HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Build a 20-Prospect List and Open With Free Work

Build a 20-Prospect List and Open With Free Work is a cold outreach tactic for getting your first users: Rather than pitching, he identified 20 jewellers already complaining about photography costs and offered each a free showcase image, pure value with no ask, to start the relationship.

It's a strong fit for AI products teams, and works especially well for services, done-for-you tools, creative or AI output products. As a cold outreach play, plan for medium effort and expect results to arrive at a steady pace, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Cold outreachMedium effortMedium

Why does cold outreach work for this?

Free, tailored work proves the result instantly and earns a reply where a cold pitch gets ignored.

The exact steps (4)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

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Sources

Works for
AI products

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Build a 20-Prospect List and Open With Free Work" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for AI products — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Build a 20-Prospect List and Open With Free Work" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 1 primary source — a real founder write-up or interview, not generic advice. It is linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original account yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is medium effort, and results tend to be medium.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Source — IndieHackers, is in the paid library.

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