Post:

I've built an app for discovering genuinely handmade products from independent artists and makers.

I think there's a gap because many big marketplaces now feel increasingly full of mass-produced products and resellers, while some incredible independent makers are scattered across Instagram and are difficult to discover.

The app is basically Instagram-style discovery for handmade products — you browse a visual feed, find something you like, see more from that artist, and connect with them directly.

I've already found some amazing artists/products to showcase and the app is built. My problem is: how do I actually get the first users?

I'm starting with basically zero audience, so I'm curious how others would approach the chicken-and-egg problem.

Would you focus first on recruiting artists, Instagram/TikTok, SEO, getting artists to share it with their audiences, or something else?

Would especially love to hear from anyone who's taken a marketplace/discovery platform from 0 → first 100/1,000 users.