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Open DMs by Asking About Their Work, Not Pitching

Open DMs by Asking About Their Work, Not Pitching is a cold outreach tactic for getting your first users: A Twitter cold-DM approach where you start by asking what the person is building and surfacing their pain points, letting them ask about your product instead of leading with it.

It's a strong fit for teams of almost any kind, and works especially well for Solo founders selling to other makers/SMBs. 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?

Leading with genuine curiosity flips the dynamic so the prospect invites the pitch, which converts far better than an unsolicited promo.

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 "Open DMs by Asking About Their Work, Not Pitching" 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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