First customersBy Day Zero
How to get your first paying customers before you launch
Your first customers almost always come from people who already know you: your followers, your waitlist, the communities you're part of. Give them a reason and a way to pay you before launch.
In short
- Your first customers come from your own early believers, not from strangers.
- Give them an offer that only exists before launch: limited founding seats at a lifetime price.
- Ask directly, with one link, in the places they already follow you.
Before launch, nobody is searching for your product. Your first customers will be people who already know you: people who follow your build, joined your waitlist, read your newsletter or met you in a community. The job is to turn those early believers into paying customers.
Where first customers come from
- Your waitlist and newsletter.
- People who follow you while you build in public, on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit or Indie Hackers.
- Communities where you've been helpful: subreddits, Discord servers, Slack groups, Facebook groups.
- People who replied to your posts, asked questions or tried your prototype.
- Friends of friends who have the problem you solve.
Give them a reason to pay now
A launch discount isn't a reason to pay for something that doesn't exist yet. A founding seat is: lifetime access for a one-time price, a limited number of seats, and a say in what you build. It's an offer that disappears once you launch.
Ask directly
Write one short post or email: what you're building, who it's for, what founding backers get, how many seats there are and when the offer closes. Link to one page where they can back you. Then ask again before it closes. Most founders ask once and stop.
Make yes an easy answer
People hesitate to pay for software that isn't finished. Remove the reasons: charge only once the product is usable, make it all or nothing, show the product in a short video, and verify who you are.
Doing it on Day Zero
Day Zero is a platform where your early believers back you and become customers before launch. You list your product with a short video, choose 10 to 100 founding seats at $10–$150 each, and share your link. Backers pledge for a week; if half the seats are pledged, the campaign is funded and they're charged when you open access. Listing is free, and sales from your own link or widget have a 0% Day Zero margin.
Day Zero won't find your customers for you. It gives the people who believe in you a safe, simple way to pay you early. Each Thursday one founder's campaign is also picked for the drop on the Day Zero home page. If you're still building an audience, start with build in public, then let your audience pay you.
Questions
I don't have an audience yet. Can I still pre-sell?
Yes, but build one as you go. Post about what you're making, share your prototype where people have the problem, and collect a waitlist. Many founders find their first early believers along the way.
How many first customers should I aim for?
Enough to prove people pay and few enough to support well. On Day Zero you choose 10 to 100 founding seats, and the campaign is funded at half.