HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Pre-Sell With a Public Kill-Threshold Before You Build

Pre-Sell With a Public Kill-Threshold Before You Build is a first users & traction tactic for getting your first users: Validate paid demand for a course or product by selling it before it exists, and publicly committing to cancel and refund if a minimum number of pre-orders isn't reached by a hard deadline.

It's a strong fit for Info products / courses teams, and works especially well for courses, info products, any pre-build validation. As a first users & traction play, plan for low effort and expect results to show up quickly, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

First users & tractionLow effortFast

Why does first users & traction work for this?

Forces real-money validation so you never sink months into something nobody will buy.

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
Any / universalInfo products / courses

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Pre-Sell With a Public Kill-Threshold Before You Build" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for Info products / courses — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Pre-Sell With a Public Kill-Threshold Before You Build" 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 low 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 Source — IndieHackers, is in the paid library.

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