HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Help First, Pitch Last

Help First, Pitch Last is a communities tactic for getting your first users: Show up inside a community as a genuinely useful problem-solver rather than someone broadcasting their product. The sale becomes an offhand follow-up once you've already earned trust.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS and Dev tools / technical teams, and works especially well for B2B SaaS, dev tools, services. As a communities play, plan for medium effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

CommunitiesMedium effortSlow

Why does communities work for this?

People resist pitches but welcome help, so leading with value flips the dynamic and makes the eventual offer feel like a relief instead of an intrusion.

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
B2B SaaSDev tools / technical

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Help First, Pitch Last" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for 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 "Help First, Pitch Last" 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 slow.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via YC's playbook for first 100 customers, is in the paid library.

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