Onboarding your first 1000 users is the most challenging milestone for startup founders

<span class="blog_big-paragraph">Now let's have a look at the experience acquired by some of the most famous startup founders and the way their apps got their first 1000 users. The strategies they used were in a wide range of techniques: from promoting their social networks to applying invite-only models. The thing that united them all was the general success they gained and the hype they created.</span>

In order to take off, startup founders need to bear in mind a great number of things: from cunning competitors to deadlines and from limited resources to the boundaries set.

That's the current reality, which shows that the most successful ones employed a number of techniques that were, on the one hand, truly genius, but, on the other hand, balancing on the verge of a scandal.

These unusual steps gave them the chance which they clutched: be that creating fake accounts, hacking into some popular platforms or leveraging loopholes.

They are now the stories of success, the marketing textbook examples and the instructions to be taken into consideration.

Airbnb's Craigslist Hack to Acquire Hosts

Yes, that was hacking. Airbnb had some research made and found that Craigslist was the platform users turned to in order to find accommodation. And they hacked it.

They created a bot that did a clever thing: it automatically posted Airbnb ads on Craigslist. And that worked.

Not only did Airbnb become visible, but this act also brought traffic to their website.

Surely, it was revealed and the bot was blocked and everything, but the thing was done: Airbnb was noticed, the first hosts came. Their tactics were simple: they found a platform with a similar target audience and made use of it to get recognition and get its own start.

Clubhouse's Invite-Only Model for Exclusivity

Mystery and intrigue always attract extra attention, people are curious and seek exclusivity.

So, what Clubhouse founders did was to employ an invite-only model, thus creating the so-called FOMO effect (fear of missing out), which led to huge popularity of the club.

A small number of invites fueled the people's desire to join it.

The fame spread by word of the mouth and was soon really vast. By just limiting access, Clubhouse gained such popularity that the number of users willing to join it was growing at an unprecedented speed.

DoorDash's Flyer Campaign to Reach Right Audience

Old school doesn`t always mean outdated. DoorDash made a wise step when it started a conventional campaign of distributing flyers, advertising convenient food delivery.

The idea was in the place where they did it – Stanford University, home for the students who seek simple delivery options not to be distracted from their studies. They targeted the right audience with the simplest method.

Eventually, they created the buzz around their service and the first customers came in abundance. So, the combination of old school, old methods and the right target audience makes wonders.

Foursquare's Leveraging Game Mechanics

As Foursquare has shown, the platform to launch your app is of great importance. They used a platform for the festival that is the meeting point of tech enthusiasts – SXSW.

A genius move was to get game mechanics incorporated which, with their leaderboards and badges, increased user engagement and stimulated sharing.

The app became viral and attracted a lot of users to the new app. So, some creative features, the right platform and the app is certain to get popular..

Pinterest's Apple Store Hack

Pinterest`s creative team resorted to a clever marketing trick by changing the design of the storefronts in Apple stores to Pinterest.

This bold step allowed them to attract a wide and technically skilled audience to the app, increasing the number of downloads and recognition. Thus, Pinterest managed to reach a wider audience and make an unforgettable impression by displaying their attractive app content in places with high traffic.

Such an unconventional move enabled Pinterest to get its first users and set itself as a high-quality visual search platform.

Reddit's Fake Accounts as the Illusion of Activity

Reddit is an immensely popular platform, but its start was a tricky one as its founders faced a problem as old as time – attracting users to the website with no users at all.

They made a weird, but eventually successful step – they created a number of fake accounts and made them work by creating discussions and actively participating in them.

This created an effect of a lively platform with enthusiastic users, which is, of course, engaging. So, new and new users came to Reddit and stayed, while fake accounts were smoothly and painlessly removed.

The atmosphere of liveliness and engagement built its own user pool and helped the platform to take off.

Snapchat's Mall Outreach to a Younger Audience

Snapchat's founders took a hands-on approach to acquiring their first users.

They spent countless hours at malls, beaches, and other popular hangouts, showcasing the app to a younger audience. By personally demonstrating the app's unique features, such as disappearing photos and videos, they created a buzz around Snapchat.

This grassroots approach allowed them to connect with their target audience, gather feedback, and refine the app to meet their needs.

The result was a loyal user base that helped spread the word about Snapchat.

TikTok's SEO Loophole By Longing Application Name

A very long name of the application used by the founders of TikTok revealed an incredible secret of success.

Using a loophole to optimize the site in the App Store, the team made the app recognizable and increased the number of downloads.

With relevant keywords in the name of the app, they effectively put TikTok in search results for popular queries, attracting the users who were looking for the content that was similar. That popularized the app and topped it globally.

Tinder's Exclusive Parties Swiped Right

The founders of Tinder hosted exclusive college parties, to which only those students who downloaded the app were allowed.

The strategy caused a stir around Tinder, giving rise to a sense of exclusivity and FOMO (fear of missing out). Using social media and creating an interesting atmosphere, Tinder managed to attract the first users and tell them about its application.

The parties were the starting point for the app`s success, assisting it with winning the hearts of its users.

Uber's Street Teams were Handing Out Referral Codes

At the dawn of Uber's existence, its founders used an intriguing strategy to stimulate growth: they distributed referral codes to potential users, employing people doing that in the city streets.

And, let's be honest, who wouldn't want to trade their taxi driver, who drives a clunker, lights up from the air conditioner and sings "I will survive", for an elegant ride with air conditioning and (generally) a normal driver?

But the people working in the streets quickly understood that not everyone appreciated their labor.

There even was an unexpected situation when some taxi drivers got an idea that the people distributing codes were actually their competitors and decided to chase them away physically: they were running after them and shouting, even stealing their clipboards!

But, nevertheless, the street workers succeeded and their grassroots approach encouraged people to give the service a try and invite friends, creating a viral chain that contributed to the expansion of Uber.

Using the power of word of mouth and providing considerable rewards for recommendations, Uber managed to attract new users and build a base of reliable customers.

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The Bottom Line Takeaways

• Understanding your audience: Learn who your target audience is, what these people need, and where these people spend their time on the Net and off. This will help you develop a strategy to attract users to reach and interact with them effectively.     
• Using popular platforms: search the current platforms, social sites or social networks that already involve your target audience. This will help you use their popularity and reach a wider audience.
• Creating attractive opportunities: create unique and attractive opportunities that will involve users and retain them. This may include gamification, some exclusive events, or interactive features that facilitate information sharing and growth.
• Cheating at the start is OK: don't be afraid to try non-standard tactics to attract the first users. Be more creative and offer new solutions that will distance you from the competition.
• Focusing on word-of-mouth growth: encourage users to invite friends to join your platform by stimulating conversions, creating a sense of exclusivity, or using social evidence.