How to Get Your First 100 Users as a Solo Founder
You validated your idea. You built an MVP. You launched. And then... crickets.
The hardest truth in indie hacking isn't building the product — it's getting people to use it. You can have the best solution in the world, but if nobody knows it exists, you have nothing.
Getting your first 100 users is the biggest hurdle every solo founder faces. Here are the approaches that actually work, when to use each, and why a waitlist might be exactly what you need.
The options for getting your first users
Every method for acquiring early users trades one currency for another: time, money, effort, or authenticity. The trick is picking the right tradeoff for your situation.
Option 1: Community engagement
You show up where your target audience hangs out and add genuine value — answering questions, sharing insights, and being helpful without selling.
When it works: You know exactly who your users are and where they congregate. B2B founders can thrive in niche subreddits, Discord servers, and LinkedIn groups. B2C founders can find their audience on X, TikTok, or Instagram.
Where it falls short: It's slow. You might spend weeks building reputation before a single person clicks your link. You can't scale it — each conversation is manual.
Best for: Founders who enjoy the human side of business and have time on their side.
Option 2: Direct outreach
You identify potential users one by one and reach out personally — via DM, email, or comment. You don't pitch; you start a conversation about the problem you solve.
When it works: You're solving a specific, high-pain problem for a well-defined audience. A solo founder building invoicing software for freelancers can DM freelancers on X who just complained about late payments.
Where it falls short: It doesn't scale past the first 50–100 users. Each outreach takes time, and some people will ignore you. It also feels uncomfortable at first — but it works.
Best for: Founders who want a high-converting channel and aren't afraid of rejection.
Option 3: Building in public
You share your journey transparently — wins, struggles, numbers, lessons. You post regularly on X, write threads, and let people follow along.
When it works: You have the discipline to post consistently for months without seeing immediate results. Building in public compounds: 10 followers becomes 100 becomes 1,000.
Where it falls short: It requires sustained effort over a long period. Most people quit after 2 weeks of posting to zero engagement. It also doesn't work if you're not genuinely sharing — audiences smell inauthenticity immediately.
Best for: Founders who are comfortable being visible and can commit to a consistent posting rhythm.
Option 4: Content marketing
You write helpful content (blog posts, guides, videos) that answers the exact questions your target users are searching for. Each piece of content is a lead generation machine that works while you sleep.
When it works: You're in a space where people search for answers. B2B SaaS is perfect for this — founders Google "how to validate an idea" or "how to get first users" every day.
Where it falls short: It takes months to rank in Google. You might write 20 posts before seeing any organic traffic. It's a long game.
Best for: Founders who can write or create content and are willing to invest for the long term.
Option 5: A landing page with a waitlist
You create a simple page that explains what you're building and captures emails. You drive traffic to it from any channel you have access to.
When it works: You're pre-launch and need to validate demand while building your user list. A waitlist page is a single destination you can point every channel toward.
Where it falls short: A page with no traffic gets no signups. You still need to drive people there — it's a destination, not a growth engine on its own.
Best for: Founders who want to track which channels work best and build a launch list simultaneously.
Option 6: Product Hunt launch
You prepare a polished launch with a demo, assets, and a plan to mobilize your existing audience on launch day.
When it works: You already have at least a small following (100+ people) who will upvote and comment on launch day. A top-5 Product Hunt launch can bring thousands of visitors.
Where it falls short: Without an existing audience, your launch will be invisible. And even a successful launch doesn't guarantee retention — many Product Hunt "hits" see a spike then flatline.
Best for: Founders who have a small community already and want a concentrated burst of attention.
Acquisition channels compared
| Approach | Time to results | Effort | Scalability | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community engagement | 2–4 weeks | Medium | Low | You know where your audience hangs out |
| Direct outreach | Immediate | High | Low | You have a clear ICP and can find individuals |
| Building in public | 2–6 months | High | Medium | You enjoy sharing your journey publicly |
| Content marketing | 3–12 months | Medium | High | You're in a space with search demand |
| Landing page + waitlist | 1–4 weeks | Low | Medium | You're pre-launch and need to validate |
| Product Hunt launch | 1 day (prep: 2 weeks) | Medium | Low (one-time) | You have a small audience to mobilize |
There's no single right answer. Most successful founders combine 2-3 channels. The question is which mix fits your personality, timeline, and resources.
When a waitlist is the right call
If you're a solo founder with no existing audience and a B2B SaaS product, the most effective early strategy is often:
- Pick one organic channel — Reddit, X, or a niche community where your users hang out
- Create a simple waitlist page — one headline, one description, one email field
- Drive every conversation to that page — not to a "learn more" or a demo request, just to the waitlist
- Add a referral system — every signup gets a unique link; when their friends join, they move up the list
The waitlist serves dual purpose: it validates demand (how many sign up from a genuine interaction?) and it builds your launch list. Every person who joins is someone you can email on launch day.
More importantly, a waitlist with referrals turns your first 10 users into a growth engine. Each person has an incentive to share. It's the only channel on this list that compounds automatically — every new user helps you acquire the next one.
How to actually get those first 100 users
Here's a concrete playbook that works for a solo founder with zero audience:
Step 1: Find where your users are
Spend one day searching Reddit, X, IndieHackers, and niche communities for conversations about the problem you solve. Don't pitch. Just observe. Note the language people use, the specific frustrations they share, and who's asking for a solution.
Step 2: Join the conversation
Respond to 5 posts or threads per day. Add genuine value — answer questions, share your experience, offer advice. Link your waitlist only when it's a natural answer to someone's question ("I'm actually building something for this exact problem — here's the waitlist if you want early access").
Step 3: Post your journey
Share what you're building on X once a day. Not "check out my product" — share struggles, lessons, small wins. People follow journeys, not launches.
Step 4: Convert to waitlist
Every interaction ends the same way: a genuine conversation followed by a natural invitation to join the waitlist. No hard sell. The waitlist page should clearly state the problem and what happens after they sign up.
Step 5: Activate referrals
Once people join, send them their unique referral link. Tell them: "Move up the waitlist by sharing with friends who'd benefit." This turns every signup into a potential recruiter.
Step 6: Compound
The first 10 users are the hardest. The next 50 come easier. By the time you hit 100, you have a community, not just a list.
How to track progress
| Week | Goal | Channel focus | Expected signups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start conversations | Reddit / IndieHackers | 5-10 |
| 2 | Build momentum | X / direct outreach | 10-20 |
| 3 | Activate referrals | Referral emails | 15-30 |
| 4 | Consolidate | All channels + referral compounding | 20-40 |
| Total | First 100 users | — | 100+ |
The numbers vary by niche and execution, but this trajectory is realistic for a solo founder putting in 2-3 hours per day on distribution.
When not to use a waitlist
A waitlist is a tool, not a magic button. It won't help if:
- You don't know who your users are. A waitlist needs traffic. Without a target audience, you're shouting into the void.
- You can't articulate the problem. If your landing page is vague, nobody will sign up regardless of the channel.
- You need revenue immediately. A waitlist captures emails, not payments. If you need cash flow this month, sell first, build later.
The point of the first 100
Your first 100 users aren't just a vanity metric. They're the people who will tell you what to build next. They'll point out bugs you missed. They'll refer their friends. Some of them will become your biggest advocates.
The goal isn't to get 100 users — it's to find the 10 who can't live without your product, and let them help you find the rest.
A waitlist won't build itself. But it's the simplest infrastructure you can put in place while you focus on the hard part: getting in front of the right people, one conversation at a time.
Related guides
- Launch Day Playbook: How to Convert Your Waitlist into Paying Customers — turning your email subscribers into your first paying customers on launch day
- How to Build a Referral Program That Grows Your Waitlist Before Launch — a deep dive on the referral system that activates your early supporters
- How to Write Waitlist Copy That Converts Visitors into Subscribers — writing a waitlist page that turns visitors into the subscribers you need for your first 100 users
- How to Write a Waitlist Email Sequence That Converts — turning your waitlist subscribers into active users through pre-launch email communication
- Building in Public: What Actually Works for Solo Founders — how consistent sharing attracts and converts followers into waitlist signups
- How to Build an Audience Before Your Product Is Ready — building trust and interest before you launch
- The Solo Founder's Pre-Launch Playbook — a complete 30-day launch sequence that turns your first 100 users into momentum
- Email vs Waitlist vs Landing Page: Which Comes First? — choosing the right channel for your stage
- How to Launch on Product Hunt — turning your early users into launch day amplification
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