don’t actually have.
Building a Feedback Loop
Set up regular user conversations—weekly at first. Make it easy for people to reach you. Put your email on your website. Add an in-app feedback button. Join the same Slack channels as your users.
Create a simple system to track feedback. A spreadsheet works fine. Note the user, their problem, how often you hear it, and whether you’re going to address it. This helps you spot patterns instead of chasing every random feature request.
The Traction Trap to Avoid
Here’s where founders screw up: they get 100 users and immediately start worrying about getting to 1,000. They shift focus to growth tactics before understanding what’s working.
Resist this. If you can’t keep your first 50 users engaged, getting 500 more won’t help. Figure out product-market fit with a small group first. Make 10 people love your product before trying to make 10,000 people like it.
Measuring Real Traction
Vanity metrics feel good but teach you nothing. Sign-ups don’t matter if no one comes back.
Track these instead: How many users are active weekly? How many came back after their first session? How long before someone experiences your core value? What percentage of users would be disappointed if your product disappeared?
That last one—Sean Ellis’s famous question—is your north star. If more than 40% of users would be “very disappointed” without your product, you’re onto something real.
When to Shift From Learning to Growing
You’ll know you’re ready to focus on growth when you see patterns. Multiple users solving the same problem the same way. People naturally referring others. Users paying without much convincing.
Until then, stay small and learn deeply. Your first users aren’t just customers—they’re your co-creators. Listen to them, build with them, and let their needs guide your next steps.
The startups that win don’t just acquire users faster. They learn faster. Make learning your competitive advantage.