TLDR: After spending $5000 on expensive Meta ads ($150-200 per user), built a platform that connects founders with users for just $2 per detailed feedback.
We've all been there. Posting about your project on Reddit, Twitter, or IH, refreshing constantly, and... crickets. Just "looks cool!" comments with zero actual users. Then you try Meta ads and watch your money disappear with barely any real feedback.
1 - After spending $5000+ on Meta ads across various AI products over the last 6 months, here's what I got:
Cost per click: ranging from $3.50 to $4.80
Conversion rate: 1.8% to 2.4%
Cost per actual user: $150-200
2 - Then I tried something different: paying users $2 for 2-minute feedback. Here's what happened in the last 48 hours:
Users acquired: 60-85 per product
Product usage rate: 100%
Detailed feedback rate: 85-95%
3 - How Try&Earn works (https://www.tryandearn.com/):
Users sign up based on interests (AI, dev tools, analytics, etc.)
Get matched with relevant new products
Provide 2-minute feedback
Earn $2
The quality difference is insane. Instead of random ad clicks, I get early adopters who actually care about new tools and are willing to pay for solutions that work for them. User base exceeding 600, with new signups streaming in.
If you've been struggling with getting early users, you can send a request here: https://tally.so/r/nGXPOo
I'm eager to hear what challenges other builders have faced here with getting users and how you overcame them + if you have any ideas on how to make this more useful.
Google Play now requires 12 testers before you can release an app. You could use that for marketing, SEO and so on.