What's the fastest way to get users for a new app?

Launch on 2–3 boards the same week (rankraw, Hacker News, a niche subreddit), pair it with 30 warm DMs, and follow up with everyone who tried it. Expect the first burst of users within 48 hours of the launch.

Do paid ads work for early-stage SaaS?

Rarely. Paid ads need known LTV to be profitable, and you don't have LTV data yet. Spend early dollars on content and community — ads scale channels that already work, they don't create them.

How long before I see traction?

Most indie SaaS see a first real inflection between month 3 and month 9 — the compounding point of SEO plus repeat community presence plus word of mouth. If nothing is moving by month 12, the product-market fit is off, not the marketing.

// guide · distribution

How to Get Users

A channel-by-channel breakdown of what actually works for indie founders — from launch boards and SEO to communities, cold outbound, and referral loops.

The channel map

Launch boards. Fast burst of eyeballs. rankraw, Hacker News Show HN, niche vertical boards. Best week-one signal you can buy for free.
SEO & programmatic pages. Compounding. Slow for 90 days, then wins the long tail. Write one thing per week that a customer would search for.
Communities. Highest conversion, hardest to scale. Show up weekly with answers, not links. Reddit, Discord, Slack, IH forums.
Cold outbound. 5–20 warm DMs a day, sent 1-to-1. Not sequences. Not spray. This is the channel that never turns off.
Content & YouTube. Deep moats. Not a first-90-days channel, but the one that makes everything else cheaper.
Referrals. Only works after retention works. Build the loop only when users are already telling their friends unprompted.

Pick two, not five

Indie founders lose more time to channel-hopping than to any other single mistake. Pick two channels that fit your product's shape, run them hard for 90 days, then evaluate.

A dev tool? Launch boards + SEO. A B2B SaaS? Communities + cold outbound. A consumer app? Content + one social platform. Two channels, 90 days, then re-decide.

The weekly rhythm

Monday: publish one SEO page or one Show HN / launch post.
Tuesday–Thursday: 5 outbound DMs a day. 5 community answers a day.
Friday: ship a changelog entry. Post it to your product page — visible momentum sells.
Weekly: talk to one user. Every week. No exceptions.

FAQ

What's the fastest way to get users for a new app?: Launch on 2–3 boards the same week (rankraw, Hacker News, a niche subreddit), pair it with 30 warm DMs, and follow up with everyone who tried it. Expect the first burst of users within 48 hours of the launch.
Do paid ads work for early-stage SaaS?: Rarely. Paid ads need known LTV to be profitable, and you don't have LTV data yet. Spend early dollars on content and community — ads scale channels that already work, they don't create them.
How long before I see traction?: Most indie SaaS see a first real inflection between month 3 and month 9 — the compounding point of SEO plus repeat community presence plus word of mouth. If nothing is moving by month 12, the product-market fit is off, not the marketing.

Launch on rankraw

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