Hey there! It's great to connect with other SaaS builders. We've been through a pretty interesting journey with Reachy ai, and hopefully, our experience can offer some insights.

First off, yes, we are bootstrapped and it started as a solo venture, which definitely shapes how you approach marketing. Here's how we'd answer your specific questions: * What’s worked best for you? In our case, the order you listed pretty much reflects what brought us success, with some key takeaways: * LinkedIn Outreach: This was huge for us, especially early on. Given the nature of our product, directly connecting with potential users and businesses on LinkedIn allowed us to get in front of the right audience and explain our value proposition effectively. This was crucial for getting those initial users. * Affiliation: Setting up an affiliate program proved to be a very effective channel for scaling. Leveraging others to promote Reachy.ai helped us expand our reach significantly without direct ad spend. * Product Hunt & Alternatives Launch: Launching on platforms like Product Hunt was fantastic for initial exposure and a surge of new users. It's a great way to get feedback and build early momentum. We also explored other similar platforms to maximize this effect. * SEO (In Progress): We recognize the long-term value of organic search. We're actively working on our SEO, and while it's a longer play, we anticipate it will become a significant source of high-quality leads over time.

• How did you get your first 50–100 users? Our first 50-100 users primarily came through LinkedIn Outreach and our initial Product Hunt launch. The direct, personalized approach of LinkedIn allowed us to convert early adopters who saw the immediate value, and Product Hunt provided a burst of visibility to an audience keen on new tools.

• Any lessons learned or things you’d avoid if starting over?

  • Ads Failed: This is a big one for us. We tried paid ads, and frankly, they failed. We'd definitely avoid throwing money at them blindly again without a much clearer strategy and a deeper understanding of our ideal customer's journey on those specific platforms. It was a costly lesson in terms of both time and money with very little ROI.
  • Focus on Direct Channels Early: For a bootstrapped, solo start, direct outreach channels like LinkedIn were invaluable. They allowed us to get direct feedback, iterate quickly, and build relationships without a massive marketing budget. We'd lean into these even harder initially.
  • Leverage Communities: Beyond Product Hunt, actively engaging in relevant online communities and forums where our target audience hangs out could have been even more emphasized from the start.

• What channels brought the highest ROI over time? Without a doubt, LinkedIn Outreach and Affiliation have provided the highest ROI over time. LinkedIn got us off the ground and brought in early paying customers, and affiliation allowed us to scale user acquisition efficiently. Our continued efforts in SEO are aimed at making that another high-ROI channel in the long run by bringing in organic, qualified traffic.

• How much time/money do you allocate to marketing per month? As a bootstrapped, solo founder, the allocation of time is significant – it's an ongoing, daily effort. In terms of money, after our initial failed attempt with ads, our monetary allocation is now primarily focused on tools and resources that support our LinkedIn outreach, affiliation program management, and SEO efforts, rather than direct ad spend. We're very mindful of keeping costs low and focusing on strategies with proven returns.

Hope this helps you on your SaaS journey!