Back

Vikas Acharya

Building WelBe| Entr... • 2m

Startup Basics Day 5: Finding Your First Customers You’ve got your MVP, you’re starting to market it, but now comes the real challenge: finding your first customers. These early adopters are super important because they’ll help you test your product, give you feedback, and maybe even spread the word. Let’s dive into how to find them! Why Are First Customers So Important? They validate your product. They give you real-world feedback to improve. They’re often your biggest supporters and can help spread the word. Think of your first customers as partners in building your startup. Step 1: Define Your Ideal Customer You can’t sell to everyone, so focus on who your product is for. Ask yourself: Who needs this the most? What problem does it solve for them? Where can I find them? Example: If your product is a task management app for freelancers, your ideal customer might be solo entrepreneurs or gig workers struggling with organization. Step 2: Start with Your Network Your first customers are often people you already know. Friends & Family: Let them know what you’re building. Social Media: Share updates on your personal profiles—LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, wherever your audience hangs out. Professional Groups: Join forums, Facebook groups, or Slack communities related to your industry. Be honest and personal: “Hey, I’m building [product] to solve [problem]. If you’re interested, I’d love your feedback!” Step 3: Offer Free Trials or Discounts People love trying things for free. Offer a limited-time free trial or a discount for your early users. This lowers the barrier for them to try your product. Example: “Sign up today and get 1 month free!” Step 4: Use Outreach Techniques Cold Emails Write a short, personal email explaining what your product does and how it can help. Example: “Hi [Name], I noticed you work in [industry]. I’m building [product] to solve [problem]. Would you be open to trying it out?” Cold Calls/DMs If appropriate, reach out directly via LinkedIn, Instagram, or other platforms. Keep it friendly and conversational. Attend Events Go to local meetups, online webinars, or industry conferences. Talk to people, introduce your product, and get feedback. Step 5: Leverage Referrals Encourage your early customers to refer others by offering incentives like discounts or freebies. Example: “Invite a friend and get an extra month free!” Step 6: Partner with Communities Collaborate with influencers, bloggers, or communities where your audience already hangs out. This helps you tap into an existing audience. Mistakes to Avoid Being Too Pushy: Focus on building relationships, not just making sales. Ignoring Feedback: Listen to your early users—they’ll tell you what’s working and what’s not. Trying to Please Everyone: Stick to your target audience. What’s Next? You’re on your way to building a community of customers. Tomorrow, we’ll talk about how to handle feedback and iterate your product to make it even better. See you in Day 6: Iterating Based on Feedback! Need help drafting outreach emails or DMs? Let me know—I can create templates for you!

11 replies5 likes
3
Replies (11)

More like this

Recommendations from Medial

Image Description
Image Description

Tanmay Sinha

 • 

Mr Programmer • 7m

What are the Best Ways to market a Product for Free! If you have no existing audience (customers)

44 replies14 likes
13
Image Description
Image Description

Jay Gadekar

 • 

Shram • 8m

Hi everyone! Shram is live on Product Hunt today. With Shram you can connect daily work to performance. We would really appreciate your support and feel free to ask us questions or review or product. We are super excited about receiving all feedback

See More
5 replies10 likes
2
Image Description
Image Description

Pratishtha Kumari

Hey I am on Medial • 1d

Is solopreneurship real? There are many folks talking about building a personal brand, that pays them well enough. Their flow is usually like this: 1. Post valuable content in your niche. 2. Build a genuine audience. 3. Build a product (a cours

See More
6 replies13 likes
2
Image Description
Image Description

Anonymous

.. • 11m

Building ecommerce platform that connects local vendors and customers with in a range and offers with in 24 hrs delivery. Feel free to connect if you are interested. It would be very helpful to us if any feedback or suggestions on the idea.

8 replies3 likes
Image Description
Image Description

Chamarti Sreekar

Passionate about Pos... • 4m

Unpopular opinion but I think we should NOT build our business like: 1. Idea 2. Product 3. Audience Instead we should pursue 1. Idea 2. Audience 3. Product Building a product is often quite easy compared to building an audience.

18 replies16 likes
1

Vikas Acharya

Building WelBe| Entr... • 2m

Startup basics Day 4: How to Market Your Startup Now that you’ve built your MVP, it’s time to get it in front of people. Building something great is just half the journey—the real magic happens when people start noticing and using your product. So,

See More
0 replies13 likes
6
Image Description
Image Description

Rajan Paswan

Honorary Mentions - ... • 11m

Have you ever had a fantastic idea for a product or service, but weren't sure how to turn it into a reality? This is where the Business Model Canvas comes in. Imagine the Business Model Canvas as a one-page blueprint for your business idea. It's d

See More
5 replies13 likes
5

Aaryan Agrawal

The owner of self - ... • 11d

*USP (Unique Selling Proposition)* refers to the distinctive feature or benefit that sets your product or service apart from competitors. This is essentially the reason why customers should choose your product over others, highlighting its uniqueness

See More
0 replies3 likes
Image Description

Basavaraj k Chikki

Entrepreneur, roboti... • 5d

Customer Validation > MVP: 5 Reasons Why It’s Your Startup’s First Step 90% of startups fail—many because they build before validating. Here’s why talking to customers beats rushing an MVP: 1.Confirms Product-Market Fit – Avoid building what no one

See More
1 replies17 likes
Image Description
Image Description

vishakha Jangir

 • 

Set2Score • 5m

𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 : If you have repeat customers for a particular product, it’s a sign that your product is meeting their needs. Take time to analyze what customers like about this product so that you can apply the same approach to o

See More
6 replies18 likes
2

Download the medial app to read full posts, comements and news.