Here's how I went from 0 to over 10,000 registered users very quickly :D

[katieb93]

Hey everyone.

I'm Aron.

We created a simple site at www.validatorai.com and we have over 10,000 registered users in a matter of a couple of weeks. Averaging 500+ new users every day. Zero paid ads. The site helps people with their startup ideas.

Here's the secret that has worked for me, more than once:

Create a free tool.

A free tool will bring in masses of users/customers if done correctly. I started doing this 10+ years ago. The first free tool I owned was a website traffic estimator - it was the very first site to estimate web traffic. It was used by tens of thousands of people. I eventually sold the startup to a company that monetized the user base and added additional services.

It doesn't have to be sexy either (the tool).

It needs:

1. to be free
2. to be simple to use (i.e. a search box with a user entry)

3. a hint of virality where people want to share what they learned and found out

1. the ability to show what others have searched/learned so people come back often

5. to be easy to share on social media

1. user registration so you can reach out to them later with a paid product or additional services

Then, tell people what you are up to on social media and your immediate network. Get feedback but you’ll also get users - ask for feedback. Don’t sell. You are providing value to these users, for FREE, so they should be willing to give you quick feedback on how you can solve their problems. Once you've made a free tool, then you have something to talk about on Reddit, Facebook Groups, Twitter, Forums, Product Hunt, Beta List etc. -- you can start the conversation about the industry, problems people are facing and how to solve them. You'll be able to establish yourself as a key voice in the space and then work on solutions to problems.

What is listed above is key -- if you want to build a startup, you need to be a problem solver. Take user feedback and build what they want. AND, the easiest way to get this feedback is to build a quick tool for potential customers to use, because this gives them value. It's much more difficult to be a key voice and talk about solutions and problems just out of the blue. Giving value first opens the door to these conversations.

Check out our quick AI tool at www.validatorai.com

And, follow along there to see what we do next to solve problems for startup founders. Since we have this tool, we can now talk about problems and solutions and NOW build what we had in mind in the first place.

Thanks everyone!

Any questions?

Ask below.

- Aron

 

[mantadre]

@katieb93 Alexa???

 

[lilybelle]

@katieb93 I love this - I was a user in the last few days.

 

[katieb93]

@lilybelle thanks! always interested in feedback of what

additional help you think we could provide with

AI and roadmaps etc.

 

[rtc91]

@katieb93 Cool my idea is validator approved. Now someone develop it for me.

 

[katieb93]

@rtc91 well, execution is the key.

i think that's the next thing we'll dive into on the site.

WHAT to do next.

 

[itisi]

@katieb93 Building a free tool and knowing how to get the users to give your their contact is a win-win. Great job..

 

[katieb93]

@itisi thanks

provide a little value, for free, and giving up an email address is a no brainer

 

[wifekd]

@katieb93 I have a question, so is this using Chatgpt3 API or something ?

 

[katieb93]

@wifekd hi there

It's using open source AI tools yes but chat gpt doesnt have an API just yet.

so it's using AI and we trained it on startups and business etc.

 

[jaylyn]

@katieb93 interesting, which type of data you trained it with? what type of data sources did you used?

 

[katieb93]

@jaylyn thanks!

right now we are manually feeding it data for it to train and learn on.

Will update you if we find a better way.

 

[gregh87]

@katieb93 Great tool and insight. Thanks for this post. Can I ask what’s the cost of up-keeping this free tool though. That’s my only concern. Did you have to pay for the AI API? Or are their free version out there. Sorry if this sounds like a beginner question. I’m new to this game.

 

[katieb93]

@gregh87 thanks!

great question.

it does cost me per use of the AI, but it's very minimal.

For these first 12,000 or so users, i've paid maybe a few hundred dollars... maybe a bit more.

Fair price to build a user base IMO

 

[gregh87]

@katieb93 Sure I agree, thanks for your reply.