HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Build a Beta List by Hand With Direct Outreach First

Build a Beta List by Hand With Direct Outreach First is a cold outreach tactic for getting your first users: A founder (Imvidu) shares that before anything scalable, manual one-to-one outreach is the best way to land first users and build real relationships, using Facebook groups carefully and LinkedIn, while avoiding the spammy automated-bot approach that's flooding the channel.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS and Info products / courses teams, and works especially well for early B2B and startup products. As a cold outreach play, plan for high effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Cold outreachHigh effortSlow

Why does cold outreach work for this?

Manual outreach builds relationships and produces honest first users that automation can't.

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
B2B SaaSInfo products / courses

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Build a Beta List by Hand With Direct Outreach First" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS and Info products / courses — pick it when your product looks like one of those, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Build a Beta List by Hand With Direct Outreach First" 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 high effort, and results tend to be slow.
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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