HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Seed an Empty Platform With Scraped Competitor Content

Seed an Empty Platform With Scraped Competitor Content is a first users & traction tactic for getting your first users: TikTok reportedly mass-scraped content from Instagram and Snapchat (targeting 10k-plus videos a day in priority countries) to pre-fill the app so new users never saw an empty feed.

It's a strong fit for Marketplaces teams, and works especially well for marketplaces, content and social apps. As a first users & traction play, plan for high effort and expect results to arrive at a steady pace, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

First users & tractionHigh effortMedium

Why does first users & traction work for this?

Nobody engages with an empty product, and a pre-filled feed makes a brand-new app feel alive from day one.

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
Marketplaces

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Seed an Empty Platform With Scraped Competitor Content" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for Marketplaces — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Seed an Empty Platform With Scraped Competitor Content" 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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