HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Pick a Cadence and Earn the Right to Charge

Pick a Cadence and Earn the Right to Charge is a email & newsletters tactic for getting your first users: A repeatable publishing rhythm with predictable themed issues, sustained long enough to prove the habit before you ever add a paywall or monetize.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS, Dev tools / technical, and Newsletters / media teams, and works especially well for B2B SaaS, creators, newsletters, dev tools. As a email & newsletters play, plan for medium effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 2 linked primary sources.

Email & newslettersMedium effortSlow

Why does email & newsletters work for this?

Predictable, value-first issues build the trust and habit that make a later paywall feel earned rather than abrupt, and a long unbroken streak signals to you and your audience that the project is durable.

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 / technicalNewsletters / media

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Pick a Cadence and Earn the Right to Charge" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS, Dev tools / technical, and Newsletters / media — 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 "Pick a Cadence and Earn the Right to Charge" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 2 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 slow.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Lenny Rachitsky on building his newsletter and A 3-month plan to regain SaaS momentum, is in the paid library.

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