How do you grow an audience while building the mvp?
In the last couple weeks I talked to ~25 people and have 7 users who signed up and paid for the product I'm building. I have validated my idea, and now want to start focusing on building out the rest of the tool while iterating on the current users' feedback. However I don't want to ignore attracting new potential users.
Is there any guidance to what I should do to keep the momentum going at this stage?
What are the best ways to grow a following so I have a larger audience to talk to about the tool?
My high level plan is to take 2 months to finish the MVP, talk to each user directly at least once every 2-3 weeks, improve SEO, and somehow grow an audience who would be excited about the product. Is there anything you'd suggest I de-prioritize/prioritize?
For context, the tool teaches entry-level software engineers how to solve coding interview questions.
Create a "Coming Soon" page which describes the key value of the product and its feature set. Offer a discount to anyone who submits their email address pre-launch and provide a simple form to capture it on the page.
Promote this page here or anywhere relevant for people to learn more about your product and also collect leads.
After two months when you are ready to launch, email this list and offer them their opportunity to sign up with their discount. Some may have changed their mind by then, but you are likely to get at least a few conversions.