HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Validate and Soft-Sell in the Replies

Validate and Soft-Sell in the Replies is a social & short-form tactic for getting your first users: Use casual tweets and replies to test demand and surface your product indirectly — hinting at what you're building inside relevant conversations instead of pitching it.

It's a strong fit for AI products, Agencies / services, and Dev tools / technical teams, and works especially well for pre-launch founders, AI tools, freelancers, dev tools. As a social & short-form play, plan for low effort and expect results to show up quickly, all grounded in 4 linked primary sources.

Social & short-formLow effortFast

Why does social & short-form work for this?

Hinting and helping reads as a peer in the conversation, not an ad, so it earns trust and DMs; meanwhile a tweet that resonates is free, instant market validation before you build.

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.

Unlock the steps · $29 oncePlus all 3,000+ tactics and the new ones we add weekly.

Sources

Works for
AI productsAgencies / servicesDev tools / technical

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Validate and Soft-Sell in the Replies" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for AI products, Agencies / services, and Dev tools / technical — 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 "Validate and Soft-Sell in the Replies" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 4 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 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 My app failed, then I made $80K and Zero to $42K/Month in 90 Days, is in the paid library.

Related tactics

Social & short-formHigh effort· Slow

Team Omnipresence Through Personal Profiles

Have multiple team members post consistently from their personal LinkedIn profiles instead of leaning on a company page, so the combined presence makes your brand feel like it's everywhere.

Read the steps →
Social & short-formLow effort· Fast

Use AI-Generated Creators for Faceless Formats Only

A way to scale content cheaply with AI-generated presenters, restricted to formats where the AI persona never has to speak on camera.

Read the steps →
Social & short-formHigh effort· Slow

Build the Audience Before the Product with Niche Tip Content

After a Product Hunt launch flopped for lack of audience, the founder posted consistent niche value content (JavaScript and React visual tips) to grow a Twitter following he could later launch into.

Read the steps →
Social & short-formMedium effort· Fast

Ride the AI Hype and Build in Public on Twitter + IH

Launched a daily AI-generated comics site at the peak of AI-image interest, announcing it on Twitter and posting to Indie Hackers' Building in Public, using the trend's novelty to pull free attention.

Read the steps →
Social & short-formLow effort· Fast

Know When To Skip Instagram Entirely

A deliberate contrarian stance: if your growth comes from solving a real problem for real users, building an Instagram presence first can be wasted effort.

Read the steps →
Social & short-formMedium effort· Medium

Clone Competitors' Winning Video Formats in Your Niche

Find TikToks that already perform in your category and replicate their exact structure and style instead of inventing your own format from scratch.

Read the steps →

Get all 3,000+ tactics in one place

Filter by your product and channel, follow the exact steps, and get the new tactics we add every week. One payment, yours for good.

Unlock for $29 onceBrowse by channel