Indie Hackers, I’d love your advice on launching a SaaS.

One data point on the launch-directory question, since I just measured it instead of guessing.

I put a dev tool on a weekly launch board with no audience. It finished 96th of the week: 14 upvotes, 41 views, one comment. Fifteenth place needed 47 upvotes. That gap isn't tactics, it's people, and the votes come from whoever you can already reach, so a board like that mostly converts an audience you have rather than building you one.

What I'd keep from it: the listing is a permanent indexed page with a real backlink, so it's worth the hour on those terms. Budgeting it as distribution was the mistake, and it was mine.

If you’re launching a SaaS, I’d focus less on trying to make everything perfect and more on getting the first few real users as quickly as possible. Talk to potential customers before building too much, figure out the one problem they’d actually pay to solve, and launch a simple version around that.

Also, don’t underestimate distribution. A useful product is great, but getting it in front of the right people is often the harder part. Even 5–10 active users can teach you a lot about what to improve next.

For AppNatively, I would make one decision before choosing a channel: treat eCommerce, directories, and booking businesses as three separate markets, then freeze one micro-segment for a two-week test. The first-10 offer could be a manual “website-to-app eligibility review,” not a generic beta invite: inspect the existing site, name the recurring mobile job that might justify an app, list the one or two native capabilities that matter, and say honestly when a responsive website is enough. Only invite a prospect to build when they already have repeat users and a real reason for those users to return. For activation, do not count the business owner creating an account. Ask each owner to recruit five existing customers, then measure install → one core action (purchase, booking, or directory task) → seven-day return. If customers install but do not complete or repeat that action, more launch channels will not solve the underlying value problem. If they do, the exact before/after story becomes the proof for the next 50 users. This makes direct outreach useful even to people who should not buy, and it keeps the message specific instead of “turn any website into an app.”

I’d acquire the first 10, 50 and 100 users using different strategies.

For the first 10, I’d go very manual. Talk to people who have the problem, reach out directly, and help them get value from the product. You’ll learn far more from those conversations and understand whether you are solving a real pain point.

Once you understand why those first users came, you can start looking for repeatable channels for the next 50 and 100.

I’d also resist trying too many channels at once. Find one place where your actual users already hang out and get very good at reaching them there.

For the first 100 users, I would keep it simple and avoid trying every channel at once. Start with direct outreach to people who clearly have the problem your SaaS solves. Get the first 10 users manually and talk to them. Ask what made them sign up and what almost stopped them. Then use those answers to improve the landing page and message. For the next 50, repeat what worked and add one community channel like Indie Hackers or Reddit. I would leave paid ads until the message is proven.

I’m at a very similar stage right now. I’ve built my product and I’m realizing that getting the first users is a completely different challenge from building it. I’m currently experimenting with Product Hunt, Reddit, Indie Hackers, LinkedIn, and SEO. My focus now is less on adding more features and more on understanding which channels actually bring users who stick around. Would love to hear what ends up working best for you too.

Congrats on getting the product built and ready for launch! That’s already a huge milestone.

If I were starting from scratch to get those first 10, 50, and 100 users, I’d break it down like this:

1. First 10 users: Pure manual, direct outreach
   Forget Product Hunt or SEO for now. Look for people who are actively complaining about the specific problem you solve on Twitter/X, Reddit, or LinkedIn. Send them a personalized message—not a sales pitch, but a genuine "Hey, saw you mentioned X, I built a quick tool to solve that and would love your honest feedback." These first 10 are crucial because they give you raw feedback.

2. 10 to 50 users: Micro-communities & "Build in Public"
   Reddit (in relevant subreddits, but focus on giving value without hard selling), Indie Hackers, and niche Discord/Slack communities. Don't just link drop; post the lessons or challenges you faced while building, and mention your SaaS as context.

3. 50 to 100 users: Launch platforms & early cold email
   This is where Product Hunt, Betalist, or targeted cold email sequences start to make sense because your messaging and positioning are already validated by your first 20-30 users.

What to avoid / what fails early on:

Paid ads (usually burns cash before you have PMF or optimized conversion copy).

Broad SEO/Content marketing (takes months to index and drive organic traffic).

What specific problem does your SaaS solve? Might be able to suggest a few precise subreddits or communities where your ideal users hang out!

I launched my analytics SaaS 3 weeks ago — same boat. Two things I'd do differently from day one: 1) Tag every signup with its source before you have users, not after. If you can't say which channel produced signup #7, you'll double down on the wrong channel for months. 2) Answer questions, don't broadcast. All our early signups came from replies on IH/Reddit/X threads where people were already asking for help; our own posts got views but almost no signups. For the first 100, that reply-loop beats a content calendar.

We’re going through this right now with our SaaS, UmmeedCare.

The product is live, but getting the first users is honestly much harder than building the product 😅

We’ve been trying X, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit and build-in-public content. So far, the biggest lesson is that posting alone doesn’t guarantee reach or users.

If we were starting again, we’d probably spend more time talking directly to potential users before launch and getting feedback from them instead of focusing so much on content.

Still figuring out the first 10 → 50 → 100 users ourselves, so I’d also love to hear what actually worked for others here.

Since you clarified AppNatively is for businesses turning existing websites into native mobile apps, I’d define the first 100 by urgency rather than by “everyone with a website.” For example: ecommerce stores with repeat purchase, booking businesses with recurring customers, or directories/marketplaces where push notifications actually matter. “Any website to an app” sounds broad; “your mobile web experience is leaking repeat buyers and here’s the app shell that fixes it” is a sharper first-user promise.

For the first 10, I’d do concierge audits before channel launches: pick 20 sites in one vertical, record 3 mobile friction points plus one reason an app would actually help, and send that to the owner. The ask becomes “can I turn this into a demo app for you this week?” instead of “please try my SaaS.” If they won’t say yes after seeing their own site’s problems, a bigger channel probably won’t save it.

The path I’d avoid is Product Hunt before you have that wedge. You may get founders judging the builder tool, while your real buyer is an operator judging whether an app will create more repeat orders, bookings, or visits.

I'm currently working on the same. It's still early but I've had the best results with personal outreach and direct messages to online posters who have stated a problem in line with my target audience

I'd say direct 1-on-1 outreach every time. Product Hunt and SEO are great later, but for the first 50 users, nothing beats finding people on LinkedIn/Twitter who have the exact problem, sending a short non-pitchy DM, and offering free onboarding in exchange for feedback.

Still figuring it out myself, but my approach this time is much different from what I've done in the past, which is I'm sure the same mistake many founders make when they are building a product: posting on social media, reddit, TikTok, launch directories, etc., whatever I could do to avoid talking to people.

This time I'm making more of an effort to just talk to people. Cold email outreach. Engaging in conversations, and not just trying to sell, but trying to find ways to serve those customers better.

For the first 100 users, I’d avoid trying to scale every channel at once. I’d start with one clearly defined customer segment and talk directly to people who fit that profile. Early users can tell you much more than analytics alone.

For the first 10 users, I’d focus heavily on direct outreach, personal networks, niche communities, and one-to-one conversations. Once you understand why those users signed up and what convinced them to stay, use those patterns for the next 40–50.

For SEO, I wouldn’t expect quick results, but I’d start building it from day one around specific problems the target users are already searching for. At the same time, communities can work well if you genuinely answer questions instead of dropping promotional links.

For the first 100, I’d prioritize learning and retention over traffic volume. A small group of engaged users can reveal the messaging and acquisition channel worth scaling.

For the first 10, I would not start with a channel list. I would start with one very narrow pain sentence, then go wherever that exact sentence is already being said.

Example: instead of "launch on Product Hunt," search for people saying "I tried X but still can't do Y" and reply with one useful fix, then ask if they want to test the product. The mistake I would avoid is optimizing distribution before proving which pain wording makes strangers care.

The jump from 0 to 10 users is different from 10 to 100. For the first 10, forget scaling. Go find where people complain about the specific pain you solve. Join those threads to help, not to pitch.

If you don't have an audience, platforms like Product Hunt can give you a quick spike, but they won't build a sustainable engine.

I am building Octoloops to automate this: matching your specific product niche to the best non-promotional distribution channels so you don't have to guess.

What pain point does your SaaS target? Share that, and we can look at specific places to find those early users.

I have a same question launched but trying to get real users And one day it is gonna to happen

Still pre-launch myself so take this as "in progress" not "solved," but one thing that's helped: not every channel deserves the same effort. Some directories look useful but gate anything worthwhile behind a paid tier, so I stopped treating "submitted to X" as a win and started checking what I'd actually get back before spending time on it. Also learned the hard way that posting the same thing everywhere doesn't work - what lands on IndieHackers (a real opinion, something people can disagree with) flops on other platforms, and vice versa. Worth tailoring per channel instead of copy-pasting.

Good luck with the launch, the first-100 question never really goes away, it just gets less scary.

The first 10 and the first 100 require completely different playbooks. Conflating them is the mistake most people make.

First 10: ignore channels entirely. Pick up the phone, DM, or email. Find people who have the exact problem your product solves right now. Not "might have it," not "could benefit." Active pain, visible in their behavior somewhere online. With Genie 007, my first users came from threads where people were actively complaining about typing volume and wrist pain. I didn't announce to them. I joined the conversation.

First 50: if those first 10 aren't telling anyone, something is wrong with the product fit, not the distribution. The referral rate at this stage is more diagnostic than any channel.

First 100: channels start to matter, but only once you know exactly what message works because you proved it in real conversations.

What does your product actually solve? That changes which community currently has that pain visible right now.

I can't answer your main question honestly. I'm about a week into distribution myself with zero customers, so anything I told you about what works would be theory dressed up as experience.

What I can offer is the mistake I'm making right now, while it's still fresh.

I spent most of last week setting channels up. Accounts, profiles, directory submissions, post drafts — eight or nine of them. It felt like progress every single day. At the end of it I had spoken to exactly zero people who might actually buy the thing.

Setting up a channel and using a channel are different activities, and the first one is far more comfortable. It has a finish line. You can complete it. Talking to a stranger about your product has no finish line and no guarantee, so it's very easy to keep finding one more setup task instead.

If you haven't seen it, Muhammad Haris Zafar posted a breakdown here a couple of days ago of 23 days spent distributing across ten channels and 22 directories. It's the same lesson with actual numbers behind it, and it's more useful than anything I could tell you.

I gain my first 100 through referral. If your product provides value, the users shares

Your first 10 users come from one channel where your exact customer already concentrates - recruit them manually, offer help not a pitch. Do that before Product Hunt: a launch is only as good as the audience you walk in with. What I'd redo: start the soft launch two weeks early and let the first users shape the public one.

Hello Hamin, It's lovely to seat and think about products that can help users, I think for the first 100 users, I'd focus on talking directly to your target users and finding where they already spend time online. Start small, test a few channels, and double down on what actually brings signups not just engagement.

We're building Refendr to help founders with exactly this: figuring out the right channels, creating and distributing content, and continuously optimizing what works.

We're currently looking for early founders to test it with their products. Would love to have you try it and share your feedback! 🚀

Honestly, I think the first 100 users are less about finding the perfect marketing channel and more about getting direct access to people who actually have the problem your SaaS solves.

If I were starting from zero, I’d probably focus first on 1-on-1 conversations, relevant communities, and targeted outreach before spending much on ads. The goal would be to get the first 10 users, learn why they signed up, what almost stopped them from signing up, and whether they actually keep using the product.

I also think Reddit and communities can work well, but only when you genuinely participate and provide value instead of dropping a link and hoping for traffic. Content and SEO are great long-term channels, but they can take time, so I wouldn’t rely on them alone for the first users.

For the first 100, I’d try to find one small channel where the ideal customers already spend time and focus heavily on that before trying to be everywhere.

Curious: do you already know exactly where your target users currently hang out online? I think that answer could make choosing the first marketing channel much easier.

Building is often the easier part. Getting the first users is where most of us get stuck.

I’m about a month into a live SaaS and testing the “no paid ads” path myself. A few things that feel true so far:

1. SEO still helps, but it’s slow. Worth doing the basics, not something to rely on for your first 10–50 users.

2. GEO / AI discovery is becoming more important. Having a clean sitemap, llms.txt, and useful public content gives AI tools something solid to reference.

3. Direct feedback beats broad traffic early. Getting a few real people to use the product and leave honest reviews is more valuable than chasing “thousands of hits.”

4. Ignore the get-rich-quick content. Most real traction compounds slowly through helpful posts, directories, and conversations.

If I were launching again, I’d focus first on finding people who already have the problem, getting them to try it, and learning from that — then scale the channels that actually convert.

It just takes time. Keep plugging along. If you want, I can check out your SaaS project, and you can have a look at what I have created as well.

Congrats on getting this far, that's honestly the part most people never finish.

Skip the "which channel" question for now. Product Hunt, SEO, communities... they all work eventually but they're built for scale, not for the first 20 people who need to tell you the truth about your product.

What actually worked for me: find people who are already complaining about the problem you solve. Reddit threads, forum posts, whatever. Reach out one by one, mention the actual thing they said, and offer to just solve it for them, free or basically free, in exchange for honest feedback. No pitch. When there's zero risk for them they'll actually say yes.

Also send them a quick personal video instead of asking for a call. Show your product doing the exact thing they need, not a generic walkthrough. People respond to that way more than a Calendly link.

If I was starting over I wouldn't launch wide until I'd done like 15 of these one on one. Broad stuff is great once you know it converts, but it's a bad way to find out if it converts at all. Getting to 100 users isn't really a traffic problem, it's a "did you talk to the right people" problem.

Happy to swap notes if useful, doing something similar myself right now.

The most useful thing I can offer is a warning about measurement rather than a channel, because I got this wrong for three weeks.

Since late July I have published 85 pages across article platforms, a question site, and directories. My installed user count has read the same number for six consecutive daily readings. I cannot tell you which of those 85 did nothing, because my store reports an installed count and not a source. A channel that produced nothing and a channel I simply cannot attribute look identical in my setup.

So before you commit three weeks to a channel, write down what observation would tell you it worked, then check that you are able to make that observation at all. For me the honest answer was no for almost everything, and I found that out afterwards rather than before.

Two things I can attribute, for what they are worth. Directory listings mostly cannot pass link equity on a free tier: of eight where I could read the pricing page, all eight gated the followed link behind a paid tier, their badge installed on your own site, or finishing top three in a weekly vote. And every reply I have ever received came on a post where I wrote up a measurement that made me look wrong, never on a post explaining what the product does.

I build a Gmail extension and run its distribution myself, so those are my numbers rather than advice I read somewhere.

For the first 10 users — validate demand before you build, not after.

I launched an AI market gap finder recently and got visitors from 23 countries in the first week by doing this: scanning Hacker News, GitHub, and Stack Overflow for real pain points first, then building around what people were already asking for.

Product Hunt gave us 8 upvotes on day one. Small, but the signal was real.

What's your SaaS about? Happy to share what the data shows for your niche.

The first 10 and first 100 users feel like completely different problems. I’d probably focus less on finding the “best channel” and more on figuring out which small group responds strongly enough to keep coming back. That signal seems much more useful early on than raw signup numbers.

From what I'm learning as a first-time founder — the first 10 users don't come from channels, they come from conversations. Find where your exact customer already talks, be genuinely helpful there, and offer something free first. Channels only work after you understand why people say yes.