How the biggest consumer apps got their first 1,000 users

Lenny Rachitsky's study of how Tinder, Uber, DoorDash, Pinterest, Product Hunt, Netflix, and dozens of other apps found their earliest users, told through the founders' own stories, and how to choose and run the two or three strategies that fit your consumer app.

4 sections ยท 11 lessons

Course outline

Start by Hand

  1. Why the First 1,000 Come by Hand
  2. Find Your Super-Specific Who

Go to Your Users

  1. When Friends Are the Right First Users
  2. Go Where Users Gather Offline
  3. Give Value Where Users Gather Online

Make People Want In

  1. Curate the First Community
  2. When Waitlists and Invites Work
  3. Borrow an Influencer's Audience
  4. Pitch a Story Strangers Care About
  5. Pinterest's Path to a Million Users

Marketplaces and Your Plan

  1. Recruit Supply One by One
  2. Pick Two or Three From the Menu
  3. Plan Your First 1,000 Users

Start learning with Wondering