How to Get Your First 100 Customers for Your SaaS
发布时间： 2 月 21, 2025
To attract your first 100 customers, you need clearly defined marketing campaigns and customer acquisition tactics; SaaS companies in their early stages of development often struggle to secure their first 100 subscribers. However, it’s equally important because it shows that users are actually interested in what you have to offer.
This guide outlines a systematic approach, drawing on the experiences of individuals who have successfully completed this task. If you follow these steps, you’ll have a much better chance of getting your SaaS off the ground!
Tap into Your Network & Community
Prior to engaging in major marketing endeavors, consider leveraging your existing network and online communities for acquiring initial customer base.
Leverage Existing Connections:
Consider everyone you know who would be interested in your product (this could include your family, friends, people you’ve worked with before, or even just acquaintances)
Open a spreadsheet and create a profile of a potential customer; add columns for:
- 名称
- Contact Info
- Potential Interest
- Notes
- Follow-Up
Fill in the spreadsheet with everyone you can think of who might be a potential customer. In the “Potential Interest” field, be as detailed as you can, mentioning their role, industry, and any particular problems they may be having that your solution could help with.
Create personalized messages: Rather than sending a generic message, spend some time discussing how your SaaS can directly solve each contact’s demands or problem areas. Ask yourself, “What specific problem does this person face that my product can solve?” before contacting them. along with “How can I frame my message to resonate with their individual needs and interests?”
Instead of saying “Check out my new product,” you could say, “Hi [Name], I remember you were struggling with [problem] a while back. In response to your situation, I have designed a tool. It’s worth considering whether it offers some degree of improvement. Would you be open to taking a look?”
Follow up strategically: Use the “Follow-Up” column in your spreadsheet to track your interactions and schedule follow-up messages. Don’t be afraid to follow up multiple times, but always be respectful of their time and responsiveness.
Search online communities:
The size of your immediate network isn’t a major barrier to success; focusing on reaching the right audience through other channels is crucial. There are lots of online communities where you can find people who might be. These communities are like online clubs where people talk about things they’re interested in. Connecting with potential customers can be done through professional platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn. Participate in relevant discussions, provide helpful information, and strategically mention your product when it seems relevant to the conversation.
Use online search engines and community platforms to discover relevant communities. Look for keywords related to your product’s niche, target audience, and industry. Ask yourself:
- “Where do my ideal customers spend their time online?”
- “What are the most active and engaged communities in my niche?”
- “What are the rules and guidelines for participation in these communities?”
Use relevant hashtags and keywords in your posts to reach a wider audience.
Suhail, the founder of Mixpanel, got a lot of his first customers by talking to people on Twitter who were discussing problems his SaaS solved.
Free List of SaaS Communities
Access a curated list of resources to network, collaborate, and learn from others in the SaaS ecosystem.
-
Online forums
-
Social media groups
-
Slack communities
-
Reddit subreddits
-
以及更多！
Start an Email Newsletter
Social media is useful for swiftly conveying updates, but fostering long-lasting relationships with customers necessitates maintaining an email list.
- Facilitate customer interaction: An email list serves as a platform for regular engagement with individuals who have indicated an interest in your offerings. Communicate with customers through emails to share updates, offer assistance, or provide engaging content.
- Create Valuable Content: Arrange your email newsletters’ content calendar. Come up with ideas for subjects that your target audience would find engaging and beneficial. These might include case studies, industry news, product updates, how-to guides or even personal stories related to your entrepreneurial journey.
- 提供激励措施： Create lead magnets to incentivize people to sign up for email list. This could be a free ebook, a discount code, exclusive access to a webinar, or a template or checklist related to your product’s niche. Promote your lead magnet on your website, social media, and in relevant online communities
- Put quality above quantity: A small group of people who genuinely care about what you have to say is preferable to a large group of people who are uninterested.
- Track Your Metrics: Use email marketing tools to track your open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates. This will provide insight into what performs effectively and what areas might necessitate further attention.
Examine your email metrics on a regular basis and modify your approach as necessary. Try alternate subject lines or sending times if your open rates are low. Rethink the topic or frequency of your emails if you have high unsubscribe rates.
Product Hunt founder Ryan Hoover sent out a daily newsletter with interesting startup tales, which helped him grow his email list. He already had a group of individuals eager to explore Product Hunt when he first introduced it!
Free List of SaaS Communities
Access a curated list of resources to network, collaborate, and learn from others in the SaaS ecosystem.
-
Online forums
-
Social media groups
-
Slack communities
-
Reddit subreddits
-
以及更多！
Take Direct Action (The Collinson Installation)
Introduce interested individuals to the product’s capabilities through a demonstration.
Consider engaging with your customers beyond simply sending them a website link. To assist clients in better understanding the product or service, think about providing extra assistance and resources. Be proactive and offer to show them how it works.
- Offer Personalized Support: If a potential customer requests information, offer personalized assistance through a guided product demonstration. Customize the demonstration to their particular requirements and preferences, demonstrating how your product can address their particular problems.
It may be helpful to start by offering new customers a welcome message and a brief explanation of the product’s features.Maintaining personalized recommendations for every customer may necessitate additional resources with increased customer growth. Although personalized recommendations in the beginning can make customers feel valued and facilitate product exploration, it’s important to note that there might be other factors affecting these outcomes.
- Develop diverse onboarding resources to address different learning styles. This could include:
-
- Video Tutorials: Create short, engaging videos that demonstrate how to use key features of your product.
- Knowledge Base Articles: Write comprehensive articles that cover frequently asked questions and troubleshooting tips.
- Interactive Walkthroughs: Use tools like Userpilot or Appcues to create interactive guides that walk users through your product’s interface.
- Checklists and Templates: Offer downloadable checklists or templates that guide users through initial product setup in a user-friendly manner.
Free List of SaaS Communities
Access a curated list of resources to network, collaborate, and learn from others in the SaaS ecosystem.
-
Online forums
-
Social media groups
-
Slack communities
-
Reddit subreddits
-
以及更多！
Target Product Forums
Product forums are online places where people talk about different products and tools. These venues are known to be associated with customer acquisition.
Look for forums where people are talking about problems that your product can solve. Use online search engines and forum directories to find relevant communities. Pay attention to the number of active users, the frequency of posts, and the overall tone and culture of the community.
| General Forums: | |
|
Quora |
Offer responses addressing questions associated with your product’s specialization. Provide informative perspectives; |
| Indie Hackers |
A collection of independent developers and entrepreneurs collaborating on the development of online businesses; |
| MicroConf |
A community focused on bootstrapping and growing small businesses. |
|
Product Hunt |
A website where new products are presented and found |
| Failory |
A collection of failed startup stories and studies, offering lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and investors. |
| Other social media platforms (like Twitter and LinkedIn) |
Other social media platforms, including Twitter and LinkedIn, are also potential venues for connecting with potential customers. Consider emerging platforms that may align with your target audience’s interests, such as BlueSky for independent developers. |
|
|
Explore relevant and industry-specific subreddits. Below are some popular examples. |
Explore relevant and industry-specific subreddits. Here are some popular examples:
r/Software
r/SaaS
r/Startups
r/Entrepreneur
r/RoastMyStartup
r/IMadeThis
r/IndieBiz
r/AlphaandBetausers
r/GrowthHacking
r/Digitalnomad
r/SideProject
r/SmallBusiness
r/Promotereddit
r/Analytics
r/Content_marketing
r/Advertising
r/EntrepreneurRideAlong
r/Growmybusiness
r/AskMarketing;
Niche Forums: If your product is for a specific kind of person (like marketers or designers), look for online communities where those people hang out.
If your SaaS is for marketers, consider communities like GrowthHackers, OnlineGeniuses, or subreddits like r/marketing, r/growthhacking.
If your SaaS is for designers, consider communities like Dribbble or Behance.
If your SaaS is for designers, consider communities like Dribbble or Behance.
Join the conversation in these forums and offer helpful advice. If it makes sense, you can mention your product as a way to solve the problems people are talking about. While being informative, refrain from being too forceful to avoid alienating customers.
Before posting or commenting, consider the purpose of your contribution: Is it to add value to the community or promote your product? Contribute your knowledge by providing thoughtful responses and sharing appropriate resources.
Zapier, a tool that connects different apps together, found a lot of their early customers by looking at forums where people were complaining about how their apps didn’t work well together.
Free List of SaaS Communities
Access a curated list of resources to network, collaborate, and learn from others in the SaaS ecosystem.
-
Online forums
-
Social media groups
-
Slack communities
-
Reddit subreddits
-
以及更多！
Personalized Outreach
Marketing automation tools are available, yet sending personalized emails continues to be a significant method for acquiring new customers.
Research your prospects. Before you send an email to someone, take some time to learn about them. What do they do? What are their interests? What kinds of challenges do they encounter?
Use online resources: LinkedIn, Twitter, company websites, and other online resources to gather information about your potential customers. Look for clues about their pain points, goals, and challenges.
You can use tools like Hunter.io or VoilaNorbert to find email addresses.
Tailor email content to different recipients, considering their preferences and interests. Write emails that are specifically for the person you’re sending it to. Focus on displaying how your product aligns with their needs and potential benefits.
Explain the key benefits that your product or service offers to customers. Instead of listing your product’s features, focus on how those features can benefit the recipient. Explain how your product can solve their specific problems or help them achieve their goals.
Instead of saying “Our product is great,” you could say, “I noticed you’re currently using [competitor product]. Here’s how our solution has the potential to contribute to achieving the objective of [specific goal].”
Free List of SaaS Communities
Access a curated list of resources to network, collaborate, and learn from others in the SaaS ecosystem.
-
Online forums
-
Social media groups
-
Slack communities
-
Reddit subreddits
-
以及更多！
Offer Concierge Migrations
Switching products sometimes involves some level of complexity. Adapting to a new way of doing things could potentially involve a significant data migration effort. Transitioning users to your product may be helpful if it aligns better with their needs.
If it seems like a lot of work to start using your product, offer to do some of the work for your new customers.
Provide hands-on assistance: offer to migrate their data, set up their accounts, or provide personalized training. This could involve scheduling a screen-sharing session to walk them through the process or even offering to do it for them completely.
Initial support for new users may involve some additional effort, but it can yield significant benefits over time.
Focusing on customer loyalty may influence their initial perception and foster a sense of commitment.
Think of providing support and assistance during a transition. This could increase the satisfaction and willingness to share positive experiences, potentially leading to a more enduring association.
Nathan Barry, who created ConvertKit, proposed a no-cost service to aid individuals in migrating their email lists from other platforms to his own.
Free List of SaaS Communities
Access a curated list of resources to network, collaborate, and learn from others in the SaaS ecosystem.
-
Online forums
-
Social media groups
-
Slack communities
-
Reddit subreddits
-
以及更多！
Utilize Keyword-Rich Domain Names
When you choose a name for your website, try to include words that people might search for when they’re looking for a product like yours.
Boost Organic SEO: This can help your website show up higher in search results, which means more people will find it.
Do keyword research and use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to identify relevant keywords with high search volume and low competition.
DoorDash used names like “PaloAltoDelivery.com” so that when people searched for “food delivery in Palo Alto,” their website would be one of the first ones to show up.
Prioritize Brand Identity: Brainstorm domain names that are both relevant to your product and memorable for your target audience. You can look for a domain name generator for inspiration.
Keep your domain name short, easy to spell, and relevant to your brand’s personality.
Free List of SaaS Communities
Access a curated list of resources to network, collaborate, and learn from others in the SaaS ecosystem.
-
Online forums
-
Social media groups
-
Slack communities
-
Reddit subreddits
-
以及更多！
Build a Landing Page Early
A landing page is like a special website page that tells people about your product and encourages them to sign up or learn more.
- Validate Your Idea: Before you spend a lot of time and money building your product, create a landing page to see if people are actually interested in it.
- Test Your Value Proposition: Create a landing page with a clear and concise headline that communicates your product’s value proposition. Use compelling visuals, such as screenshots or videos, to showcase your product and its benefits. Include a clear call to action, such as “Sign up for early access” or “Get a free demo.”
- Early Interest Generation: Utilize your landing page to pique potential customers’ interest in your future product.Early Access: Provide exclusive access, content, or discounts to potential users to generate excitement and anticipation for the launch. Consider using a countdown timer on your landing page to create a sense of urgency.
- Establish Trust and Credibility:
-
-
- Pricing and plans should be presented in a clear, easy-to-understand manner. Ensure transparency by avoiding hidden costs and complex language.
- Streamline the checkout process to provide a user-friendly experience. Minimize the number of steps required to complete a purchase.
- Display Trust Badges: Showcase security badges and trust seals from reputable organizations like Norton or McAfee. Ensuring visitor information safety and security on your site is crucial.
- Implement Secure Payment Processing System: Secure payment procedures are a key aspect of building customer trust and ensuring they feel comfortable providing their payment information.
- It’s important to offer different payment options to cater to the needs of a diverse customer base, though the optimal number and type of options may vary depending on the specific business and target audience. This could include credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
- Limited-Time 退款政策: Provide a limited period for customers to request refunds if unsatisfied.
-
These elements are crucial for building a landing page that both attracts leads and establishes trust with your target audience.
使用 A/B 测试 to experiment with different headlines, visuals, and CTAs to see what resonates best with your target audience.
Free List of SaaS Communities
Access a curated list of resources to network, collaborate, and learn from others in the SaaS ecosystem.
-
Online forums
-
Social media groups
-
Slack communities
-
Reddit subreddits
-
以及更多！
Launch Early and Hustle
Don’t wait until your product is perfect to launch it. Gather feedback from users to understand their experience and identify areas for improvement.
Don’t wait for perfection: it’s better to launch sooner and get feedback from real users than to wait too long trying to make everything perfect.
Adopt the MVP methodology, determine the key components required to address the issues of your target market and introduce an MVP (minimum viable product) containing those components. You can launch your product on a variety of platforms, such as Product Hunt and AppSumo.
Refine based on feedback: once you launch, pay attention to what people say about your product. Use their feedback to make it even better.
Actively solicit feedback through surveys, user interviews, and feedback forms. Use analytics tools to track user behavior and identify areas for improvement. Be responsive to users/users feedback and make changes to your product based on their suggestions.
Free List of SaaS Communities
Access a curated list of resources to network, collaborate, and learn from others in the SaaS ecosystem.
-
Online forums
-
Social media groups
-
Slack communities
-
Reddit subreddits
-
以及更多！
Prioritize Customer Retention
While acquiring new customers is essential, retaining existing ones is equally important for business growth.
Focus on long-term value. Prioritize customer satisfaction for product retention.
- Establish multiple channels for 客户支持 such as email, live chat, and phone, to provide assistance and resolve issues. It is generally recommended to prioritize prompt responses to customer inquiries and efficient resolution of any issues that may arise.
- Create a knowledge base 或 FAQ-section on your website to help customers find answers to common questions.
Studies reveal that customer service directly affects repurchase rates and word-of-mouth promotion. By maintaining customer happiness, you can potentially stimulate company growth.
Track your churn rate (the rate at which customers cancel their subscriptions) and identify areas for improvement in your customer experience. Investigate the reasons behind customer churn and implement appropriate corrective measures.
Offer incentives for customers to stay, such as loyalty programs or discounts on annual subscriptions.
结论
Getting your first 100 customers takes planning, hard work, and focusing on what your customers need. While these steps and the experience of previous successful businesses might be helpful, building a successful SaaS business is challenging and requires perseverance. Customer engagement needs to be prioritized at the beginning of the product development cycle because it helps acquire valuable feedback.
常见问题解答
-
It depends on factors like your product, target audience, and marketing efforts. However, it’s generally a marathon, not a sprint. Acquiring your initial 100 customers may take several months or even a year, depending on various factors.
-
Although product development is essential, solely concentrating on it, without clearly understanding the target audience and without robust marketing and sales strategies, might not lead to guaranteed success.
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Create a landing page and gather email sign-ups to gauge interest. Talk to potential customers and get their feedback.Consider launching a minimum viable product (MVP) to test your assumptions.
-
Some popular examples include: Product Hunt, Indie Hackers, Facebook groups, Twitter; subreddits like r/SaaS, r/startups, etc.
-
Track key metrics like website traffic, conversion rates, customer acquisition cost (CAC), and customer lifetime value (CLTV). Analyze these metrics to identify what’s working and what needs improvement.
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