How to get your first 100 users: Finding and Understanding Your Target Audience

Getting your first 100 users can feel very overwhelming with tons of uncertainty, at this stage you’re most likely still validating your idea and improving based on feedback. The struggle is really dealing with uncertainty, you don’t know if people even actually need your product.

The First step to getting your first 100 users is identifying your exact target audience and what problem you are solving. Ideally you must have experienced the problem firsthand or at least seen it from the POV of your target audience. Once you have experienced the problem yourself, you actually know the pain points to solve.

1. Define your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)

Try to clearly define your ideal target audience: Profession, Industry, Age, Gender, Location, Income, Budget.

2. Engage in Communities Where They Hang Out

Find where your Target audience (ICP) hangout online, this could be Tiktok, reddit, Instagram, X or even linked in if you are in B2B. Join the conversations and create content without being overly promotional. Offer value, answer questions, and share your journey.

3. Personal Outreach

Sometimes, the simplest approach works best. Send personalized emails or DMs to people who fit your target audience. Explain what you’re working on, how it can help, and ask for their feedback.

4. Offer an Irresistible Incentive

Early adopters often take a risk on an unproven product so you must compensate for this by giving an irresistible offer such as a free annual plan, credits or even lifetime access for free in exchange for feedback or even just the promise of directly shaping the product through their feedback.

5. Test Your Messaging

The way you talk about your SaaS matters, try A/B testing with the messaging and make sure you have a visually appealing landing page that clearly explains what your product is without leaving any doubts.

Ideally, a complete stranger must be able to have a good idea on what your product is after seeing the Hero section.

6. Collect Feedback Relentlessly

Your first users will teach you what works and what doesn’t. Be open to their critiques, adapt quickly, and keep them involved. If they feel heard, they’ll stick around and recommend your product.

Getting the first 100 users isn’t about scaling fast, it’s about understanding your audience and building a product that has Product Market Fit.

When I built Profiolio, I wanted to create a tool to help SaaS founders do just that. It provides actionable insights to understand your target audience, analyze the market, and refine your ideas before you build. It has now helped over a 100 SaaS founders to get a broader perspective on their SaaS ideas, hope it can help you do the same too.