How I got my first 900+ beta users for my website.

Hey Indie Hackers! 👋

Last month, I was sitting at my desk, staring at exactly zero beta users for my website. Today? we've got over 900 students actively using it. Here's the story of how it happened.

Like many founders, I started with the usual strategy - Reddit, X and Bluesky posts. I spent hours makiung the perfect posts but only to be met with a few upvotes and the occasional 'looks interesting' comment, which weren’t exactly what I was hoping for.

Then came the cold DMs. Oh, the cold DMs. I personalized each message, making sure to connect with potential users who might genuinely benefit from our platform. Some responses were encouraging, others... well, no responses...

But here's where it gets interesting.

One evening, while doom-scrolling through Facebook, I stumbled upon this really active education-focused group.

I took a deep breath and made a post. No growth hacks, no marketing speak - just an honest message about what we were building and why we needed their help to make it better. I hit "Post" and went to bed, expecting maybe a few pity likes.

The next morning, my notifications was FLOODED. That single post brought in over 500 users. Not just signups - actual, engaged users who were genuinely excited about trying the platform. It turned out that being genuine in the right community was worth more than all my carefully crafted marketing strategies combined.

The funny thing is, I almost didn't post in that Facebook group. I had convinced myself that "Facebook was dead" and "all the real users are on newer platforms." Talk about being wrong!

Looking back, here's what I learned: Sometimes the best marketing strategy isn't about being everywhere - it's about being real in the right place. Those 500+ users didn't come from growth hacks or perfect pitch messages. They came from finding a community that actually cared about the problem we were solving.

For those curious about numbers from other channels:

• Reddit: ~20 signups
• Cold DMs: ~3 quality users
• Twitter/X & Bluesky combined: ~10 users
• That one Facebook group: 500+ users and still growing

So if you're struggling to find beta users, my advice? Look for where your real users hang out, even if it's not the trendy platform everyone's talking about.