Where to find your first customers: B2B SaaS
103 channels fit this audience, 66 of them free. Start with the first one in the list, read its guide, and try it for two weeks before you judge it.
- BetaListLaunch boards · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Early adopters who expect unfinished products. Good for building a waitlist before launch.
- UneedLaunch boards · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Curated daily launches with a lasting directory page.
- Peerlist LaunchpadLaunch boards · Free · effort ●○○
Weekly launch window that opens on Mondays. Audience is mostly developers and designers. Needs a verified profile.
- Curated newsletters (TLDR, Console)Directories & comparison · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Many accept submissions, with a paid slot for guaranteed placement. Choose ones your buyers already read.
- r/SideProjectCommunities · Free · effort ●○○
Friendly place to show a project and collect first reactions.
- Search Console and Bing WebmasterSearch & discovery · Free · effort ●○○
Set up on day one so you can see which queries bring people in.
- Warm intros from your networkDirect outreach · Free · effort ●○○
Ask former colleagues and friends who know your buyers for one introduction each.
- Hacker News (Show HN)Launch boards · Free · effort ●●○
Technical readers who reward things they can try at once. Link to something that runs and skip marketing copy.
- Relaunch on every big releaseLaunch boards · Free · effort ●●○
Several boards allow a new listing after a major update. Treat each version as a fresh announcement, and check each board's rules.
- AlternativeToDirectories & comparison · Free · effort ●●○
Reaches people already searching for a replacement. Works best when you can name a clear incumbent.
- Indie HackersCommunities · Free · effort ●●○
Home of bootstrapped founders. Milestone and revenue write-ups travel further than announcements.
- r/SaaSCommunities · Free · effort ●●○
Founders sharing numbers, tactics and launches.
- LinkedInCommunities · Free · effort ●●○
Works when your buyers work there. Founder posts usually reach further than company pages.
- Case studies and customer storiesSocial & content · Free · effort ●●○
One concrete result from a real customer helps every other channel convert.
- Templates and checklists as lead magnetsSocial & content · Free · effort ●●○
Give away something useful in exchange for an email, then follow up.
- Get added to 'best X tools' roundupsSearch & discovery · Free · effort ●●○
Find articles that list your competitors and ask the author to include you, with a short reason.
- Answering questions where they are askedDirect outreach · Free · effort ●●○
Search Reddit, forums and X for questions your product answers. Help properly and mention the product only when it fits.
- Customer interviews that lead to referralsDirect outreach · Free · effort ●●○
End each call by asking who else has this problem.
- In-product sharing loopsPartnerships & loops · Free · effort ●●○
Public pages, templates and a 'made with' link bring new users from existing ones.
- Newsletter swaps and cross-promotionPartnerships & loops · Free · effort ●●○
Trade a mention with a maker who has a similar-sized list and a nearby audience.
- Pitching niche bloggers and newsletter writersPress & PR · Free · effort ●●○
Small writers in your category often reply and are glad to cover a useful new tool.
- Product HuntLaunch boards · Free · effort ●●●
Biggest daily launch stage. Gives you a badge and a day of traffic. Competition is heavy, so line up supporters first.
- Niche subredditsCommunities · Free · effort ●●●
Find where your users already complain. Read the rules, contribute first, and expect plain self-promotion to be removed.
- Build in public on XSocial & content · Free · effort ●●●
Slow to start. The audience you build carries over from one product to the next.
- YouTubeSocial & content · Free · effort ●●●
Tutorials and demos can rank in search for years.
- Your own newsletterSocial & content · Free · effort ●●●
The one audience nobody can take away. Even a small list converts well at launch.
- Documentation, guides and tutorialsSearch & discovery · Free · effort ●●●
Good docs rank for the exact problems your users type into search.
- Personal DMs to people with the problemDirect outreach · Free · effort ●●●
Message people who posted about the problem. Often the fastest route to your first ten customers.
- Founder-led demos and callsDirect outreach · Free · effort ●●●
Calls teach you the wording that sells, and every call can end in a customer or a referral.
- Free plan that does real workPartnerships & loops · Free · effort ●●●
A free tier that solves a small problem fully spreads by word of mouth.
- FazierLaunch boards · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
A newer Product Hunt alternative. A cheap extra launch day.
- MicroLaunchLaunch boards · Free · effort ●○○
Small launch board built for indie makers.
- Tiny StartupsLaunch boards · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Directory and launch list for small, early products.
- TinyLaunchLaunch boards · Free · effort ●○○
Launch board for indie makers and small projects.
- PeerPushLaunch boards · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Launch platform with lasting product pages. Check its current visibility rules.
- SaaSHubDirectories & comparison · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Software directory with alternatives pages.
- StackShareDirectories & comparison · Free · effort ●○○
Developers list the tools in their stack here. Add yours so it shows up in comparisons.
- Changelog and public roadmap postsSocial & content · Free · effort ●○○
Every release is a reason to post, email and relaunch.
- AMAs and live Q&AsEvents · Free · effort ●○○
Host a question session in a community you already belong to.
- Local founder and coworking meetupsEvents · Free · effort ●○○
In-person trust brings referrals and honest feedback.
- CrunchbaseDirectories & comparison · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Company directory used by investors and partners. Little direct traffic for most small products.
- Microsoft Advertising (Bing)Paid & sponsorship · Paid · effort ●○○
Search ads on Bing and partner sites. Often cheaper to test once Google Ads campaigns exist.
- Launching NextLaunch boards · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Daily showcase of new startups.
- StartupBaseLaunch boards · Free · effort ●○○
Launch and discover new products every day.
- Open LaunchLaunch boards · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Platform to discover and upvote new tech products daily.
- TrustMRRDirectories & comparison · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Marketplace to buy and sell startups with verified revenue.
- beehiiv BoostsPartnerships & loops · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Newsletter recommendation network on beehiiv. Free or paid.
- SparkLoopPartnerships & loops · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Paid and free newsletter recommendations network.
- r/indiehackersCommunities · Free · effort ●○○
Subreddit for indie hackers. Feedback and peer attention.
- CapterraDirectories & comparison · Free + paid options · effort ●●○
Business software directory with buyer intent. Pay-per-click placement is optional.
- TrustRadiusDirectories & comparison · Free + paid options · effort ●●○
Review site used in B2B software research.
- Facebook groupsCommunities · Free · effort ●●○
Active groups exist for almost every hobby and trade. Helpful answers beat links.
- QuoraCommunities · Free · effort ●●○
Long answers to questions your buyers ask can keep sending traffic for years.
- Podcast guestingSocial & content · Free · effort ●●○
Pitch shows your buyers listen to with a specific story, not a product plug.
- PinterestSocial & content · Free · effort ●●○
Pins keep getting found for months. Strong for visual products, templates and planners.
- Medium and Substack NotesSocial & content · Free · effort ●●○
Borrow an existing readership for essays about the problem you solve.
- Webinars and workshopsSocial & content · Free · effort ●●○
Teach the problem live and show the product at the end. Record it for later.
- AI-assistant visibilitySearch & discovery · Free · effort ●●○
Assistants lean on docs, comparison pages and third-party reviews when they recommend tools. Make yours clear and easy to quote.
- YouTube comparison and review channelsSearch & discovery · Free · effort ●●○
Reviewers who cover your category often accept a free account or a short briefing.
- Slack App DirectoryStores & marketplaces · Free · effort ●●○
A listing inside a tool your users have open all day.
- Zoom App MarketplaceStores & marketplaces · Free · effort ●●○
Apps and meeting tools for Zoom users.
- AppSumo and lifetime-deal sitesStores & marketplaces · Revenue share · effort ●●○
Fast cash and early users. Lifetime customers raise support load, so cap what you sell.
- MCP and AI assistant directoriesStores & marketplaces · Free · effort ●●○
Publishing a server or plugin lets people use your product from inside their AI assistant.
- Affiliate and referral programPartnerships & loops · Revenue share · effort ●●○
Pay a share to people who already have your audience.
- Maker bundles and swapsPartnerships & loops · Revenue share · effort ●●○
Join other indie makers in a bundle or shared launch week.
- Waitlist with referral rewardsPartnerships & loops · Free · effort ●●○
Move people up the line for each friend they bring.
- Journalist-request platforms (Qwoted, Featured)Press & PR · Free + paid options · effort ●●○
Answer reporters' questions as an expert. A few mentions give you press links and credibility.
- Newsletter sponsorshipsPaid & sponsorship · Paid · effort ●●○
Small niche newsletters often convert better than big general ones.
- Online summits and virtual conferencesEvents · Free · effort ●●○
Speak on a niche panel and reuse the recording as content.
- ThreadsSocial & content · Free · effort ●●○
Meta text-first feed. Few published growth benchmarks, so treat results as unknown until you test.
- Google Workspace MarketplaceStores & marketplaces · Free · effort ●●○
Add-on store for Gmail, Docs, Sheets and other Workspace apps.
- Apple PodcastsSocial & content · Free · effort ●●○
Podcast directory. Free to list a show. Listeners build slowly.
- Webflow TemplatesStores & marketplaces · Revenue share · effort ●●○
Marketplace for Webflow site templates. Reviewed listings and a revenue share on sales.
- Google AdsPaid & sponsorship · Paid · effort ●●○
Search and display ads on Google. High intent on search, but you pay for every click.
- Framer MarketplaceStores & marketplaces · Revenue share · effort ●●○
Marketplace for free and premium Framer website templates.
- Guest posts on niche sitesPress & PR · Free · effort ●●○
Write for blogs your buyers read, with a byline and a link.
- r/startupsCommunities · Free · effort ●●○
Large founder subreddit with strict promotion rules.
- G2Directories & comparison · Free + paid options · effort ●●●
Buyers compare tools here. Reviews take months to collect, so ask early customers.
- Run your own communityCommunities · Free · effort ●●●
A small Discord or forum for your users. It turns customers into support, feedback and referrals.
- Programmatic and alternative-page SEOSearch & discovery · Free · effort ●●●
Pages for 'X alternative', 'X vs Y' and templates. Pays slowly, so start before you need it.
- Free tools and calculatorsSearch & discovery · Free · effort ●●●
A small free tool that answers a question your buyers search for, with a link back to the product.
- Shopify App StoreStores & marketplaces · Free · effort ●●●
Merchants search here for solutions. The review process is strict.
- Atlassian MarketplaceStores & marketplaces · Revenue share · effort ●●●
Teams buy add-ons for Jira and Confluence here.
- HubSpot App MarketplaceStores & marketplaces · Revenue share · effort ●●●
Reach HubSpot customers who look for add-ons and integrations.
- Stripe App MarketplaceStores & marketplaces · Free · effort ●●●
Apps used inside the Stripe dashboard. Good for finance and billing tools.
- Cold emailDirect outreach · Free + paid options · effort ●●●
Short, specific and sent to a small, well-researched list.
- LinkedIn outreachDirect outreach · Free + paid options · effort ●●●
Short, relevant notes to named buyers. Keep volume low and personal.
- Integrations and co-marketingPartnerships & loops · Free · effort ●●●
Build for a bigger product your buyers already use, and appear in its directory or newsletter.
- Agency and consultant partnersPartnerships & loops · Revenue share · effort ●●●
Freelancers who set up your product for clients can bring steady referrals.
- Original data studiesPress & PR · Free · effort ●●●
Publish numbers nobody else has. Journalists and bloggers cite and link to them.
- Meetups and conference talksEvents · Free · effort ●●●
Speak about a problem you solved. People remember the talk and look you up afterwards.
- Zapier App DirectoryStores & marketplaces · Free · effort ●●●
Integration marketplace for Zapier automations. Listing means building and maintaining a connector.
- ChatGPT Directory (apps and plugins)Stores & marketplaces · Free · effort ●●●
Public directory of apps and plugins inside ChatGPT. Needs a plugin and a review.
- Canva Apps MarketplaceStores & marketplaces · Free · effort ●●●
Apps and integrations that run inside Canva.
- SEO blog contentSearch & discovery · Free · effort ●●●
Articles on your own site that answer the searches your buyers make.
- SideProjectorsCommunities · Free · effort ●○○
Marketplace and community to show, buy and sell side projects.
- twelve.toolsLaunch boards · Free + paid options · effort ●○○
Daily list of twelve tools.
- Search and social adsPaid & sponsorship · Paid · effort ●●○
Use these after a channel already converts, to buy more of what works.
- Reddit AdsPaid & sponsorship · Paid · effort ●●○
Targets by subreddit. Test with a small budget and a post that reads like a post.
- Podcast sponsorshipsPaid & sponsorship · Paid · effort ●●○
Host-read ads work when the show fits your buyers closely.
- LinkedIn AdsPaid & sponsorship · Paid · effort ●●○
Ads targeted by job title, company and industry. Precise for B2B, often costly per click.
- X AdsPaid & sponsorship · Paid · effort ●●○
Promoted posts and follower ads on X. Best used to boost posts that already work.
- Salesforce AppExchangeStores & marketplaces · Free + required fee · effort ●●●
Large buyer base, with a security review and a heavy process for a solo builder.
Each channel links to its own guide. Check each platform's current rules before you post. Browse every channel.