How do I launch a consumer software product and get my first 1,000 users?
Launch day is one day. The first 1,000 users come from weeks of small, direct work before and after.
- How do we launch?
- Is Product Hunt worth it?
- Where do first users come from?
Build a waitlist before launch with a simple page and a reason to join. Find users where they already gather: communities, newsletters and forums you take part in genuinely. Invite small batches, talk to them, fix problems fast and ask for referrals and reviews. Use launch platforms such as Product Hunt as one channel among several. Track where each user came from and who pays.
A launch plan
| Phase | Focus |
|---|---|
| Weeks before | Waitlist and early testers |
| Launch week | Communities, creators, launch platforms |
| First month | Talk to users, fix, ask for referrals |
| After | Double down on channels that bring payers |
How we look at it at ShoutEx
We plan launches, build waitlists and track sources. See how to launch a SaaS product.
- Everything on launch day.
- Spamming communities.
- No waitlist.
- Not talking to users.
- Waitlist.
- Genuine community work.
- Small batches.
- Sources tracked.
What founders and platforms say
Here is what founders say.
Community summaries describe recurring themes in public threads, not individual posts. Vendor pages describe vendor claims, so test them on your own calls.
Read next
Go deeper in the ShoutEx guides, or check the sources behind this answer.
We'll plan the launch and track sources.
Book a call →Follow-up questions
Is Product Hunt worth it?
As one channel. Don't rely on it.
Should we launch on app stores and web?
Start where your users are.
Paid ads at launch?
Small tests, once tracking works.