How We Acquired Our First 50 Users for the consumer app FitHero AI

Hey fellow entrepreneurs!

My co-founder and I were recently successful in acquiring 50 people to the private beta of our new consumer fitness/gaming app FitHero.ai so I figured I'd share what worked for us in case it helps others.

First, a little background...

The idea for FitHero.ai was born out of a desire to apply gamified techniques to the health and fitness journey.

Fitness can often feel like a grind, with progress taking time to become visible. We wanted to create an app that helps users see and feel improvements, even when they’re not immediately noticeable in real life.

Additionally, we wanted to leverage AI to provide a unique, interactive experience that benefits users’ fitness journeys.

I remember one day at the gym, feeling frustrated with my progress, and thinking, "There has to be a way to make this more fun and engaging."

That's when the idea of battling AI-driven villains as part of a fitness routine really clicked for me.

Actionable Step: Define Your Inspiration and Goal

Identify the core problem your app solves and how it can uniquely benefit users. Understand the emotional and practical needs of your target audience to ensure your app resonates with them.

Defining Our Target Audience

As someone deeply involved in health and fitness, with notable achievements in CrossFit and a lifelong passion for gaming, I built FitHero.ai for people like me.

This approach ensured that the app met the needs of our initial user base effectively. I figured if it was something I would use and enjoy, there would be others out there just like me.

For consumer-focused startups, especially those being bootstrapped, I believe it’s essential for the founders to be the target audience. It allows you to move MUCH quicker and not be overly concerned with market research.

I tested this assumption by talking to friends at the gym and fellow gamers, asking if they would find an app like this useful and fun.

Actionable Step: Know Your Target Audience

Build an app that you would use yourself. Leverage your own experiences and preferences to define the initial target audience. Conduct informal research through conversations with friends, family, and community members who share similar interests.

Early Marketing and User Acquisition

Initially, we needed to validate that the primary engagement loop was, well engaging 🙂.

We started by reaching out to friends in various fitness communities who also had an interest in gaming - literally DMing them and asking them to give our alpha a shot. Here was one of the initial messages:

Yo D! Would love your help in Alpha testing FitHero.ai. Here's the link to download the app:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fithero-ai/id6449763830
The invite code is "alpha" (all lower case)
The alpha will last 2 weeks and have two surveys to fill out. If you can hang with the app and fill out both surveys will hook you up with a free shirt
The alpha is SUPER limited in features. Basically we're testing:
Do people "get it" (kind like D&D it's a little complicated)
What bugs exist?
Is the primary game-play loop enjoyable? (battling villains, influenced by your exercise)

I know it's a little cheesy, but this approach did help us secure the first 15 to 20 users.

To hit our goal of 50 for our beta, we capitalized on the timing by releasing it at the beginning of the year (new years resolutions and whatnot), leveraging my social media presence to invite more people to try the app.

The timing, coupled with the growing interest in AI, helped us reach our goal of 50 users.

I vividly remember posting about our private beta on Facebook, hoping for a few responses, and waking up to dozens of messages from people eager to try it out.

It was a thrilling moment that showed me there was real interest in what we were building!

Actionable Step: Validate with Friends and Community

Use your network to gather the first group of users. Reach out to friends, family, and community members even if they don't fit your target audience profile. Ensure that these early users are willing to provide feedback and engage with the app.

Limit the length of time for the beta. It helps people feel like they don't have to commit for a long period of time

Effective Strategies and Platforms

One effective strategy was limiting the number of users who could join the private beta, creating a sense of urgency.

Facebook was the primary platform for user acquisition, given its algorithm and the personal connection it offers.

We also created a Facebook group for FitHero.ai, which allowed us to collect feedback, share updates, and engage with users in a private community. This approach fostered a sense of exclusivity and community among early adopters.

People love to feel like they're part of something exclusive, and this really drove engagement.

Actionable Step: Leverage Timing and Social Media

Launch your app or a private beta at a strategic time. Use your social media presence to spread the word and invite users.

Create a Sense of Urgency: Create a private beta with limited spots to drive urgency and make users feel special for being early adopters.

Engaging with Early Users

Engaging with early users primarily through the Facebook group was highly effective for us.

In particular, polls were excellent ways of gathering valuable feedback. Most posts to the group didn't get a ton of engagement, but when I posted a poll, it was easy for people to give feedback.

Actionable Step: Utilize Social Media Groups

Create a Facebook group or similar community space for your app. Use this space to collect feedback, share updates, and build a sense of community. Engage users with polls to gather valuable insights.

Acquiring your first 50 users can definitely be challenging, but through a combination of timing, value-proposition and putting ourselves out there, we were able to do it and gather great feedback along the way.

Hopefully this helps some of you get your initial users!