HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Fake a Realistic Demo Screenshot by Editing the Live Page's HTML

Fake a Realistic Demo Screenshot by Editing the Live Page's HTML is a first users & traction tactic for getting your first users: To show the product's output before the feature is fully built, the founder hand-edited the HTML of a real GitHub pull request page and screenshotted it, placing the genuine model output inside a mocked-up UI.

It's a strong fit for teams of almost any kind, and works especially well for any, pre-launch demos. As a first users & traction play, plan for low effort and expect results to show up quickly, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

First users & tractionLow effortFast

Why does first users & traction work for this?

A convincing in-context visual lets people imagine the product working and commit before engineering is done.

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
Any / universal

Frequently asked

How is the "Fake a Realistic Demo Screenshot by Editing the Live Page's HTML" 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 low 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.

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