We've been getting a few user signups over the past weeks and I thought that I should reach out and try to get some feedback from "real users" — ya know, people we don't know who have started to use our product.
So I sent variations of this email out to ~20ish users that signed up in the last couple of weeks:
Hi,
I saw that you signed up for Runly the other day and I wanted to see if there was anything that I could help you with or any questions that you might have.
I promise this is not an automated email. We are a small and scrappy company and I want to make sure that our new users have a great experience.
I would be appreciative of any feedback that you might have.
Thanks!
Chad
I wanted to emphasize the "I promise this is not automated" as I was afraid people would mark my email as spam making it harder for me to send emails out from my domain later.
Anyway, I sent the emails out and sat back and waited...for nothing.
I eventually got one reply back:
I don't even know what runny is, I have new phone and it was probably by mistake
Ouch, "runny" ok. Now I'm wondering if we chose the wrong name. Do people think we solve runny noses? Are we a tissue company now? Also, how do you sign up for a SaaS by mistake? ehh
Anyway, I don't know what I was expecting, but I thought I'd have a few more responses at least.
Any tips on how to get feedback from real users?
This is not unusual. I have a newsletter and started emailing a welcome note to each new subscriber. So far I sent a dozen mails. Radio silence. Response rates are pretty low, lower than you'd expect.
The only suggestion I have is to hold tight and waith for your product to reach a critical mass.