Acquiring Your First Users Out of Thin Air by Kathryn Minshew The Lean Startup Conference 2013 http://leanstartup.co/

1. Acquiring Your First Users
Out of Thin Air
Kathryn Minshew

3. “Build it,
and they will come”

4. But, no.

5. Dead
Monthly unique visitors
200000
Not Dead
Monthly unique visitors
800000
600000
400000
200000
0
0

6. Acquiring Users Out of Thin Air 101
• Design the first user experience
• Ask for word of mouth & make it
insanely easy
• Seek out like-minded groups
• Know how to approach reporters
• Become your own PR machine

7. 1: Design the first user
experience

8. 2: Ask for word of mouth,
and make it insanely easy

9. 3: Seek out like-minded
groups

10. 4: Know how to approach
bloggers & reporters

11. Approaching Bloggers & Reporters #1
• Concentrate on the right people
– Start small
– Target appropriately

12. Approaching Bloggers & Reporters #2
• Tell a good, clear, easy-to-repeat story
– Who’s the hero of your project?
– What’s the problem? The opportunity?
– How is your solution going to be unique?
Important?

13. Approaching Bloggers & Reporters #3
• Be concise
• Relate your story to trends
• Understand: reporters are humans too!

14. 5: Become your own
PR Machine

15. Thank You!
Kathryn Minshew
@Kmin
TheMuse.com