HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Run a Provocative Survey and Pitch It to the Press

Run a Provocative Survey and Pitch It to the Press is a seo & organic tactic for getting your first users: They surveyed how many people lie on their resume, turned the surprising stats into a story, and distributed it to press, landing Forbes, Yahoo News, and The Independent backlinks.

It's a strong fit for teams of almost any kind, and works especially well for sites that can survey their niche. As a seo & organic play, plan for medium effort and expect results to arrive at a steady pace, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

SEO & organicMedium effortMedium

Why does seo & organic work for this?

Journalists need fresh data, so a newsworthy stat earns links from publications you could never 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 / universal

Frequently asked

How is the "Run a Provocative Survey and Pitch It to the Press" 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 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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