Launched a free Chrome extension for classified-ad sellers — now stuck on the hardest part: getting the first real users

Hey everyone,

Wanted to share where I'm at and get some honest input from people who've been through this.

I built AnzeigenBoost, a Chrome extension for people who sell on Kleinanzeigen (Germany's biggest classifieds platform). The problem it solves: ads sink down the search results over time, so sellers manually re-post them to get back to the top. My tool does that in one click — carries over the title, description, price, and photos automatically. It's live and free, and I use it daily for my own ads.

The build was the easy part. Getting users is the real challenge — and where I'd love advice.

What I've tried so far:

• Direct outreach to high-volume sellers (bike shops, clothing resellers). A couple replied, most didn't. One business was interested but went quiet.
• I've got a landing page and just started posting in maker/beta communities.

Where I'm stuck / questions for you:

• For a niche tool tied to a specific platform, what actually worked for you to get your first 10-20 real users?
• Direct outreach feels slow and hit-or-miss — is that just the reality early on, or am I missing a better channel?
• How did you figure out if people would pay before building payment infrastructure?

I know the honest truth is "it depends," but I'd genuinely value hearing how others cracked the cold-start problem for a niche product.

(If you're curious, the tool: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/noagiapohlenpolcbeghlmngalapbobe — but I'm mainly here for the advice, not a plug.)

Thanks 🙏