How to Find Seed Users
Seed users are not just the first people who sign up.
They are the people who are willing to use, give feedback, return, recommend, and even co-create while the product is still imperfect.
Among your first 100 users, maybe only 10 to 20 are true seed users.
Their value is not only data.
They help you understand:
Who the product is really for
Which scenario is urgent
Which features truly matter
Which wording resonates
What users may pay for
Finding seed users is not about finding traffic.
It is about finding people who can help shape the product.
Four Traits of Seed Users
True seed users usually have four traits.
First, high pain.
They are not merely curious. The problem is bothering them now.
Second, high motivation.
They are already looking for solutions or using a workaround.
Third, high feedback willingness.
They are willing to tell you what works, what fails, and where they get stuck.
Fourth, high tolerance.
They can accept an imperfect early product if the core value is real.
Use one question:
Is this person already paying for the problem with time, money, effort, or opportunity cost?
If not, they may only be an observer.
Do Not Only Find Friendly People
Many founders start with friends.
That is fine as a starting point, but do not stop there.
Friends often:
Avoid harsh criticism
Are not target users
Try the product only to help you
Do not keep using it
Do not pay honestly
True seed users are not always the friendliest.
They may be picky. They may point out problems. They may ask many detailed questions. They may leave quickly if the product does not solve the pain.
That is useful.
You need signal, not comfort.
Start From Painful Scenarios
Do not begin with broad demographic labels.
Start with scenarios:
Who is experiencing this problem now?
Who must complete this task recently?
Who is complaining about existing tools?
Who is paying for alternatives?
Who uses spreadsheets, scripts, outsourcing, or manual workarounds?
Who loses something if the problem is not solved?
If you build an English resume tool, do not only look for "job seekers."
Be specific:
People applying to overseas jobs in the last two weeks
People who sent 30 resumes and got no replies
International students applying for internships
Career switchers unsure how to describe projects
People shocked by the price of resume services
The more specific the scenario, the easier it is to find seed users.
Where to Find Them
Seed users often appear in five places.
First, problem-dense communities:
Reddit
WeChat groups
Discord
Slack
Forums
Xiaohongshu comments
Zhihu answer comments
Second, around competitors and alternatives:
Competitor comment sections
App Store reviews
Chrome Web Store reviews
Product Hunt comments
G2 / Capterra reviews
Open-source project issues
Third, content interactions:
People who save your tutorials
People who comment specific questions
People who DM for templates
People who repost with added thoughts
People who repeatedly consume related content
Fourth, workflow traces:
Public templates
GitHub repositories
Public Notion pages
Job posts
Industry resource sheets
Case study articles
Fifth, offline or semi-private networks:
Industry groups
Startup programs
Alumni groups
Customer groups
Consultants and service providers
Partners
Do not look in only one channel.
Users in different places describe the problem differently.
Use Screening Questions
After finding potential users, do not send the product immediately.
Ask screening questions:
When did you last face this problem?
How did you solve it then?
How much time or money did it cost?
Which alternatives have you tried?
What was most frustrating?
What would change if this were solved tomorrow?
Would you try an imperfect version now?
If the answers are vague:
I might use it later
Sounds interesting
I'll check it out sometime
Tell me when it is finished
They are probably not seed users yet.
If they describe concrete cases, costs, alternatives, and failed attempts, keep going.
Watch Behavior, Not Interest
Verbal interest is unreliable.
True seed users show behavior:
Spend 10 minutes trying it
Provide real data
Send screenshots
Join a feedback call
Open the product again
Recommend it to similar friends
Pay for the solution
Do not be fooled by "this is a great idea."
Watch:
Do they act?
Do they return?
Do they give feedback?
Do they recommend?
Do they pay?
Seed users are filtered by behavior.
Build a Seed User Pool
Do not leave seed users scattered across chats.
Create a table:
Name / handle
Source
User profile
Specific scenario
Pain intensity
Current workaround
Trial status
Feedback quality
Repeat usage
Referral willingness
Payment willingness
Next action
Tag people:
Strong pain
High feedback
Willing to pay
Willing to refer
Key industry user
Just observing
Not a fit
This table becomes an early growth asset.
For features, content, pricing, and case studies, return to this pool.
Maintain the Relationship
Seed users are not one-time resources.
Maintain them:
Send weekly progress updates
Tell them which feedback was used
Invite them to test new features
Ask them to help prioritize
Give early-user benefits
Turn their wins into case studies
Ask for introductions to similar users
Most importantly, respond to feedback.
If users give thoughtful feedback and hear nothing back, they will stop sharing.
Early users co-create when they feel they truly influence the product.
A 7-Day Search Plan
Use this:
Day 1: define seed user profile and painful scenarios
Day 2: collect 50 community posts and competitor reviews
Day 3: shortlist 100 potential users
Day 4: contact 30 people and only ask questions
Day 5: invite 10 people to complete the core trial task
Day 6: interview 5 people and record exact wording and friction
Day 7: identify 3-5 high-quality seed users to maintain
The goal is not immediate scale.
The goal is to find the people most worth building with.
Summary
Seed users are not ordinary signups; they use, return, give feedback, and co-create
Judge seed users by pain, motivation, feedback willingness, and tolerance
Do not rely only on friends or verbal interest
Find them in painful scenarios, communities, competitor reviews, content interactions, and workflow traces
Use screening questions to test demand intensity
Build a seed user pool and keep following up
Feedback needs a response if you want seed users to keep co-creating
Next, we will cover how affiliate marketing works.
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