I have just made my first premium sale today! 💸

I earned my first indie hacking money today 💵 — my first REAL customer paid for the product.

My product, is pretty simple. It's a small web app, which uses AI to do some image transformations. It took me only 4 days to build.

While most people bring small ideas to larger audiences, I decided to do the opposite and primarily target people from Poland.

✨ Phase I: I have an app, and no one knows about it
I knew nothing about marketing, so I decided to do everything I thought marketing was all about. I created some ads, posted them on social media, and promoted them to drive website visits.

My ads had thousands of views and resulted in hundreds of website visits. However, after a week of promoting the app, only 2 users signed up, and no one purchased the premium version.

✨ Phase II: People know about it, but no one signs up
Around 500 people clicked on an ad and visited the website, but hardly any signed up. They landed on the website but decided not to proceed and ended their journey there.

I knew the ads were effective because they brought people to the website, but something was off. I could think of three reasons:

1. The landing page was bad.
2. The sign up process was bad.
3. The audience was bad.

✓ I fixed number 1 by following tips from Marketing Examples.
✓ I fixed number 2 by creating a step-by-step intro and setting up the sign up process after uploading a photo to make it easy to start.

I had no clue how to fix the last problem. So, I decided to give up and start another project, but my dad asked me to send him a link to the app so he can try to do something. I had nothing to lose, so I sent them my app, screenshots, ads I made, etc.

After a few days, people suddently started signing up. Now, I get more than 10 signups daily, and currently, there are about 50 accounts created.

What my dad did? He joined Facebook groups related to the industry, started to engage in conversations, and gradually introduce the product. You might get kicked out for advertising directly in most groups, so you need to be clever. You can show a screenshot or share something you have generated with your product. If people are interested, they will ask for the app - and then you casually reply 😇

Of course, it is not a passive or sustainable way to grow your product, but if you’re struggling with getting your first sign ups - it can be good way to start.

✨ Phase III: I’ve got users, but no one pays for it
Today someone paid for the premium version, so I’ve somewhat validated my startup.

I still need to figure out how to convert more users into paying customers. I have some ideas, but I’ll save them for the next post when I have more experience 😁

If you want to follow my journey, you can find me on Twitter!
http://twitter.com/kamiluhryn

See you later!