Sofia DM'd 200 potential users. Two replied: one wasn't interested; the other pitched her his own SaaS — a better pitch than hers — and she became a paying user of it.
01The problem
Find first users for a new product through direct outreach.
02The experiment
She sent direct messages to 200 potential users. Two replied. One wasn't interested; the other turned the conversation around and pitched his own SaaS, which she ended up paying for.
03Results
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| DMs sent | 200 |
| Replies | 2 |
| Users wonone reply wasn't interested; the other pitched her | 0 |
| Spend | Not disclosed |
“Not disclosed” means the source doesn't say. We never estimate or fill in missing numbers.
04What worked — and what didn't
What didn't work
- 200 cold DMs: 2 replies, 0 users
05Lessons
The reply that did come was a lesson in pitching: the other founder's pitch was better than hers.
“Cold outreach works, just not the way I planned.”
06Source & evidence
- View original
Originally shared on X · Sep 20, 2026
I DM'd 200 potential users
Public source. Extracted from publicly available content by the founder.
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Copy this experiment
A checklist built from what Sofia actually did. Their numbers are a reference, not a promise.
- 1
Pick the channel and tactic
Cold DM — Cold DMs to potential users.
- 2
Set a budget cap
Sofia didn't say what it cost. Decide your cap before you start.
- 3
Set an end date
Sofia didn't say how long it ran. Pick a review date before you start.
- 4
Avoid what didn't
Where it went wrong:
- ☐200 cold DMs: 2 replies, 0 users
- 5
Track the same numbers
So you can compare like for like:
- ☐DMs sent
- ☐Replies
- ☐Users won
- 6
Compare, then share what happened
Sofia's headline result: 200 DMs sent. Yours will differ — that's the point. Win or flop, the result is worth sharing.
Was this experiment useful?
Want the full playbook behind this?
Sofia hasn't published a step-by-step playbook. If enough readers ask, we'll ask Sofia for one.
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