1
Put your product in front of early adopters on Product Hunt and launch directories, and turn one day of attention into users and links.
ValidationCustomersNetwork
4.1
Why this step matters A launch gives you a fixed date, a reason to contact everyone you know and a crowd of early adopters who actually try new tools. Product Hunt is the best known launch site for software, and a good day there brings sign-ups, feedback, a few investors and journalists browsing the leaderboard, and a lasting profile page… Read more →
Pros
- Launch at 12:01 am Pacific so you get the full day
- Write a personal maker comment that explains why you built it
- Collect emails and feedback, not just votes
Cons
- Do not ask people directly to upvote
- Do not launch before onboarding works for strangers
- Do not post from a company account instead of a personal one
Cost: $0-200 · Time: 2-4 weeks prep, 1 day launch · product hunt launch early adopters directories backlinks
2
Win your first 100 paying customers by hand through direct outreach, communities and founder-led sales before you try to scale.
ValidationCustomersRevenue
4.2
Why this step matters Your first 100 customers teach you who buys, why they buy, what they will pay and which channel can bring the next thousand. At this stage you are not optimising a funnel; you are looking for a pattern. Paul Graham's well-known advice to "do things that don't scale" fits here: recruit users one by one, onboard… Read more →
Pros
- Sell by hand to people you can name
- Onboard early customers personally
- Ask every happy customer for a referral or testimonial
Cons
- Do not buy ads before you know who converts
- Do not spam communities with links
- Do not discount so hard that you learn nothing about price
Cost: $0-500 · Time: 1-6 months · customer acquisition outreach founder-led sales communities early traction
3
Lay the technical and content foundations for search traffic now, so organic visitors compound while you build.
Save moneyCustomers
4.3
Why this step matters Search traffic is slow to start and cheap to keep. A page you publish in your first month can still bring customers years later, while paid ads stop the day you stop paying. Starting early matters because search engines need time to discover, crawl and trust a new domain. Founders who wait until they "have time… Read more →
Pros
- Target the words customers actually type
- Give every important page a unique title and description
- Earn links from profiles, partners and real coverage
Cons
- Do not buy link packages or PBN links
- Do not publish thin AI pages at scale
- Do not block crawlers by mistake on launch
Cost: $0-100/mo · Time: 3-12 months · seo search console keywords content backlinks
4
Pitch a real story to the right journalists and newsletters to earn credibility, links and a burst of qualified traffic.
FundingCustomersNetwork
4.4
Why this step matters Coverage in a trade publication, a respected newsletter or a podcast does three things a startup struggles to do alone. It borrows trust, because an independent writer chose to mention you. It sends a concentrated burst of the right readers. And it usually leaves a strong link from an established domain, which helps your search rankings.… Read more →
Pros
- Pitch a news angle, not your feature list
- Target writers who cover your exact space
- Make it easy: press kit, data, quotes and images ready
Cons
- Do not mass-blast a generic press release
- Do not pay for "guaranteed" placements
- Do not break an embargo you offered
Cost: $0-500 · Time: 2-8 weeks · pr press journalists media relations newsletters
5
Trade a slice of equity for funding, mentors, perks and a network, and pick the programme whose terms and alumni fit you.
Save moneyFundingNetwork
4.5
Why this step matters An accelerator is a fixed-length programme, usually around three months, that invests a small amount in a batch of startups in exchange for equity, then pushes them hard with mentors, peer founders and a demo day in front of investors. The best ones compress a year of learning into a season, open doors to investors who… Read more →
Pros
- Read the exact investment terms before you apply
- Talk to recent alumni, not just the website
- Show traction and speed of progress in the application
Cons
- Do not pay fees to an "accelerator" that also wants equity
- Do not join only for the perks
- Do not skip reading what the equity really costs you
Cost: $0 · Time: 1-6 months (application to demo day) · accelerator y combinator techstars demo day mentors