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Ask HN: How did you build an audience for a consumer-focused SaaS or app?
A few weeks ago, I posted a Show HN (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19359979) for my news aggregator site, https://journali.sm. At the time, I got a huge amount of traffic from here -- and some other pickup from posts I shared on social media.
There are still a few people who come by regularly (if you are one of them, thank you!), but as I look to various means to boost audience, I am a little surprised about how little works. Facebook/Twitter advertising seems to estimate just over 1 click per $1 spent, which seems completely unsustainable for a site that doesn't sell anything.
So, HNers who have built a successful consumer SaaS or app, how did you build your audience?
- PaulHoule 8y agoIt is a mistake in 2019 to think about building an audience first and revenue later. The one model for free publishing that makes sense is content marketing: (e.g. "I wrote a book about X. If you have a problem with X and hire somebody else, now you have two problems.") Other than that, free publishing is a game that (at best) Google wins. If you have a plan to make money, then you can determine a customer acquisition cost you can afford. Otherwise it's your funeral.
- jaredwiener 8y agoSo I guess the follow up question is, whats a low cost method for customer acquisition?
- PaulHoule 8y agoIt depends on what kind of customer you are looking for. Low cost methods won't stay low cost because competition will move in.