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DM the Followers of Big VC and Accelerator Accounts

DM the Followers of Big VC and Accelerator Accounts is a cold outreach tactic for getting your first users: He targeted his cold Twitter DM campaign at the followers of major VC and accelerator accounts (Y Combinator, a16z, Sequoia, Techstars), reasoning they're self-selected as interested in startups, and sent 1,000+ DMs to grow his newsletter.

It's a strong fit for Newsletters / media teams, and works especially well for newsletters, audience-first products. As a cold outreach play, plan for high effort and expect results to arrive at a steady pace, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Cold outreachHigh effortMedium

Why does cold outreach work for this?

Followers of a relevant account are a pre-qualified audience, so targeting beats spraying random users.

The exact steps (5)

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
Newsletters / media

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "DM the Followers of Big VC and Accelerator Accounts" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for Newsletters / media — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "DM the Followers of Big VC and Accelerator Accounts" 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 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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