DM Competitor Users to Pitch Switching

DM Competitor Users to Pitch Switching is a cold outreach tactic for getting your first users: Find people openly using a paid competitor on Reddit and DM them that they could save money by moving to you.

It's a strong fit for teams of almost any kind, and works especially well for cheaper alternative to an incumbent. As a cold outreach play, plan for medium effort and expect results to show up quickly, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Cold outreachMedium effortFast

Why does cold outreach work for this?

People already paying for the category are the warmest possible cold list.

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.

Unlock the steps · $29 oncePlus all 3,000+ tactics and the new ones we add weekly.

Sources

Works for
Any / universal

Frequently asked

How is the "DM Competitor Users to Pitch Switching" 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 fast.
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.

Related tactics

Cold outreachMedium effort· Slow

Pitch Journalists on LinkedIn, Starting With Small and Local Media

Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to find and warm up journalists, feed them interesting tidbits to stay top-of-mind, and begin with local outlets, niche publications, and your alumni network where coverage is easier to land.

Read the steps →
Cold outreachMedium effort· Fast

Time Sends, Track Opens, Then Work the Non-Openers

They sent Tuesday and Wednesday before lunch, used Mailtrack to see who opened and clicked, then called openers who hadn't published and re-sent the same release to the colleagues of people who never opened.

Read the steps →
Cold outreachLow effort· Fast

Scrape Decision-Maker Emails With the Hunter.io Sheet Add-On

Build prospect lists by finding the right person's name via Google and LinkedIn, then auto-pulling their email inside Google Sheets.

Read the steps →
Cold outreachLow effort· Medium

Open Cold with a Yes/No Question to Dodge Spam Bans

Lead with a tiny question that can be answered in one word under a low-key subject line, and only send the actual offer after they reply — keeping volume low and avoiding spam flags.

Read the steps →
Cold outreachMedium effort· Medium

Mine #JournoRequest on Twitter and Email Journalists Directly

Use IFTTT to scrape tweets tagged #JournoRequest into a spreadsheet, filter by your keywords, then email the reporter directly instead of going through a PR middleman.

Read the steps →
Cold outreachLow effort· Medium

Send 2-3 Follow-Up Emails to Double Influencer Replies

Don't stop at one email; a short follow-up sequence roughly doubled influencer response rates.

Read the steps →

Get all 3,000+ tactics in one place

Filter by your product and channel, follow the exact steps, and get the new tactics we add every week. One payment, yours for good.