How to get your first users after launching
Getting to your first real users is the hardest jump a founder makes. Not investors, not scale, just the first handful of people who actually use what you built. Here's a practical, no-fluff sequence that works for AI tools and early startups.
Step 1, Make your page convert before you drive traffic
This is the step everyone skips and everyone regrets. Driving traffic to a page that doesn't clearly explain its value just burns your best launch windows. Before you post anywhere, make sure a cold visitor understands what you do, who it's for, and what to do next, in five seconds.
If you're not sure your page does that, get an outside read. A founder audit of your messaging, positioning and CTA is the fastest way to find the leaks you can't see yourself.
Step 2, Launch where your users already are
Spread across the channels that match your audience:
- Launch platforms, Product Hunt, Launch AI Jam, Uneed, Tiny Launch and the major AI directories.
- Communities, relevant subreddits (r/SideProject, r/artificial), Indie Hackers, and niche Discords/Slacks.
- Hacker News, a Show HN post if your tool has technical appeal.
- Your own network, a personal post on X/LinkedIn nearly always outperforms a cold directory listing.
Step 3, Talk to everyone who shows up
Your first users are also your best feedback loop. Reply to every comment, DM, and signup. Ask what almost stopped them from signing up, those answers are pure gold and usually reveal the exact friction killing your conversion for everyone else.
Step 4, Turn one launch into compounding traffic
Every listing with a dofollow backlink and a dedicated tool page keeps working long after launch day, pulling in search traffic for months. That's why a permanent free listing (plus a backlink) beats a single disappearing spike, it compounds.
The mistake that wastes it all
Doing steps 2–4 brilliantly while skipping step 1. If your page doesn't convert, every channel you hit just leaks users. Fix conversion first; everything downstream multiplies from there.
Get your first users, not just your first visitors
List your AI tool free on Launch AI Jam for a permanent listing and backlink, then add a Founder Audit so the traffic you earn actually converts into signups.
🔍 See how the Founder Audit works →Frequently asked questions
How many users should I expect from a launch?
It depends entirely on conversion, not just traffic. A page that converts well can turn a few hundred launch visitors into dozens of users; a page that doesn't can turn thousands into a handful. That's why fixing conversion first matters more than chasing volume.
What's the fastest free way to get first users?
Combine a personal post to your own network, a Show HN or relevant subreddit post, and free directory listings (including a permanent one with a backlink). But make sure your landing page converts before you send any of that traffic.
Do I need paid ads to get my first users?
No. Most first users come from launches, communities, and your own network, all free. Paid ads only make sense once you know your page converts, otherwise you're paying to leak traffic.