Recommended reading for independent developers: How to get 10K users in one month with $0
I’ve noticed that many developers don’t really understand marketing and don’t know how to promote their products. They often choose to find a marketing partner to solve this, but that approach is inefficient—and in many cases, you also have to pay the partner a high fee.
So I built a marketing tool designed especially for indie developers. It’s very low-cost to use, but it can help you get results quickly.
Here’s how it works:
1.Click the link below and log in.
2.Enter your product’s website URL.
3.Get a complete marketing plan (just like one created by a marketing partner).
4.Choose to execute the plan or modify it.
5.Monitor the results in the dashboard and see how many people start visiting your website.
🔗 https://amplift.ai/?utm_source=indiehackers&utm_campaign=post_dec
If you’re interested in this product, leave a comment saying “Interested”. I’ll give you a personal access code so you can use it for free.
Nice example of something I see a lot on Indie Hackers. ~
Most devs don't actually want or need "marketing." They need a repeatable first push forcing them to talk to users and to ship in public. And tools can't help unless they shorten that loop-not replace the thinking.
One of the more useful mental models comes from the following :
Any marketing plan that can't be executed in one hour a day is probably too abstract. Early traction usually comes as a result of boring, manual actions done consistently, not from a perfect plan.
I also think the “10K users” framing can be a double-edged sword. It's motivating, but it can hide what actually matters early on: who stayed, who talked back, and why. A hundred users who reply to you beats ten thousand drive-bys.
Curious — when you say results came quickly, what was the first signal you trusted? Was it traffic, signups, or real user conversations? But looking back, was there one channel or action that clearly punched above its weight early on?
The framing around developers not understanding marketing resonates - it's a real gap. Most technical founders over-index on product and under-index on distribution.
That said, I'd push back slightly on the "marketing partner = inefficient" take. The issue usually isn't the concept of partnership, it's the mismatch between what founders expect (magic results) and what marketing actually is (consistent experimentation over time).
What I've seen work better than either DIY or outsourcing fully:
Learn the basics yourself first - Even if you eventually delegate, understanding CAC, retention curves, and channel economics helps you evaluate whether any tool or partner is actually working.
Start with one channel, go deep - Spreading thin across platforms rarely works for early stage. Better to own one distribution channel before expanding.
Track leading indicators, not just visitors - "10K users" as a goal is meaningless without retention data. 1K users who stick around beats 10K who bounce.
Curious what the dashboard shows beyond traffic - do you track engagement depth or just acquisition?
In-depth tracking. The dashboard shows how users accessed your website, which actions were effective, and which actions need improvement.
Good to hear it goes beyond traffic. The "which actions were effective" part is where most analytics tools fall short - they show you what happened, but not why it worked or how to do more of it.
One follow-up: when you say "actions need improvement," does the tool suggest specific changes, or does it surface the data and leave interpretation to the user? That's often the gap between analytics and actionable insights.