Day 3 update: 60+ cold DMs sent, 2 replies, 0 paying customers — here's what I've learnt and found.
Quick update on the Vía journey (web accessibility scanner with AI code fixes).
The numbers so far:
60+ personalised cold DMs to UK web agency founders
Each one includes a scan of their actual website with specific violation data
2 replies: one "not interested", one CEO who said "I'll test it" so wish me luck there
1 accessibility specialist reviewing the tool
0 paying customers
What's working: scanning someone's site and leading with their specific problems gets way more engagement than a generic "I built a tool" pitch. The new approach — "I found X violations on your site, got the report with code fixes, want me to send it?" — is landing better than "try it yourself at viascan.dev."
What's not working: LinkedIn DMs from a 15-year-old student to agency CEOs. Profile credibility is a real barrier.
Biggest lesson today: Clutch.co is almost useless for sourcing UK agencies — it recycles the same companies across every city. Switching to LinkedIn search for "web design agency founder" filtered by UK was 10x more efficient.
Still free to try: viascan.dev
60 personalised DMs in 3 days is solid. The scan-first approach is the right call — you're leading with their problem, not your product.
One thing on the CEO who said "I'll test it": don't wait. Offer a 15-minute call to walk them through the report. That phrase almost never converts on its own.
Also — being 15 and having built this is actually a hook, not just a liability. The right founder will find it memorable. Keep posting the numbers.
congrats on shipping this. getting something out the door is the hardest step and youve done it. my advice from going through a similar launch: focus on one channel and go deep rather than spreading across five platforms. for me IH content ended up working better than cold email, ads, or anything else. whats your top acquisition channel so far?