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Ask HN: How to use FB and Reddit to get your first customers?

2 points by apelin ↗ HN
Hey everyone, I have a challenge.

We just launched our MVP and I am trying to get our first 100 customers from FB groups and sub-reddits. While I can create engaging posts, my issue is I can't find a way to steer conversations towards our product.

How do you ask people to try your product on these platforms? Any examples of successful posts would be much appreciated.

15 comments

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diogenesjunior
>reddit

reddit is filled with censorship, there's no point in using it

>facebook

facebook isn't any better, its just user focused instead of community based.

I'd say you're better of not spamming any site though. If your [product] is good, people will come to it naturally.

apelin
I get your point, but having people come naturally is challenging since the company is new. They need to find out about it. Paid ads are a NO as we want to do a few iterations of the product (and validate it) before we throw money at it.
PaulHoule
Have you tried selling it to people in person?
apelin
I am working on it now, it's time consuming and will yield results down the line. Our team is hoping to try social media to accelerate acquisition at an early stage.
PaulHoule
When I think "successful social media marketing" I think of some kind of podcast or blog... say

https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/avtalk-podcast/

or

https://multithreaded.stitchfix.com/blog/ https://www.stitchfix.com/men/blog/ https://www.stitchfix.com/women/blog/

(e.g. it was reading about machine learning at Stitch Fix (SF) that I felt solidarity for them and became a subscriber)

That aviation podcast is like a freight train, but that is because they have been doing it so long.

If there is a royal road, it is to pay someone and ride on their momentum. For instance the SF company will hire pro bloggers, you work with an "influencer", etc.

This San Francisco entrepreneur staged a fake protest to launch Salesforce.com (SF)

https://www.businessinsider.com/marc-benioff-salesforcecom-c...

apelin
Cool ideas, thanks for sharing!
troydavis
> How do you ask people to try your product on these platforms?

Buy ads, especially when you’re starting from nothing. Both sites you mentioned have self-service ad platforms with no minimums.

If it works, the cost is tiny ($3-$12 per 1,000 impressions) - especially since you’re able to target the campaigns. If it doesn’t work, organic content probably wouldn’t have either, and would have taken way more calendar time and wallclock time to test.

After you find something that works, then look into ways to decrease the cost.

apelin
I guess we are so stuck on the NO paid acquisition idea that I haven't really though how cheap it would be to test. Based on what we've tried so far, this might actually be a faster way to test. Thanks!
bcosynot
Can you provide some details about the target market? B2B or B2C?
apelin
It's B2B2C - a modern payment platform for landlords and tenants.

The product can be used to: - create installment plans for missed rent - make security deposit payments over time - pay rent on a flexible schedule

bcosynot
Gotcha. Most subreddits are averse to self-promotion, so you run the risk of a negative response from redditors. I can't speak to Facebook groups since I don't use them much.

It might be difficult to target ads to landlords on these platforms. I am not sure what targeting attributes might be available.

Maybe you could cold email/call property management companies and you might find specific people to email on LinkedIn. They manage larger number of properties and so this might be a bigger pain for them? Cold emailing and selling also makes it possible to get continuous and early feedback from engaged customers. It might not scale, but that's fine [1]

[1] http://paulgraham.com/ds.html

apelin
Thanks for the thoughts. I think we'll be choosing a plan of actions tomorrow.

I came upon Paul's post a few years back but it's always great to revisit :)

bcosynot
I would love to learn what you folks decided on.
Ami_grow
Are you sure Facebook and Reddit are the best ways to go for an MVP test? Reddit requires time and subtle messaging, Facebook is good but you need to be in the right groups and build a good messaging in order to succeed. In my experience, the best way is to offer something to the ones who'd like to test and give feedback. Don't go for Ads before testing first! You might be wasting your time, money and product reputation.

Please let me know if you need some help.

apelin
Paid ads wouldn't be our first choice. However time is pressing us for faster user acquisition.

What kind of help are you offering?