This transcript is not about a single product getting its first users — it is an advisor/consultant (Jedi) sharing a distribution playbook he applied across multiple B2B SaaS companies including Arcads, RoR, and others. There is no single "first 100 users" story for one product. For the companies Jedi advised, the initial user acquisition approach began with manually finding relevant content creators on the platform where the ICP consumed content (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, or X). He then built a Google Sheet of qualified creators, cold-emailed them via a 5-email automated sequence using Lemlist (with a fresh warmed-up domain), targeting a 25–30% reply rate. Early-stage bootstrapped clients were advised to start by paying creators in product credits rather than cash, and to make content themselves first to understand what hooks work before paying creators. A parallel bootstrapped approach was to become a creator yourself — test lead magnet posts on your own LinkedIn/X account, identify the ones that go viral (Jedi cited 1 in 2 posts hitting 100k+ views Jan–June on LinkedIn), then hand proven copy and formats to paid creators to amplify at scale.
B2B Influencer Marketing Playbook (Jedi's Framework)
B2B influencer marketing playbook used by Lovable, Gamma, and n8n to drive growth
8 moves, in order
- ICP & Platform SelectionStrategic planning
Before any outreach, identify the ICP and determine which platform they actually consume content on. Example: plumbers/HVAC techs are on TikTok, not LinkedIn. Search the platform by ICP keyword to verify creator supply exists.
Ensures budget is not wasted on the wrong platform - Creator Discovery & QualificationManual search youtube tiktok linkedin x
Search YouTube by competitor brand names (e.g., type 'Lovable', 'Cursor', 'Replit') to find creators already promoting similar tools. Use VidIQ Chrome extension for outlier scores and comment section quality. On LinkedIn, find most active clients, check what thought leader posts they comment on, then use the LinkedIn suggestions widget to find similar creators. Filter for 10k+ connections on LinkedIn and frequent viral posts via Taplio widget.
Builds a curated Google Sheet of qualified creators with contact info - Cold Outreach to CreatorsCold email sequence lemlist
Create a fresh domain (never use main domain) for creator outreach, warm it up via Lemwarm, configure DKIM/SPF, then run a 5-email automated sequence (one per 24 hours until reply) using Lemlist. Benchmark target is 25–30% reply rate — achievable because you are offering payment.
25–30% reply rate on cold outreach to creators - Negotiation & BriefDirect creator negotiation
Negotiate price based on platform, average views, and viral frequency. Offer a 15% affiliate link to reduce upfront fee, especially on YouTube. Brief the creator to do a fully dedicated video (60–100% of runtime on the product), ideally framed as a use-case story (e.g., 'I vibe-coded Airbnb in 2 hours using Lovable'). For bootstrapped founders, offer product credits instead of cash to creators who are already users.
Reduces upfront cost; LinkedIn creators cost $500–$2k/post, TikTok $500–$4k/video, YouTube $1k–$50k/video - Lead Magnet Strategy (LinkedIn & X)Lead magnet posts linkedin x
Creator posts a highly clickbait first sentence + fast-moving GIF/video that reveals only 20–50% of value. Viewers must comment a keyword to receive the rest via DM. Automate DMs using Tweet Hunter (X) or Leadshark (LinkedIn). This manipulates the algorithm into treating high comment volume as a signal of quality content, boosting organic reach. Jedi ran this on his own account and got 1 in 2 posts over 100k views (Jan–June 2025) on LinkedIn, generating 15M impressions/month in March 2025.
1 in 2 posts exceeded 100k views; inbox broken 3 times due to thousands of simultaneous DM requests; 5-figure revenue spike in 24 hours from one 5M-view viral post - UGC Farm / Volume Strategy (TikTok & Instagram)Ugc farm tiktok instagram
Hire 5–20 creators (find tech-savvy ones via engineering school Facebook groups or Sidesshift platform). Create fresh accounts branded around the product. Pay a flat fee + $1–2 CPM (capped at 1M views). Each creator posts 1–2 videos per day for 30 days, testing different hooks. Founders test hooks on their own account first, then hand winning templates to creators. Cap CPM bonus at 1M views to control cost.
Used by companies like Gamma, Lovable, n8n at scale; bootstrapped version: hire creators at ~$400/month each - Creator to Paid Ads Flywheel (Meta)Meta ads ugc creatives
Repurpose top-performing organic TikTok/Instagram creator videos as Meta ad creatives. Either download and license the video IP (negotiate upfront or retroactively after testing CTR), or use TikTok Spark Ads / Meta's Instagram Reel ID system to run ads under the creator's account using the brand's budget and targeting. Run two Meta adsets: one fully broad (no interests/behaviors) and one lookalike audience. Refresh creatives weekly — top 5 out of Jedi's best 10 Meta creatives came from UGC videos.
Jedi reports best individual creator ROI of 10x ($10k spend → $100k revenue); companies using all three channels reportedly reach $100M ARR - Scale & Double DownCreator relationship management
Track conversions via Dub.co or Rewardful affiliate links. Multiply raw affiliate conversions by 2–3x (to account for direct-type traffic) then by LTV to calculate true creator ROI. When a creator achieves golden-goose status (e.g., 10x ROI), lock them in for more videos immediately. Promote best-performing creator to 'manager' role to train new creators, increasing their pay and building internal expertise.
Best creators generate 10x ROI ($10k in → $100k out), confirmed multiple times across client portfolio
Jedi had a large existing personal audience on LinkedIn and X (generating ~15 million impressions/month in March 2025), deep network from working at The Family (European YC equivalent helping hundreds of companies), and 12+ years of experience from ecommerce brand building. He also had direct relationships with major creator networks and prior case study results (e.g., 10x ROI on individual creator deals) that gave him credibility to attract clients and creators alike.
ugc_farm_tiktok_instagram
Attribution on TikTok and Instagram is unreliable — no direct tracking of conversions is possible; only rough correlation via organic traffic spikes. Using integration/sponsorship slots (30–90 sec mid-roll) instead of fully dedicated videos was called out as good only for brand awareness, not conversion. Burning your main domain name on cold outreach (instead of a fresh domain) was flagged as a common failure — many clients had 20%+ spam rates without knowing it. Paying large upfront fees to top-tier creators (e.g., $50k/video) without first testing hooks organically is flagged as a budget trap for bootstrappers.
The $100M Playbook Used by Lovable, Gamma & n8n (Influencer Flywheel)
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