HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Lead With Their Problem, Not Your Product

Lead With Their Problem, Not Your Product is a cold outreach tactic for getting your first users: Instead of announcing that you built a tool, you open by naming a specific, visible problem the recipient has — ideally with proof you already looked. A screenshot of their site rebuilt, an audit of issues you found, or a reference to something they posted.

It's a strong fit for Agencies / services, B2B SaaS, and Dev tools / technical teams, and works especially well for B2B SaaS, dev tools, agencies. As a cold outreach play, plan for medium effort and expect results to show up quickly, all grounded in 4 linked primary sources.

Cold outreachMedium effortFast

Why does cold outreach work for this?

A specific observation proves you're a person who did homework, not a blast, and offering a finished deliverable shifts the message from "try my tool" to "want this thing I already made for you."

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
Agencies / servicesB2B SaaSDev tools / technical

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Lead With Their Problem, Not Your Product" 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 "Lead With Their Problem, Not Your Product" 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 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 Day 3: 60+ cold DMs sent and How top consumer startups got their first 1000 customers, is in the paid library.

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