HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Stock a Giveaway by Asking Featured Founders for Free Copies

Stock a Giveaway by Asking Featured Founders for Free Copies is a partnerships & affiliates tactic for getting your first users: Replicate the AppSumo playbook for free by directly asking the founders of products you list or feature to hand you free licenses you can give away to build your audience.

It's a strong fit for Newsletters / media teams, and works especially well for directories, deal sites, and newsletters in a niche. As a partnerships & affiliates play, plan for medium effort and expect results to arrive at a steady pace, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Partnerships & affiliatesMedium effortMedium

Why does partnerships & affiliates work for this?

Founders get exposure, you get free prizes and a viral list-building engine at zero product cost.

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
Newsletters / media

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Stock a Giveaway by Asking Featured Founders for Free Copies" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for Newsletters / media — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Stock a Giveaway by Asking Featured Founders for Free Copies" 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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