How do founders build a successful SaaS with no audience at all?
I am curious how people actually do it.
There are tons of stories about founders launching SaaS products without an existing audience. No Twitter following, no newsletter, no community, nothing. Yet some still manage to get early traction and even hit real MRR.
If you have started from zero, I would love to hear:
How you got your first users
What channels brought the earliest traction
Whether cold outreach works or not
If content played a role or if you focused mainly on building
What you would do differently if you had to start again
This is a general question for anyone in the community. I want to learn how people approach the very early stage when nobody knows you exist.
Any experiences or lessons are welcome.
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Replies
IXORD
I deeply regret not focusing on SEO at the early stages of product development. It’s a tool that sooner or later would have started driving traffic to the website, which would then convert into users
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@ixord indeed, SEO is another important part of product development, maybe as important as marketing
IXORD
@alexcloudstar I cannot say that SEO is more important than marketing, as together, marketing and SEO provide a strong boost to the product :)
Second time founder here, and building a community is definitely the thing I wish I did first time around, and it’s what I’m focusing on now. Again, not just networking, but creating a community of potential customers/users where people get to discuss a variety of topics and ideas. This gives the opportunity to listen and pitch at some point without it being cold. I’m currently doing this by creating groups on Facebook, Meetup and engaging on Reddit.
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@eliezer_odjao Thanks a lot for sharing this.
I always hear that community helps long term, but the part about creating a space where people talk about their own problems is something I rarely see founders mention.
Creating groups on Facebook and Meetup is an interesting angle. I always thought those platforms were kind of saturated, but it sounds like they still work if you stay consistent.
Reddit engagement also makes sense since the conversations feel more organic there.
I might start a small niche group myself and slowly build around it. Appreciate the insight.
MultiDrive
We don’t have a SaaS, but the early steps feel very similar. We focus heavily on SEO - publishing helpful articles, building backlinks, and submitting our product to relevant sites. We also reach out to influencers; many of them are open to genuine, non-paid content if the product is useful.
YouTube also works well for us (shorts + long videos). Our main goals now are to grow backlinks, gather feedback, and build a solid number of installations.
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@tetiana_hryshmanovska This is super helpful.
I keep underestimating how much SEO matters in the early days. Publishing helpful content and building backlinks sounds slow, but I guess that is exactly why it compounds later.
Reaching out to influencers who are open to non paid content is something I never actually tried. Good point that many are happy to share something useful if it fits their audience.
YouTube mixing shorts with long form is also something I have been thinking about. Thanks for sharing the breakdown. It gives me a clearer picture of what to focus on first.
MultiDrive
@alexcloudstar My pleasure, I'm happy to share!
TinyCommand
Love this question, Alex it’s the part no one really talks about enough.
For us, the earliest traction didn’t come from an audience at all. It came from conversations reaching out to people who were already feeling the pain we were solving, jumping on quick calls, and showing tiny versions of the product. No big strategy, just being present where the problems were.
Cold outreach worked only when it was pain-specific and not “here’s my product.”
And content helped later, but in the beginning, it was mostly sharing small learnings, not trying to “grow an audience.”
If I were starting again, I’d focus even more on that: talk to 20 - 30 people who feel the problem deeply, build the smallest version that helps them, and let those early relationships shape the product.
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@priyanka_gosai1 This is such a solid breakdown. Thanks for sharing it so clearly.
I really like how you framed the early phase as simply being present where the pain exists. No fancy playbook, just real conversations with people who are already trying to solve the problem on their own. It’s refreshing compared to all the buzzwords we see everywhere.
The point about cold outreach only working when it's tied to a specific pain really hits. I’ve definitely been guilty of sending the classic “here’s my product” message instead of speaking to what the person is actually struggling with.
And the idea of sharing small learnings instead of trying to “build an audience” right away makes a lot of sense. Feels way more authentic and way less overwhelming.
Talking to 20–30 people who feel the problem deeply is probably the best advice I’ve heard. Thanks again for laying it out so clearly.
Our situation is pretty similar to what you described. Here's what we're trying:
- Posting on Twitter daily
- Launching on Product Hunt
- Building backlinks for SEO
- Planning to try YouTube videos in a few days
These are all slow to show results.
I'm also trying to DM potential target users on social platforms to pitch the product directly. Only a small percentage reply, but it's something.
Still figuring out what actually works. Would love to hear what others have tried.
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@leohunter Really appreciate you sharing this. Sounds like you’re doing all the right early stage things, even if the results feel slow.
The daily posting, PH launch, backlink building… all of those are long-term plays, but they tend to pay off once the compounding kicks in. And honestly, even getting a small percentage of replies from cold DMs is already a win. Most founders I talk to say cold outreach feels brutal at the start, but landing even a handful of conversations can shape the product in big ways.
Curious to see how YouTube works for you. I keep hearing that early videos barely move the needle, but once you hit a useful angle or keyword, traffic suddenly spikes.
You’re definitely not alone in the “still figuring out what works” phase. Thanks for laying out your approach so openly. It’s helpful to see how others navigate this early traction puzzle.
Hey Alex, second time founder myself, i had a bit of a struggle at first to find the right distribution channels. I guess we were able to rely a lot on founders' network to start which helped. Then we:
Relied on other people network
Listed Umamy on as many directories as possible (58 and counting)
Next we plan to integrate referral in our saas and focus on SEO.
I did not manage to write a wikipedia page about our company though if anyone has a tip for that 😅
Product Hunt Wrapped 2025
@stephane_millet_umamy Thanks for sharing this. Super helpful.
Interesting that directories worked for you. I always felt they were a bit “spray and pray,” but clearly they can move the needle if you go all in like you did with 50 plus submissions.
Also love the idea of leaning on other people’s networks. It’s something I forget is even an option when starting from zero.
Referral system plus SEO sounds like a solid long term combo. Curious to see how that plays out for Umamy.
And yeah… the Wikipedia page struggle is real. Editors are brutal. If I ever crack that process, I’ll definitely share the steps.
@alexcloudstar The directories play is more about getting the base right and solid. Then I imagine / hope it will have an impact on the ranking in LLMs search results as well. Can't hurt at least 😅