I posted my SaaS in 12 communities and got 2,000+ signups in 30 days. Here’s what actually worked.
Hi indie hackers,
I wanted to share a small experiment I ran while launching a side project.
The project is AntForms, a simple form builder for waitlists, beta signups, and user feedback.
Instead of spending on ads, I tried something different.
For 30 days I focused only on community driven distribution.
Results
• 2,000+ signups in about a month
• ranked #1 on a few indie launch platforms (including Fazier)
• most traffic came from only a few communities
What actually worked
- Templates > product posts
Instead of posting “check out my tool”, I shared ready-to-use templates like:
startup waitlist form
beta tester signup
user research form
People were much more likely to try something immediately useful.
-
Asking for feedback converts better
Posts asking for feedback got far more engagement than launch posts. -
Mobile friction kills conversions
Short forms performed much better than multi-question forms.
What didn’t work
posting direct product links
posting in generic startup communities
complicated onboarding
Now I’m curious about something.
For those of you who launched a SaaS or side project:
What channel brought your first real users?
SEO
Reddit
Twitter
Directories
Cold outreach
If anyone wants to try the project and give feedback, I’m happy to share the link in comments.
Would love to learn from other founders here.
The 'templates > product posts' insight is solid and generalizable. When you share a usable artifact, people self-select — the ones who find the template valuable are exactly the people who would benefit from your product. It's a much better conversion funnel than 'check out my tool' because it filters for fit before the CTA.
The ask-for-feedback pattern works for the same reason: it signals that you're building something real and invites collaboration rather than broadcasting. People respond to being asked, not being pitched.
On mobile friction specifically: this matters more than most founders realize. Short forms at the point of signup is one half; the other half is what happens after signup on mobile. Payment flows, account setup, any step requiring a desktop-only feature — these kill conversion at the activation stage, not just signup.
To your question: for a SaaS targeting founders, Indie Hackers posts with genuine community engagement tend to drive the highest-intent users I've seen. Not necessarily the most volume, but the ones who actually use and give feedback.
Some people asked what the tool is. It’s called AntForms. I built it for waitlists and beta signups.
https://antforms.com
Happy to share the templates that drove most signups if anyone wants them.