HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Hand-Make Something They Can Use

Hand-Make Something They Can Use is a cold outreach tactic for getting your first users: Attaching a genuinely useful, custom-built asset to your outreach, a personalized video, a tailored dataset, or a ready-made resource, so the message gives before it asks.

It's a strong fit for Agencies / services, B2B SaaS, and Dev tools / technical teams, and works especially well for B2B SaaS, agencies, dev tools, niche verticals. As a cold outreach play, plan for high effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 4 linked primary sources.

Cold outreachHigh effortSlow

Why does cold outreach work for this?

A custom artifact signals real effort and immediate value, which lifts open and reply rates far above plain text and earns the right to a conversation. Tailored video in particular tends to outperform written-only DMs.

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
Agencies / servicesB2B SaaSDev tools / technical

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Hand-Make Something They Can Use" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for Agencies / services, B2B SaaS, and Dev tools / technical — 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 "Hand-Make Something They Can Use" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 4 primary sources — real founder write-ups and interviews, not generic advice. They are linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original accounts 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 First 10 Customers with LinkedIn Outreach and Get your first 100 SaaS customers for $0, is in the paid library.

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