firstthousandusers
  1. Idea and validation
  2. Waitlist
  3. Private beta
  4. Launch
  5. First 100 users
  6. First 1,000 users
Social

Build in public

Post regular, specific updates about what you are building and what you learned, so people follow the project before it launches.

What's required20–30 minutes a day: 15 on replies, 10 on one post.
Accounts
An X account, plus optionally LinkedIn, Bluesky or Threads. Pick one main platform.
Assets
A profile photo of your face, a bio that says what you build and for whom, a pinned post with your waitlist link.
Time
20–30 minutes a day: 15 on replies, 10 on one post.
Cost
Free.
Prerequisites
Something you are building, even if it is only a mockup, and a waitlist page to point people to.

What to do

  1. Fix your profile before you post anything. Use a real photo of your face, your name, and a bio in the form “Building [product], [what it does] for [who]”. Pin a post that explains the project in two lines and links to your waitlist. Every reply you leave sends people to this profile, so it has to explain itself in five seconds.
  2. Follow 100 people in your field, not 1,000 random ones. On X, search for #connect together with your industry or role, for example #connect founder, #connect designer, #connect devtools or #connect indiehackers. People who post #connect are asking to meet others in their niche and usually follow back and reply. Also follow people who post about the problem your product solves, and founders one or two steps ahead of you.
  3. Reply before you post. With zero followers, your own posts reach almost nobody. Replies are how you get seen. Spend the first two to three weeks leaving 10–20 thoughtful replies a day under #connect posts and under posts from slightly larger accounts (1k–20k followers) in your niche. Add something: a specific experience, a number, a question. “Great post!” does nothing.
  4. Post once a day, starting small. Once replies bring your first 50–100 followers, post daily. Rotate between a few formats that work with no audience:
    • a screenshot or short screen recording of what you shipped today,
    • a number with context (“12 waitlist signups this week, 9 came from one Reddit comment”),
    • a problem you are stuck on, asked as a question,
    • a lesson from a user conversation, in one or two sentences.
  5. Share numbers and mistakes, not announcements. “Day 14: rewrote onboarding after watching 3 people get stuck on step 2” gets more replies than “Excited to share our new onboarding!”. Specific and slightly vulnerable beats polished.
  6. Turn every conversation into a relationship. When someone replies twice, follow them, reply to their posts, and send a short DM if they seem to have the problem you are solving. These are your first beta users and your launch-day supporters.
  7. Point to the waitlist once a week, not in every post. Mention the link when a post shows progress people would want to follow. Keep it in your pinned post and bio the rest of the time.
  8. Keep a weekly recap. Every Friday, post what you shipped, what you learned and one metric. Recaps give new followers a quick way to catch up and give you a record to reuse in your launch posts.

If you are starting from zero followers

A new account has no one to post for and no one to reply to it. Do not wait for an audience before starting; build it through other people’s posts:

  • Week 1: search #connect plus your niche every day, follow 20–30 active people, reply to every #connect post that matches your field. Introduce yourself in one line when relevant: “Building X for Y, happy to connect”.
  • Week 2: find 10 accounts slightly bigger than you that post about your problem space. Turn on notifications for them and reply early; early replies get the most views.
  • Week 3: start posting daily. Your first posts will get a few likes from the people you have been talking to. That is enough to start.
  • Keep replying every day even after you start posting. For most accounts, replies bring more new followers than original posts for the first few months.

Why it works

People follow stories, not products. Regular updates let them watch the product take shape and feel involved before it exists. The replies you leave put your name in front of people who already care about your field, and the people you meet this way are more likely to try, share and give feedback on the product than strangers on launch day.

How it gets users

Slowly. Expect weeks of posting to a few dozen people before anything compounds. Most indie founders who stick with it for two to three months reach a few hundred relevant followers. A small share of them join the waitlist, but they are the warmest users you will have: they answer questions, join the beta and upvote or comment on launch day. A single post can occasionally spread widely, but do not plan around it.

Common mistakes

  • Posting into the void for weeks without replying to anyone.
  • Following thousands of accounts in bulk or using follow-for-follow tricks. You get followers who never read your posts.
  • Posting only launch announcements and “we’re live” updates.
  • Mixing personal topics, politics and the product so people cannot tell what you post about.
  • Hiding numbers and problems. They are the most interesting part.
  • Giving up after two weeks, before replies have had time to turn into followers.

Next steps

This guide is connected to these guides on the map. Numbered ones come next.

01 Idea02 Waitlist03 Beta04 Launch05 First 10006 First 1kSet up a waitlist landing page1Recruit beta testers in niche communities2Post a Show HN on Hacker News3Launch on Product Hunt4This guide02 Waitlist03 Beta04 LaunchSet up a waitlist landing page1Recruit beta testers in niche communities2Post a Show HN on Hacker News3Launch on Product Hunt4This guide
  1. 102 Waitlist · Content and SEOSet up a waitlist landing pageOne page that states the problem and who it is for, and collects an email address, so you have people to contact when there is something to try.
  2. 203 Private beta · CommunitiesRecruit beta testers in niche communitiesPost in the communities your users belong to, describe the problem plainly, and ask for a small number of testers.
  3. 304 Launch · Launch platformsPost a Show HN on Hacker NewsShare something people can try right away, write a plain first comment, and answer every question for the rest of the day.
  4. 404 Launch · Launch platformsLaunch on Product HuntPrepare the listing and assets in advance, launch at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time, and tell your own list and communities on the day.