Forget casting a wide net. Finding your first customers is about precision. Stop thinking "small business owners" and start thinking "Shopify store owners in D2C apparel struggling with cart abandonment."
I'm a founder. My co-founder and I built BillyBuzz from scratch, and this is the exact, no-fluff playbook we used to find our first users before we even had a launch date. This isn't theory; it's what we do every day.
Stop Guessing and Start Targeting
The classic founder mistake is building for everyone. Before writing a line of code, you need a crystal-clear profile of your ideal customer, based on evidence, not assumptions. Forget generic personas. You need to know which online communities your future customers are in right now, complaining about the exact problems you can solve.
Pinpoint Pain Before Building the Product
At BillyBuzz, we never start with a solution. We start by hunting for specific pain points that signal a real need—and a willingness to pay. This isn't about asking people what they want; it's about observing their frustrations in the wild. We live in forums, subreddits, and competitor communities, looking for recurring complaints.
This research is non-negotiable. The cost of getting it wrong is staggering. Back in 2013, brands lost an average of $9 for every new customer. By 2025, that loss is projected to hit $29 per customer. You can't afford to be imprecise with numbers like that.
As a founder, your first job is to become an expert on a problem, not just your product. When you deeply understand the pain, you'll know exactly who your customer is and where to find them.
From Broad Concepts to Actionable Targets
Getting specific changes everything. Your messaging, features, and outreach become sharper because they're designed for a real person with a real problem.
Here’s an example. Let's say your initial idea is to target "marketers." That’s useless.
- Initial Idea: Marketers
- A Better Target: B2B SaaS marketers at early-stage startups
- A Laser-Focused Profile: Content marketers at Series A SaaS companies who struggle to prove the ROI of their blog.
See the difference? This tells you exactly which communities to join and what to say. This upfront work saves massive time and money. It also requires a solid plan for reaching these people, which is where proven B22B lead generation strategies come in.
How We Find Customers on Reddit Without Getting Banned
Reddit is gold for finding early adopters, but it's a minefield. The communities are allergic to spam and will tear apart blatant self-promotion. We learned this the hard way. Drive-by marketing gets you downvoted, called out, and banned.
The secret is to stop acting like a marketer. Act like a helpful member of the community who built something to solve their own problem.
At BillyBuzz, our strategy is simple: give before you ask. We never just drop a link. We hunt for conversations where people are genuinely struggling. This reframes you from an annoying salesperson to a welcome problem-solver.
Finding the Right Conversations
It starts with knowing where to look. We ignore huge, general subreddits and focus on niche communities. For us, that means we live in r/SaaS, r/startups, r/growmybusiness, and r/marketing.
Take a look at the discussions in r/SaaS.
People are asking for advice and sharing challenges. These are buying signals disguised as conversations.
Once we have our target subreddits, we use BillyBuzz to set up real-time alerts. We don't track our brand name; we track problem- and intent-based keywords.
Here are some of the actual alert rules we have running right now:
- Keywords:
“recommendation for”,“tool to”,“alternative to”,“how are you tracking”,“frustrated with”,“customer feedback”,“social listening” - Subreddits:
r/SaaS,r/startups,r/marketing,r/Entrepreneur - Filter: Must contain a question mark (
?) to focus on help-seeking posts.
These keywords tell us someone is actively looking for a solution. Automating this is a game-changer. You can see our exact process in our guide on how to set up Slack alerts for Reddit mentions in 10 minutes.
How to Respond Without Being Spammy
When an alert hits our Slack, we never lead with a sales pitch. We use a simple, three-part framework that's all about helping first.
Our Internal Response Template (The "A.G.I." Method):
- Acknowledge & Validate: Show you get it. "That's a tough spot. We struggled with that early on, too." This proves you read their post.
- Give Genuine Advice: Offer a helpful answer that doesn't require your product. Suggest a manual process, a free tool, or a different way to frame the problem.
- Introduce Gently (Optional): After providing value, you can mention your product. "Full disclosure, we ended up building BillyBuzz to automate this. Feel free to check it out if that's useful, but no pressure at all."
This founder-to-founder approach works because it's authentic. You're a peer who has been in the trenches. You earn the right to mention your solution. That's how you turn a spam complaint into a warm lead.
Using AI to Pinpoint Your Next Customer
Manual prospecting is a soul-crushing time sink. As a founder, your time is your most valuable asset. Spending hours scrolling through forums is a fast track to burnout.
AI-powered tools change the game. Instead of you doing the searching, you teach a system to sift through thousands of conversations and hand-deliver opportunities. It's your personal radar for buying signals, freeing you up to actually talk to potential users.
Building Your AI-Powered Alert System
At BillyBuzz, our entire customer discovery process runs on AI-driven monitoring. We taught our system what a perfect lead looks like, and now it does the heavy lifting.
This isn't guesswork; it's a predictable system for growth. It’s why the global AI marketing market is projected to rocket from $20 billion in 2022 to $40 billion by 2025. Smart tools that automate discovery can slash customer acquisition costs by up to 50%.
The first step is defining your trigger rules. This goes beyond brand names. Think like your customers.
Here are the types of alert rules we use inside BillyBuzz:
- Problem-Aware Keywords: We listen for phrases like
"how to track mentions","frustrated with [competitor's name]", or"social listening tool recommendation". - Sentiment Analysis Filters: We set alerts to flag posts with negative sentiment about a competitor or a problem. This signals they're ready for a switch.
- Source Targeting: We point our AI at specific communities we know our ideal users frequent, like
r/SaaS,r/marketing, and specific Slack communities.
The difference between the old way and the new way is stark.
Manual vs AI-Powered Prospecting
| Metric | Manual Prospecting (Traditional) | AI-Powered Prospecting (BillyBuzz Method) |
|---|---|---|
| Time Investment | 10-15 hours per week of active searching | 1-2 hours per week for setup & engagement |
| Cost | High (salary/opportunity cost of your time) | Low (affordable SaaS subscription) |
| Lead Quality | Inconsistent, often low-intent leads | High-intent, problem-aware leads |
| Scalability | Limited by individual bandwidth | Highly scalable, runs 24/7 |
| Response Time | Slow, often miss real-time opportunities | Instant alerts for immediate engagement |
Automating discovery doesn't just save time—it produces better results. The impact of a smarter, AI-driven approach on key business metrics is hard to ignore.
As the data shows, a targeted acquisition strategy directly impacts your bottom line and user happiness.
Prioritizing Your Outreach
When alerts roll in, you need to know where to focus. An AI-powered relevancy score is crucial, helping you spot the highest-potential conversations so you can jump in before the moment passes.
The goal isn't just to find mentions; it's to find moments. AI helps pinpoint the exact moment a potential customer is most open to hearing from you. This is the difference between interrupting and helping.
By combining sharp keyword triggers with sentiment and context analysis, you create a lead-gen engine that works 24/7. It lets you step into the right conversations at the perfect time. We’ve packed more practical advice into our guide on how to find leads on social media with AI. Stop chasing customers and let them find you.
Cold Outreach That Actually Gets a Reply
You've found a potential customer. Now the hard part: dropping into their inbox or DMs without getting ignored. Your outreach has to feel like it came from a real founder, written specifically for them.
Forget blasting a generic template. The goal is a genuine conversation with a handful of high-potential leads. This founder-to-founder approach respects their time and proves you did your homework.
Our High-Reply Reddit DM Template
When we spot a perfect lead on Reddit, our DM is short, personal, and focused on their problem. Anything that smells like spam is a one-way ticket to being ignored.
Here’s the exact template we use inside BillyBuzz:
Hey [Name],
Saw your comment in [Subreddit] about struggling with [Problem]. That's a huge pain.
One thing that helped us was [Quick, actionable tip that doesn't mention your product].
If you ever want to put that on autopilot, we actually built BillyBuzz to handle it. No pressure at all, just thought it might be helpful since we've been there.
Cheers,
[Your Name]
This simple structure changes the dynamic. You're not a salesperson; you're a peer offering a helpful recommendation.
Your first message should give value, not ask for it. The goal is to get a reply, not make a sale. The sale comes after you've built trust.
Crafting a Cold Email That Stands Out
The same principles apply to email. Your subject line is everything. Learning to write effective email subject lines is a non-negotiable skill.
Once opened, the email must deliver. Vague flattery like "I love your company" is a waste of pixels. Be specific. Reference a recent post, a podcast appearance, or a specific challenge companies like theirs face.
Here's a bare-bones email structure that works for us:
- Subject: Quick question about [Their Company]'s approach to [Problem You Solve]
- Line 1 (Personalization): "Hi [Name], I saw your recent post on LinkedIn about scaling content production."
- Line 2 (Problem): "Many founders I talk to in the [Their Industry] space struggle with measuring the ROI of that content."
- Line 3 (Solution): "We built a tool that helps with this by [Your One-Sentence Value Prop]."
- Line 4 (Low-Friction Ask): "Curious if this is something on your radar? No worries if not."
This approach is tight, relevant, and makes it easy to reply. You're respecting their inbox, which is the secret to breaking through the noise.
Turning Your First Users Into a Growth Engine
Getting those first customers is just the starting line. The real challenge is turning that spark into a sustainable fire. Too many founders get stuck on the hamster wheel, constantly chasing the next lead.
The way off is to shift from pure acquisition to intentional retention and advocacy. Your first users are your most important asset. They're your co-builders, your beta testers, and your future marketing channel.
The Math Behind Retention
The numbers are clear. While 44% of businesses focus on acquisition, only 18% prioritize retention. This is a huge mistake.
It’s five to twenty-five times more expensive to land a new customer than to keep an existing one.
Even better, the probability of selling to an existing, happy customer is 60-70%. Nurturing your early adopters builds a more profitable, stable business. You can dig into more customer loyalty statistics to see how powerful this is.
Building Your Feedback Flywheel
Your first users know your product's flaws and potential better than anyone. Don't wait for bug reports. Create a direct line of communication and make it dead simple for them to give feedback.
At BillyBuzz, we created a private Slack channel for our first 50 users. It instantly became our direct pipeline for bug reports, feature requests, and raw, unfiltered opinions.
This did two critical things:
- Faster Iteration: We spotted and fixed problems in hours, not weeks.
- Deeper Loyalty: Our users felt heard and invested. They weren't just customers; they were part of the team.
Don't just build a product for your first users. Build it with them. When they feel a sense of ownership, they'll go from being simple users to passionate advocates who actively want you to succeed.
Identifying and Activating Your Champions
Not every user will become a super-fan. Your job is to spot those getting the most value and give them a nudge to share their experience.
Start by looking at usage metrics. Who’s logging in the most? Who’s using advanced features? Those are your happiest customers. Once you know who they are, reach out personally with a founder-to-founder message.
Here’s a simple script we’ve used:
"Hey [Name],
I noticed you've been using [Feature X] a lot. So glad you're finding it useful!
If you happen to know any other founders who are wrestling with [Problem], we'd be incredibly grateful for an introduction. We even have a small referral bonus as a thank you.
No pressure at all, just wanted to say thanks for being an awesome early user."
That personal touch shows you’re paying attention. By making it easy and rewarding for your best customers to spread the word, you build a system that pulls new users in for you. This is the secret to finding customers sustainably.
Founder FAQs: Your Burning Questions Answered
When you're a founder, figuring out how to get those first customers can feel like shouting into the void. It’s a path full of questions and more than a little uncertainty. Let's tackle some of the most common ones I hear from founders in the trenches.
What’s a Realistic Budget for My First 10 Customers?
Honestly? It should be as close to $0 as you can get. I’m dead serious. The early game is all about sweat equity—your time and effort, not your bank account.
Your focus should be on channels that reward hustle. Think direct, personal outreach on platforms like Reddit and LinkedIn, or jumping into niche online communities where your ideal customers hang out. The real investment here is your time—time spent understanding people's problems and building genuine one-on-one connections.
Paid acquisition is a whole different beast. Don't even think about it until you've got a proven offer and a solid grasp of your customer lifetime value. Right now, your mission is learning and validation, not burning cash on ads.
How Do I Handle Rejection and Negative Feedback?
First, you have to reframe it. Rejection and tough feedback aren't failures—they're priceless data points. Every single "no" is an opportunity to figure out why your message or product isn't landing.
So instead of getting deflated, get curious. When someone turns you down, try asking something like, "Totally understand, and I appreciate the honesty. Would you mind sharing what you're using to solve this instead?" This is the kind of insight you can’t buy. It's pure gold for refining your product and sharpening your pitch.
The founders who make it aren't the ones who dodge rejection. They're the ones who run straight at it, listen intently, and adapt based on what they learn from every single conversation.
How Can I Figure Out the Best Place to Find My Customers?
Simple: the best channel is wherever your ideal customers are already complaining about the problem you solve. Don't get distracted by shiny new platforms or try to be everywhere at once. That's a recipe for burnout.
Think about it. If you're building B2B software for engineers, you'll probably find them on GitHub, Stack Overflow, and highly specific tech subreddits. Selling a product for new parents? Private Facebook Groups are almost certainly a better bet.
Start with a clear hypothesis about your ideal customer. Pick one or two channels and test them with focused, consistent effort. Keep track of every conversation and conversion. Once you see a flicker of promise, double down on what’s working and be ruthless about dropping what isn't. Your time is your most precious asset—spend it where it counts.
Ready to stop guessing and start talking to real customers? BillyBuzz finds people on Reddit who need your solution and alerts you in real-time. Start your free trial today and get in front of high-intent leads in minutes. Learn more at https://www.billybuzz.com.