u/MajesticLow7517

Hey everyone,

I just finished building and submitting my first app as a solo founder. It's a sports guide app — structured training plans, technique tips, that kind of thing.

Now comes the part I have zero experience with: getting the first users.

I'm not looking for generic advice like "just post on TikTok" or "run ads." I'd rather hear from people who've actually done this:

• Where did your first 20 users come from?
• Did you niche down to one sport, or go broad from day one?
• Is Apple Search Ads worth it for a solo founder on a small budget?
• Any communities (Reddit, Discord, etc.) that actually worked for you?
• What's the biggest mistake you made in the first month?

Appreciate any real stories, good or bad.

Thanks so much!

Hey everyone,

I'm running Instagram ads for a small app and I'm curious — what kind of ad model do you usually go with?

Do you prefer:

• Broad targeting with high volume?
• Retargeting campaigns?
• Lookalike audiences?
• Or something else entirely?

I'm testing a few things right now and would love to hear what's actually working for other people. Any insights or recent wins would be super helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

I'm running social media for a small brand, and there are weeks when we just don't have new footage or fresh visuals to work with. No new product shots, no new user-generated content, nothing exciting to share.

What do you usually post during those dry spells? And how do you keep the algorithm from punishing you for not posting?

Hey everyone,

I’m running Meta ads for a new industry and also running a promotion at the same time. One thing that’s been confusing me:

Will changing the ad copy (primary text, headline, description) trigger the learning phase again?

Some people say yes. Some say no. I even checked Meta’s official docs but still couldn’t get a clear answer.

I’m trying to figure out:

• Can I safely tweak copy during a promo?
• Or should I just leave everything alone until the promo ends?

I don’t want to reset learning unnecessarily, but I also want to test promo-specific messaging.

Anyone have real experience with this? Or know if there’s an official Meta answer I’ve missed?

Appreciate any help!

Running Meta ads for a electric product in the $400-600 range.

Been experimenting with AI video tools lately but honestly the output still looks pretty fake and polished in a way that feels off. Customers can tell.

We're a small team so we don't have budget for a full production crew.

Right now it's mostly static images and a few simple clips.

What are you guys actually using to make video creatives for Meta?

AI tools, UGC platforms, freelancers, doing it yourself?

Curious what's working for people selling physical products.

Not looking for agency pitches, just real answers from people running ads.

Hey everyone, Running a DTC electronics brand (smart home robots, $400-600 range).

Looking at our funnel data: Add to cart: 918 Begin checkout: 483 Purchase: 78

So we're losing about 84% from cart to purchase, and 84% of people who start checkout don't finish.

We have: - Free shipping - PayPal, Klarna, Apple Pay, Google Pay, credit cards - Abandoned checkout emails enabled - around 7 business day shipping . EU storage is in Germany .

My theory is the long shipping time is killing us — customers don't see it until checkout. Also being a smaller brand competing against Amazon Prime 1-2 day delivery doesn't help.

For those selling high-ticket items DTC:

What's a normal checkout completion rate for $400+ products?

What actually moved the needle for you in reducing checkout abandonment?

Appreciate any insights. Thanks!

Everyone's chasing AI tools and SaaS right now. The software space is insanely crowded — every week there's a new app that does what 10 others already do, just with a slightly different UI.

Curious what others think. Is hardware becoming the contrarian play again?

If you actually like your job and plan to stay... what's keeping you there?

• Good boss?
• Flexible hours?
• The work itself?
• Something else?