The Secret to Building a User Waiting List (Before Finishing Your App)

Summary

This video script offers a strategy for app founders to build a user waiting list before launching their product. It advises against traditional promotional methods, which often fail, and instead suggests starting genuine, helpful conversations with potential users to solve their problems. The speaker shares personal experiences and practical steps, emphasizing the importance of early user engagement for sustainable project growth and valuable feedback.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Starting to find your first users before launching your app is crucial for success, as waiting until after launch can lead to failure 9 times out of 10.
• 💡 Creating a user waiting list is a simple and effective strategy for app founders to generate interest before the product is even finished.
• 🔍 Avoid the 'send and cringe' approach where mass emails or social posts are sent out, feeling pushy and promotional, which often leads to negative feedback or silence.
• 🤔 Founders often misinterpret silence or negative feedback as a sign that their app idea is not good, instead of recognizing it as a communication issue.
• 💬 Reframing the mindset to see your app as a solution to a problem makes it easier to start conversations with potential users without feeling like you're inconveniencing them.
• 🤝 Converting someone to be on an early user waiting list should feel like starting a helpful conversation with an acquaintance or friend, not a sales pitch.
• 🌟 Use your expertise in the problem your app solves to start conversations that provide value and naturally lead to interest in your app.
• 📚 Share the knowledge you have about the problem your app solves, as what seems like common sense to you might be valuable insights for others.
• 📈 Start with unscalable outreach methods like direct emails or conversations to gain valuable feedback and understand your audience better before scaling up.
• 📊 Scalable outreach methods like social media posts or podcasts are useful for reaching a larger audience but may have a lower initial conversion rate.
• 🔑 Learning from early, direct conversations with your first users will inform and improve your scalable outreach strategies later on.

Q & A

Why is it crucial to find your first users before launching an app?

Finding the first users before launching is important because waiting until after the launch can lead to failure in most cases. Without initial user feedback and interest, it can be challenging to sustain the project long enough to attract users after launch.

What is the 'send and cringe' approach mentioned in the script?

The 'send and cringe' approach refers to the method where people send out a large number of emails, social posts, or messages to promote their apps, feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable because the messages seem overly promotional and pushy.

Why do people often feel like they need to take the 'send and cringe' approach?

People often feel the need to take the 'send and cringe' approach because they believe it's the only way to get their first users or customers, despite the discomfort it brings.

What negative consequences can result from the 'send and cringe' approach?

Negative consequences include receiving no responses, or receiving polite deflections instead of genuine interest. This can lead founders to doubt their app idea, potentially causing them to overhaul their product or abandon development altogether.

What is the alternative approach to the 'send and cringe' method suggested in the script?

The alternative approach is to start helpful conversations with potential users by sharing knowledge relevant to the problem the app solves, positioning it as a solution they might be interested in rather than a hard sell.

Why should app founders feel confident in sharing their knowledge about the problem their app solves?

App founders should feel confident because their knowledge is valuable to those who have the problem the app addresses. It's not common sense to them, and sharing this knowledge can help initiate conversations that may lead to genuine interest in the app.

What is the significance of reframing the idea of conversions when building an early user waiting list?

Reframing conversions as starting helpful conversations rather than promotional activities helps founders connect with potential users in a more natural and engaging way, increasing the likelihood of genuine interest and sign-ups for the waiting list.

Can you provide an example of how to start a conversation with potential users as suggested in the script?

An example is sending an email to business owners in the same industry, sharing a lesson learned and how it was implemented to improve client success, offering help and value, and naturally mentioning the app as a solution in the conversation.

What is the importance of scalability in early user outreach methods?

Scalability is important as it allows for reaching a larger audience. However, in the early stages, it's more effective to focus on unscalable, direct conversations for higher return and valuable feedback, which can inform more scalable efforts later on.

Why might starting a YouTube channel before having the first customers be a waste of time?

Starting a YouTube channel before having the first customers could be wasteful because the content created would be based on assumptions rather than real user feedback. It's better to gain insights from initial users and then create content that addresses their needs and interests.

How does gaining the first 10 users help in shaping more scalable efforts later on?

Gaining the first 10 users allows founders to learn about their target audience's needs, preferences, and pain points directly. This knowledge can then be used to inform and refine scalable outreach efforts, such as social media campaigns or blog posts, to better resonate with a larger audience.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Early User Acquisition Strategy

The script emphasizes the importance of finding your first users before launching an app. It highlights the common mistake of waiting until after the launch, which often leads to failure. The speaker introduces a simple method for creating a user waiting list and contrasts it with the ineffective 'send and cringe' approach, which involves mass emails or messages that feel overly promotional. The speaker shares a personal story of a client who was able to reframe his approach to early user outreach by realizing that his app solves a real problem and that potential users would be interested in his insights.

05:00

🤝 Rethinking User Outreach as Helpful Conversations

This paragraph focuses on reframing the concept of user outreach. It suggests that converting someone to an early user or a paying customer should feel like starting a helpful conversation rather than an embarrassing sales pitch. The speaker uses their own experience with Coaching No Code Apps to illustrate how they acquired their first customers by offering helpful feedback in online groups and forums, which naturally led to people wanting to pay for their services. The key takeaway is that starting conversations around the problem your app solves can lead to genuine interest and valuable early user feedback.

10:03

💡 Leveraging Expertise for Early User Outreach

The speaker discusses the importance of recognizing and sharing the knowledge one has about the problem their app solves. They point out that experts often fail to share their knowledge because it seems like common sense to them, but this knowledge is valuable to those who need a solution. The client's story is used again to illustrate how asking relevant questions can help identify the type of information that prospective users would find useful. The speaker encourages app founders to use their expertise to start meaningful conversations that can naturally lead to early user engagement.

15:04

📈 Practical Examples of Early User Outreach

The script provides three practical examples of how to conduct early user outreach effectively. The first example involves sending personalized emails to business owners with lessons learned and how they were implemented, which can spark a conversation about the app. The second suggests making social media posts about problems and solutions related to the coaching program, which can attract comments and further discussions. The third example is pitching podcast topics related to the industry, positioning oneself as an expert and attracting interested listeners. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of starting with direct, unscalable efforts to gain valuable insights before moving on to more scalable outreach methods.

20:06

🌟 Scaling User Outreach Based on Early Feedback

The final paragraph discusses the importance of scaling user outreach efforts based on the feedback received from early users. It explains that while direct conversations are time-consuming, they provide the highest return in terms of valuable feedback and engaged users. The speaker advises against focusing on scalable outreach methods before securing the first users, as it's crucial to learn from these initial interactions to inform later, broader efforts. The paragraph concludes by encouraging viewers to take advantage of a free extended training on building and launching apps, available at the provided website.

Keywords

💡User Acquisition

User acquisition refers to the process of attracting and gaining new users for a product or service. In the context of the video, it is about finding the first users for an app before its official launch. The script emphasizes the importance of engaging with potential users early on to ensure the app's success and sustainability, rather than waiting until after the launch.

💡Influencer

An influencer is an individual who has the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience. The script mentions that not every app founder is an influencer with a massive audience, which implies the need for alternative strategies for user acquisition that do not rely on pre-existing influence.

💡Sales Pitch

A sales pitch is a persuasive presentation intended to convince someone to buy something or to adopt a particular idea. The video discusses how app founders often feel the need to apologize for their sales pitch, but the script suggests reframing this mindset to see the pitch as a helpful solution to a problem, rather than an inconvenience.

💡Early User Outreach

Early user outreach is the initial stage of engaging with potential users to gather feedback and build interest before a product launch. The script highlights the importance of early user outreach as a strategy to avoid failure and to ensure that the app is meeting a real need in the market.

💡Reframe

To reframe means to change the way something is perceived or understood. In the video, reframing is presented as a method to alter the approach to user outreach, shifting from a sales-oriented mindset to one that focuses on helping solve a problem, which is more likely to be well-received.

💡Promotional

Promotional refers to activities that aim to increase the visibility or sales of a product or service. The script describes a common approach where app founders engage in promotional activities that feel pushy and salesy, which can be off-putting and counterproductive.

💡Conversation Starters

Conversation starters are topics or questions designed to initiate a discussion. The video suggests using the app's problem-solving capabilities as conversation starters to engage with potential users in a non-promotional way, which can naturally lead to discussions about the app.

💡Scalability

Scalability refers to the ability of a system, network, or process to handle a growing amount of work. In the context of the video, scalability is discussed in terms of user outreach methods, with the script advising that less scalable, more personal methods yield higher returns in the early stages of app development.

💡Feedback

Feedback is information received from others about the success or failure of a product, idea, or process. The script emphasizes the value of engaging in deep conversations with early users to gather feedback that can inform and improve the app before its launch.

💡Podcast

A podcast is a digital audio program available for download or streaming on the internet. The video provides an example of using podcasts as a platform for discussing problems solved by the app, positioning the founder as an expert and attracting potential early users.

💡Conversion

Conversion in marketing refers to the act of turning a potential customer into an actual one. The script discusses the process of converting someone from not being a user to being on the early user waiting list, emphasizing that it should feel like starting a helpful conversation rather than a sales pitch.

Highlights

The importance of finding your first users before launching your app to avoid common pitfalls post-launch.

The challenge of attracting first users without a finished product or the budget for paid ads.

The high failure rate of apps that wait to find users post-launch due to unsustainable project duration.

A simple method to create a user waiting list for app founders without massive influence or paid ads.

Avoiding the 'send and cringe' approach to user outreach that feels pushy and promotional.

The negative impact of unsuccessful user outreach on founders' confidence in their app idea.

Re-framing the mindset from selling to helping and starting conversations instead of promotional pitches.

Recognizing that your app solves a problem, and potential users want to hear about your solution.

The power of starting helpful conversations with people in online groups or forums related to your app's niche.

The concept of 'starting a conversation' as a method for customer acquisition in the early stages of an app.

Using your expertise to provide valuable insights and naturally introduce your app to potential early users.

The strategy of sharing knowledge relevant to your app's problem-solving capabilities to attract interested users.

Examples of early user outreach methods, including personalized emails, social media posts, and podcast appearances.

The trade-off between scalability and return on investment in early user outreach efforts.

The importance of gaining insights from early users to inform more scalable marketing strategies later on.

The value of direct conversations for understanding user problems and frustrations to better serve them with your app.

A step-by-step guide offered for app entrepreneurs to build and launch successful apps.

The final call to action directing viewers to a free extended training for aspiring app entrepreneurs.

Transcripts

everybody knows you should start finding

your first users before you ever launch

your app but if you don't have a

finished product you're not going to be

spending thousands on paid ads and

you're not an influencer with an already

massive audience then how the heck do

you do that because this can be so

challenging a lot of people just don't

do it but the problem is for the people

who do wait to start finding their first

users until after they finish and launch

their app they end up failing nine times

out of 10 and look the reason for this

is pretty simple after you have spent a

lot of time and money to build and

launch your app and then after that it

takes another three six nine or more

months to even get your first users the

project just isn't sustainable any

longer but there is a simple way to

create a user waiting list that every

single app founder can use and to be

honest it's so simple that no no one is

talking about it so in this video you're

going to learn the secret to lining up

users so they are waiting for the doors

to open and by the end of the video

you're going to see how everybody else

has been doing this successfully first

we need to talk about how most people

are trying to find their first users so

you can avoid this completely and let me

tell you it is timec consuming tedious

and so unsuccessful it can leave you

questioning whether your app idea is

even good so I call this the send and

cringe approach and it is where people

send out masses of emails social posts

messages or even text messages trying to

get the word out about their apps but

every time they send they also cringe

because it feels salesy pushy and just

overly Promotional and look nobody likes

publishing that kind of stuff not even

the people who are doing it it makes

everyone cringe but it often feels like

the only way to get your first users or

customers so people do it anyways so

what ends up happening when you take

this approach well either you just don't

get any responses at all or people do

respond but they just nicely deflect you

know they say maybe but not right now or

that sounds pretty cool but then you

never hear back from them again now the

consequence of this is actually a lot

more extreme than you might think

because when founders start getting

negative feedback like this or just

silence alog together they think it's

because people don't like their app idea

so they either go back and completely

redevelop the thing or they just don't

finish development at all because they

don't think it's worthwhile and this is

a real shame because it's not the app

idea that is the problem it's the

communication so the question is how do

you do this right well to answer that

question I want to take you back to a

conversation I was having a while back

with one of our built- tocale clients so

this client had joined us to go from

idea to app and he was building a

product for an industry in which he

worked so he worked as kind of a

consultant for a company that helped

other businesses who were struggling to

run some of their internal operations

and so his idea was to build an app that

would automate a lot of the processes

that he was helping these companies with

and by automating those processes he

could sell the app on a subscription

basis and create a more scalable income

for himself that could potentially

replace his current job now as he was

building his app with us he was also

starting to do his early user Outreach

and he was having a problem where he

felt like he needed to take that sinned

and cringe approach that we were just

talking about and he was even starting

to write some emails and social posts

that just felt so overly promotional

that he wasn't sending them and it's a

good thing that he wasn't we were able

to take the opportunity to do a little

bit of a reframing exercise and it

changed how he approached his early user

Outreach and user Outreach overall from

B on out and I think it can really help

you too so here's step number one of

this reframe it involves realizing that

your app is being designed to solve a

problem

and if someone has that problem they

want to hear from you you know so many

people feel like they're inconveniencing

prospective users and customers by

talking to them about their app or

product almost like they need to

apologize to them ahead of time for the

sales pitch they're about to give them

now we are going to talk about the sales

pitch component of this in just a second

but you have to realize that if you are

building

a solution to a problem somebody has a

problem that someone is actively trying

to solve then how in the world would it

make sense that you would be

inconveniencing them by sharing this

solution with them you are not pushing

you are not selling you are not being

szy about anything you are simply

connecting with a person who's trying to

solve a problem that you can help them

solve that is a win-win situation now

the second reframe is even more

important and this is realizing that

when you are converting someone from not

being a user into being on your early

user waiting list or in the future into

just being a paying user this should

never feel embarrassing or promotional

realistically it should feel like you

are starting a helpful conversation with

an acquaintance or a friend so let me

use myself as an example for you so we

at coaching no code apps help people

build and launch their apps and way back

in the beginning nearly a decade ago the

way we went about finding our very first

customers was to start helpful

conversations with people related to

what we do now for us personally we

didn't have any existing contacts in the

space who were looking to build and

launch no code apps we didn't know

anyone in the space and so we were

starting literally at zero and this is

likely not the case for you though it

may be one of the simplest things we did

though was to spend time every day in

online groups or forums just offering

people helpful feedback in the space now

if groups and forums aren't related to

you or your op don't worry we'll get

there but that's just one of the really

simple things we did like clockwork

though when people saw that we were

offering helpful feedback they asked for

more and to be clear they were happy to

pay for that help because they were

experiencing a problem they wanted to

solve now this type of customer

acquisition is something I call starting

a conversation and we still do this

every single day though at this point

it's often more at scale kind of like

this video that you're watching right

now now what's helpful to think about is

that what I'm talking about in this

video this early us user Outreach this

is just a small component of the

overarching idea to app process that we

personally help people with and for some

people who watch this video and find it

helpful they are going to want help with

that overarching process as well they're

going to reach out and we're going to

have a continued conversation with them

I want you to think about this within

the context of your app your app is

likely going to touch on multiple

components related to the problem it's

going to be solving and each of those

components is something that you can

start a conversation around with someone

who likely needs help with the

overarching process okay so we have

reframed the ideas that creating

conversions or getting those people onto

your early user waiting list is not

about selling it's about helping and

it's not about being promotional it's

about starting convers ations so what's

the next step how do you actually start

those conversations so this takes us

back to that conversation I was having

with the client I told you about so I

kind of asked him a series of questions

and as I go through them I want you to

ask these yourself as well the first

question I asked him was what knowledge

he had relevant to the problem his app

would be solving and now he had tons of

knowledge around that obviously and you

you are likely the same now for me

personally as an example in helping

people build and launch their apps who

want to build an app but they don't know

how to code they don't want Outsource

and they don't want to struggle figuring

it out on their own you know I have a

ton of knowledge around that if you look

at our YouTube channel there are

hundreds of videos related to that topic

or that problem so think about this

yourself what knowledge do you have

related to the problem your app solves

and go Broad and literally go and and

look through the videos on our YouTube

channel and look at all the different

topics related to this one problem that

we're helping people solve that should

give you an idea of just how much you

can be talking about now don't worry I'm

not suggesting you need to start a

YouTube channel to find your first users

we'll get to that in just a minute but

the second question I asked him was

whether or not prospective users for his

app would find that information useful

and his answer was yes obviously they

would and this can seem straightforward

simple and again obvious but it's

important to ask the question thinking

about all the knowledge you have related

to the problem your app solves with

people in your target market would they

find information around that useful most

likely you're going to say yes

definitely they would now back to that

client digging a little bit deeper we

also confirmed that if people found this

other information useful they would

probably benefit from his app as well

and this kind of leads us to the biggest

unlock of all and I find this to be true

for most people but it's realizing that

all of that knowledge you have you're

likely not actively sharing it with

others because it just seems like common

sense to you and I find this to be true

with people who are experts in their

space and if you are building an app

that solves a certain problem you're

very very likely an expert related to

that problem but when people have

expertise around something then their

knowledge related to that starts to feel

common place to them like it's just

common sense and so it does it really

make sense or even occur to them to just

actively start talking about these

seemingly Common Sense things because

why would they it's common knowledge

right but the reality is the people who

your app will help it is not common

knowledge for them it's not common sense

for them it's actually just helpful and

when you can make this realization and

this reframe or unlock it truly can

unlock just endless things for you to

talk about and to use as conversation

starters that will convert people into

being your app's future users okay so

that's our reframe but let's get

practical let's say I am building an app

to help online coaching programs manage

their clients success now we run our own

online coaching program so I know a lot

about this I'm going to give you three

examples of how I could do my early user

Outreach so number one I could send an

email to 10 other business owners in the

space who I know run their own coaching

programs and I could just send them a

really quick lesson that I learned from

a client interaction I had and how I

implemented that lesson into my business

in order to increase my client's overall

success this should really feel like

starting a conversation I could say

something like hey Tim I it's been a

while I saw on Facebook the other day

you went out on a really awesome camping

trip I hope it was great listen I've

been thinking about this a lot in my

business I thought maybe you would find

it helpful too and wanted to just

reconnect with you look here's what I

learned this is how I implemented it

hope you find that helpful you know talk

to you soon really easy now I can say

with confidence I'd probably get 8 to 10

emails back with questions asking more

about how I implemented this and I say

that with confidence because there's a

very good chance that they would be

experiencing that problem too and

wanting to solve it in their own

business in this conversation I would

have the perfect opportunity to mention

that I was also building an app that

incorporated this solution but in a more

automated way and I wouldn't be pushing

them to become a user of the app or

trying to promote the app in other words

they would be able to take the

information I had provided the lesson I

learned run with it on their own and

still get help and value from that app

aside but I would be able to mention the

app in a non-pushy very natural

conversational way and I can guarantee

you that in a good number of those

conversations people would show interest

in the app which would then turn into a

conversation about then becoming Early

Access users but it would be them asking

me more about it versus me pushing it on

them now could you just send 10 emails

that say Hey so and so I'm building this

app do you want to become an early

access user or sign up for that waiting

list in that could work but I guarantee

that you will get a lower conversion

rate on those emails so you could either

have these 10 conversations which will

take a little bit more time but have a

higher return on that time investment or

you could just send a lot more of those

Direct emails you just have to really

play the numbers games and a very high

volume to get a much lower conversion

rate but I find that in the these early

stages when you make the time investment

to have the deeper conversations you

also get people who are going to be

better test users and give you more

valuable feedback and actually actively

take part in the testing process and

that is an important component of

launching your app okay okay so that's

the first example but the second example

if I didn't want to send those emails I

could make 10 social media posts that

talk about problems I'd found in running

a coaching program and thoughts on how

to solve some of those problems some of

those posts would get comments and I

could turn those into conversations in

the exact same way that I did with

emails it would just happen on social

media platforms now there's a trend that

we're working towards with these out

reach methods or these examples that

we're talking about um but before we get

there let's talk about the third example

I could go out and find 10 podcasts

related to the online business coaching

or Consulting space and I could pitch

each of those podcast hosts the topic of

five ways to 10x your client success

within your business and in that podcast

interview I wouldn't be talking about my

app app but I would be talking about

solving problems that my app also

happens to solve and through that

conversation I'd be positioning myself

as an expert around that topic and it

would magnetize the right type of people

toward me so there we have three

examples emails social media podcast and

you could switch that with direct

conversations text messages or blog

posts right it doesn't have to be those

literally but the trend that we were

working toward that I mentioned this is

important to understand it's that the

more scalable you try to make your early

user Outreach the less of a return

you're going to get in other words those

10 conversations are going to be timec

consuming to have and realistically

you're going to be having more than 10

that's just an example those are going

to be time consuming but they're going

to give you the highest return social

media is a little bit more scalable

right you're putting out a post that

multiple people can see versus sending a

direct email to one person you're still

though with those social media posts

able to have some continued

conversations from them the podcast on

the other hand is a lot more scalable

you're tapping into a larger audience

you're not talking to that audience

directly so you're going to get the

lowest return because there's the lowest

connection early on so the unscalable

practices give you the highest return in

the beginning the most scalable are

going to give you lower returns but

here's the thing you have to understand

when you're in a pre-launch phase like

this and you don't have an audience to

tap into you're not spending thousands

of dollars on ads it does not make sense

to do scalable user Outreach not to get

your very first users you can't go after

your first thousand users before you've

found your first 10 because it's in

getting those first 10 users that you'll

be able to learn where to focus the more

scalable efforts later on if we' started

our YouTube channel before we ever got

our first 10 customers for example it

would have been a waste of time because

the videos or the conversation starters

that we would have created those would

have been done so out of a asson and

while some of those assumptions would

have been right realistically the better

way to go about it and the way we did go

about it was to get those 10 customers

first through conversations those first

100 customers really and then to use

everything we learned from those

conversations to create the videos later

on right those those uh wider

conversation starters it's through the

direct conversations those unscalable

effort that you have where you're able

to really

uncover how people are talking about the

problems they're experiencing what

matters to them the most the biggest

frustrations they're feeling you know

what connects with them what are their

real desired outcomes when you learn

these things you're going to realize

that you know a lot of your assumptions

are correct but a lot of them areen

quite right you need to adjust and

really be able to do that in order to

ser ve your your future users better and

so it's through the unscalable efforts

early on that you gain the knowledge to

scale afterwards so remember it starts

with one conversation at a time and your

expertise gives you infinite ways to

start those

conversations but look if you found this

video helpful and you are determined to

become a successful app op rur that I

have another video that is waiting for

you it's over at coaching nood apps.com

slork and this free extended training is

going to walk you step by step through

everything you need to do to build and

launch your app and become that

successful app entrepreneur so head to

coaching nood

apps.com Workshop to join in on that and

hey I hope this was helpful we'll see

you in the next one

[Music]