Most founders think they have a distribution problem when they actually have a signal problem. You do not need a big following to get your first 10 customers. You need a reliable way to find people already trying to solve the problem you solve.
This post is anchored to the same Gorilla demo run shown on the landing page: 266 posts surfaced across Reddit, X, YouTube, and TikTok, with 91 tagged as top leads. The goal here is simple: turn that kind of raw signal into your first 10 real conversations.
Start with a pain query, not a persona
Do not begin with "founders" or "marketers" or "creators." Begin with a sentence someone would write when they are stuck.
For an early-stage SaaS tool, better starting queries look like:
- "how do i get first users for my saas"
- "how do i find beta testers"
- "how do i validate a saas idea without ads"
- "manually searching for customers takes forever"
That is exactly why the strongest demo results were not broad identity posts. They were direct pain statements:
- Reddit /
r/startups: "How do you actually get first users for your SaaS? (I will not do cold email...)" - Reddit /
r/SaaSDevelopers: "How do I find people to actually beta test my software?" - YouTube /
@thestartupjourney: "How do you validate a SaaS idea without spending money on ads?"
If your search prompt does not look like something a frustrated founder would type at midnight, rewrite it.
Pull a wide net, then let urgency do the filtering
The best reason to search multiple networks is not reach. It is context.
- Reddit gives you long-form problem descriptions.
- X gives you fast recency and repeated themes.
- YouTube comments surface beginners asking for help in public.
- TikTok comments show plain-language pain and objections.
In the demo run, the total volume was 266 posts, but only 91 were worth a close look. That gap matters. Raw mentions are not leads. You still need to filter for urgency.
My simple rule:
- Keep posts where the person is actively trying to solve the problem now.
- Keep posts where the person names a constraint like time, cost, or failed alternatives.
- Keep posts where the person is open to trying a new workflow.
- Ignore generic discussion, hot takes, and "curious what people think" threads.
The first 10 customers rarely come from the loudest channel. They come from the clearest intent.
Score for actionability, not just relevance
A good lead is not only "about your topic." A good lead is someone you can help this week.
I use a four-part screen:
- Problem fit: is the pain actually adjacent to what you solve?
- Timing: does this feel urgent, or just theoretical?
- Openness: is the person asking for advice, tools, or examples?
- Reachability: can you reply publicly, DM, or follow up somewhere useful?
If a post scores high on fit but low on timing, it goes to the backlog. If it scores high on fit and timing, it gets a response today.
This is the hidden advantage of signal-based discovery: you stop treating every mention equally.
Reply in public before you pitch in private
Most founders lose the first 10 customers by trying to compress trust into one DM.
Do this instead:
- Reply where the pain was expressed.
- Add one useful observation, not a pitch.
- Mention your workflow only if it directly helps.
- Invite a short follow-up if they want the exact steps.
Here is a response template that works better than "want to try my tool?":
You probably do not need more channels right now. You need a tighter list of people already describing the exact problem. I would start with Reddit threads from the last 7 days, pull out the repeated phrases, and test 3 short replies before writing any cold outreach. Happy to share the exact query set if that helps.
That response earns the next conversation because it reduces confusion first.
Build a 25-person shortlist, not a 500-lead spreadsheet
If your goal is the first 10 customers, breadth is usually a distraction.
A better weekly workflow:
- Collect 25 high-intent posts.
- Reply to 10 publicly.
- Follow up with 5 people who engage back.
- Ask 3 for a short call or screen share.
- Turn what you learn into your next round of searches.
This keeps the loop tight. The first version of your ICP should come from live conversations, not a giant CRM you never touch again.
Write down the phrases people repeat
Every strong outreach message gets better when it mirrors the language people already use.
In founder discovery, you will see the same phrases over and over:
- "first users"
- "beta testers"
- "validate without ads"
- "manual research takes forever"
Those are not just keywords. They are positioning clues. Save them. Reuse them in replies, landing-page copy, and follow-up messages.
What to ignore
A few things look promising but usually waste time:
- Threads older than a few weeks unless the pain is clearly recurring.
- Posts asking for broad career advice instead of problem-solving help.
- People who only want to debate channels, not solve the workflow.
- Viral threads with lots of attention but no clear buying intent.
Your first customers come from sharp signal and fast feedback, not volume.
The shortest path to customer 10
If I were starting from zero this week, I would do exactly this:
- Run 4 pain-first queries across Reddit, X, YouTube, and TikTok.
- Pull the 20-25 most urgent posts from the last 7 days.
- Reply publicly with concrete help.
- Move the warmest responders into short follow-up conversations.
- Rewrite the next search based on the language they use back.
That is enough to create momentum even if nobody knows who you are yet.
Further reading: