I sold $6,773 in 2 weeks, with almost no existing community.
I'm building MindNote, an AI note taker, and recently launched a campaign on Artizen.
I'm sharing this because it may be another channel to consider as you work toward your first $0–10k, $10k–100k, and beyond.
Unlike a traditional campaign, supporters purchase digital artifacts rather than making donations or direct app subscriptions. Because those artifacts are sold rather than donated or transferred, they're treated as sales for tax purposes. Even with that additional complexity, the campaign reached $6,773 in just two weeks, and the experience taught me a lot.
Artizen works differently from other platforms. As you reach funding or artifact sales milestones, Artizen matches contributions with additional funding (typically 2x or 3x, depending on the program). Campaigns also compete on a leaderboard based on community support. The higher you rank, the more matching funds you can unlock, with top projects receiving $20,000–$30,000 or more in additional funding/sales.
Here's the campaign:
https://artizen.fund/index/p/mindnote?season=6
The biggest lesson?
Building the product was easier than finding people willing to support it.
Here are the tactics that actually worked:
-
Start with friends and family.
Think of it as a Friends & Family round. Those first supporters create momentum and social proof. -
Send it to your newsletter.
Even if it's small. Those subscribers already know who you are. -
Post consistently on social media.
Don't post only once. Share milestones, progress, screenshots, lessons learned, and why you're building. -
Support other founders.
Back their campaigns, comment on their posts, and build genuine relationships. Many will support you in return. -
Reach out personally.
Personalized DMs and emails converted much better than generic posts. -
Tell your story, not just your pitch.
People often support founders they connect with, not just products. -
Create urgency.
Posting updates like "50% funded" or "3 days left" encouraged people who had been waiting. -
Ask for introductions.
Someone who can't contribute may know someone who can. -
Share it in relevant communities.
Reddit, Indie Hackers, X, LinkedIn, Discord, Slack communities, Facebook groups, and startup newsletters all helped. -
Thank every supporter publicly.
Gratitude creates momentum and encourages others to participate.
What I'd do differently?
If I could start over, I'd spend weeks or even months building a community before launching.
I'd:
- Collect emails with a landing page.
- Build a WhatsApp or Telegram group of early supporters.
- Reach out through cold emails.
- Share the journey publicly while building.
- Find early users who genuinely love the product.
- Grow a newsletter.
- Ask people ahead of time if they'd be willing to support the campaign on launch day.
Having a community before launching would probably make the campaign 10x–100x more successful.
If you found this helpful, I'd appreciate it if you checked out MindNote, subscribed, or supported the campaign on Artizen.
Happy building!
MindNote website: https://www.mindnote.online
Artizen camapign ( Still live and receiving supporters): https://artizen.fund/index/p/mindnote?season=6
You have provided a comprehensive breakdown transparently, every piece of it is useful for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Thanks! I am glad that it helps.
"Personalized DMs converted much better than generic posts" is the one line that should get bolded for every founder reading this. Most people skip it because it doesn't scale, but it's the only tactic on the list that actually compounds trust instead of just reach.
Definitely! 100%
Great breakdown! The point about community-first resonates — I'm currently trying to sell a fintech project and the hardest part is definitely distribution, not the product itself. Thanks for the transparency.
Thanks! Wishing you the best with your fintech project, I hope you find the right distribution channels and community around it!
Thank you so much for you help I really appreciate it God bless you
Good luck with your project!
Money following trust instead of traffic is the right framing, and it's also why this kind of campaign is hard to replicate as a pure tactic. You can't manufacture the personal outreach and consistent updates part, it has to actually be true that people trust you enough to back something before it's finished.
The 30 day retention question in the comments is the one that actually determines whether this was a funding event or a validation event. $6,773 raised says people were willing to bet on you. Whether they're still opening MindNote a month later says whether the bet was right.
I completely agree. Trust is incredibly hard to manufacture, which is why it becomes such a valuable advantage. You can buy traffic, but you can't buy genuine trust.
I also agree that retention is what ultimately proves the product's value. For that, I'm looking at the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, where people discover, download, and continue using the product without the context of a single campaign.
This campaign was more about validating the vision and securing funding for R&D. I'm happy to see that it is possible, even without a huge community (but that would be the ideal) and I hope to find more opportunities like this in the future. Each milestone answers a different question, and together they help move the product forward.
The number I'd watch isn't the $6,773, it's how many of those backers are still opening MindNote 30 days later. Campaign sales and matched funding are a one-time spike, and a leaderboard can flatter a product nobody actually retains. You proved people will back you, now find out if they'll pay you again when there's no urgency or matching attached.
You're totally right. Retention matters at lot.
That said, I still think it's a pretty meaningful milestone. Every company has revenue as part of its North Star, and getting those paying customers is an important proof point. Sometimes it's not about having thousands of users, some B2B companies operate successfully for years with just a handful of customers because each one generates significant value. Early revenue isn't the finish line, but it's a strong signal that people are willing to pay.
I just shared a new channel that may not have been considered for some. Let's see how it develops further.
Thanks for sharing this. One line really stuck with me: "Building the product was easier than finding people willing to support it." As an engineer, it's easy to spend all the time building and assume users will come later. Your experience is a great reminder that community and distribution are products in themselves. Wishing you continued success with MindNote!
Thank you so much!
I always recommend starting marketing as early as the ideation stage. Begin building your audience and collecting leads as soon as possible, so that by the time your MVP is ready, you already have a group of potential first users. It definitely makes the launch much easier and gives you valuable early feedback.
One thing that stood out is that the money followed trust, not traffic. Friends, early supporters, personal outreach, and consistent updates all worked because people already had a reason to believe in you. That's a lesson a lot of founders learn much later.
Definitely! I think a good mix of friends, family, and project supporters could easily help you surpass your target in just a few hours.
That's the interesting part to me.
Once a project starts growing beyond people who already trust the founder, the question changes from "Who knows me?" to "What makes complete strangers trust this enough to back it?"
I think that's a much bigger strategic shift than most creators realize.
100% agreed!
Even in traditional investment rounds, the first rounds sometimes is called friends, family and fools.
That said, Artizen can be a strong option when aiming to hit early targets. It also helps to diversify beyond platforms like the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
That's exactly why I wanted to continue the conversation.
Reading your reply, I think there's one strategic business decision sitting underneath that transition from early supporters to complete strangers that becomes much more significant as a project grows, but I don't think I can do the reasoning behind it justice in a thread.
Happy to explain what I mean if it's useful. What's the best email to reach you?
You can definitely reach out via email at [email protected] or connect with me directly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomitam.
Just sent it over by email.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you've had a chance to read it.