beehiiv CEO: You're Doing Outreach Wrong
Tyler Denk, CEO of beehiiv, claims most founders are doing cold outreach wrong. In a takeaway from a recent founder mastermind, he argued for building AI systems over just using prompts, suggesting a more systematic approach is needed for effective outreach.
YC Partner Gustaf Alströmer stresses that startups don't take off on their own; founders must manually recruit their first users. This often means doing things that don't scale, a core principle echoed by YC co-founder Paul Graham. The initial goal isn't widespread adoption but finding the "true believers" who have a burning need for your solution. To find these early adopters, go where they already congregate online. Niche subreddits, Slack groups, Discord servers, and LinkedIn communities are goldmines for founders. The key is to engage authentically by listening and adding value to conversations before ever mentioning your product. YC Partner Michael Seibel advises founders to start with their personal networks to find their first ten customers. These initial users should be people who deeply feel the problem you're solving. Crafting a concise, plain-text email that clearly addresses their problem is more effective than a polished marketing message. Once you have a handful of users, treat them like you're an anthropologist discovering a hidden civilization. YC Partner Kat Mañalac emphasizes that founders should be deeply involved in talking to every single user, collecting all feedback in one place to identify trends and inform the product roadmap. This hands-on approach is vital for iterating toward product-market fit. Don't be afraid to charge from day one. YC General Partner Ankit Gupta argues that paying customers provide sharper, more valuable feedback than free users. The price itself isn't the focus; a customer's willingness to pay is the strongest signal that you're providing real value. The initial outreach process is a tool for learning, not just selling. Each conversation is an opportunity to validate your assumptions about the customer's pain points and needs. Structure these discovery calls to ask open-ended questions that uncover the emotion and frustration behind the problem. A consistent pipeline of these conversations is built by being relentless and personal. After finding potential users on platforms like LinkedIn, look for personal connections, however tenuous, to warm up the introduction. The goal is to secure a small number of quality interviews—as few as five per persona can reveal critical insights if the feedback is consistent.
