Kernal Passes 4,000 users. 4 Growth Lessons Learned:

Excited to share one of the projects I've been helping out with has passed 4,000 users in a couple months. Here's some strategies I've been implementing to grow our community each week:

1. Twitter / LinkedIn DMs
2. Weekly Newsletter round-up
3. Chatting with passionate users
4. Sharing the Vision in Startup Groups

Here's a bigger breakdown on each one:

1. Twitter / LinkedIn DMs

On my personal account and brand account, I've simply been following creators and influencers that align with our thesis. When a tweet or startup idea gets shared where Kernal could be a way to amplify the message, I reach out and ask if they'd like an invite code. I'd say 60% of folks respond and are curious to test it out.

I also search keyword terms like "build in public", indiehacker or SaaS entrepreneur and ask if they'd like a look around Kernal referencing our 4,000 users and 750 startup ideas.

Here's an example of a Kernal idea that came from a tweet outreach I did with Andrew Gazdecki: https://kern.al/idea/reducing-meetings-within-companies

2. Weekly Newsletter round-up

Since the beginning, we've been putting together a weekly newsletter that covers product updates, member news, creator shoutouts and recently startup news.

Our members say they've been enjoying it and the open rate still sits above 40% which we're pretty proud of.

This has become a forward friendly asset that members can pass along to other creatives in the startup space to test out the platform and sign up with a personal invite.

3. Chatting with users

As often as possible, if a user posts a unique startup idea or messages us about a partnership, I try to respond within 24 hours.

I like to honour their time, request and creativity to connect. That's gone quite a far way to build relationships with users, figure out why they're coming back and help spread the word on their projects in a genuine way.
Genuine care goes a long way.

People notice when you're actually reaching out to help them out and if they care enough, they'll spread the word for you. If they don't, move onto the next conversation when you feel like you've given them enough time to be listened to.

4. Sharing the Vision in Startup Groups

Groups like indieworldwide, Indiehackers, Hustle Trends, and the My First Million FB Private channel have played a key role in meeting new members, sharing updates and bridging opportunities that might not have existed beforehand.

When you open the door to share, other people get curious, ask questions, and new members sign up to learn more about the platform you're building.

In closing, when building a product you care deeply about, you have to search for communities that hold similar values and intentions to your own so that alignment fits more easily.

Each post on twitter or referral to another founder has built a compound interest of momentum over time.

But the important part has been to keeping the energy going, continuing to introduce new ways to provide value on the platform, and genuinely asking past users to share their feedback so we can continue to iterate on the on-boarding for new sign-ups.

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Hoping this post can help with others trying to grow their user base!

Wanna check out the platform? View here: https://kern.al/register?invitecode=INDIEHACKER

Any questions / ideas? Drop a comment below!