# How do I get my first users for an app built with Lovable, Bolt or Cursor?

# How do I get my first users for an app built with Lovable, Bolt or Cursor?

# How do I get my first users for an app built with Lovable, Bolt or Cursor?

*Scope: Long-tail questions, Search questions. Audience: founders and solo builders who have shipped with an AI app builder and have no traffic yet.*

Shipping with Lovable, Bolt, Cursor or a similar AI tool can take a weekend. Getting the right people to notice the result is a separate job. This post gives three first moves in priority order. None of them guarantees traffic or sign-ups. They are the places most solo builders can start with no budget.

## The short answer

1. **Get found.** Make sure people and search engines can understand what the product is and who it is for.
2. **Join live conversations.** Answer people who are already discussing the problem your app solves.
3. **Publish useful content.** Build a small library of pages and posts that answer the questions your audience searches for.

Do them in this order. The first is a prerequisite for the other two. The second tends to give the earliest signal. The third takes longest and keeps working once it is in place.

## Why this order

Hockeysticky's playbooks page gives general editorial estimates of how long each play takes to show a first signal for a solo founder or small team. It states these are not measured results:

| Play | Typical first signal (editorial view) | Budget |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Live conversations | 1-3 weeks | None |
| Content you own (blog posts, docs, pages) | 4-12 weeks | None |

Source: [Hockeysticky playbooks](https://hockeysticky.com/playbooks). Treat these as rough planning ranges, not promises. Your product, audience and niche will change the real timing.

## Move 1: Get found (do this first)

Before promoting anything, check that your app gives a stranger a reason to stay and gives search engines something to read.

**Checklist**

- **One clear sentence.** Say what the product does, who it is for and what problem it solves, above the fold on the home page.
- **A page a crawler can read.** View the page source or use a search engine's page inspection tool, such as the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console, to confirm your main copy is visible and not only rendered after sign-in.
- **A public page per problem.** If the product solves more than one problem, give each its own page with its own title and description.
- **A way to count visits and sign-ups.** Install an analytics tool so you can see where visitors come from. Without it, nothing you try next can be judged.
- **A single next step.** Give each page one call to action, such as sign up, join the waitlist or try the demo.

*Further reading: [SEO basics for AI-built apps: link pending until the post is published].*

## Move 2: Join live conversations (earliest signal)

People already ask for help with your problem on forums, social platforms, communities and in comments under competitor content. Replying helpfully is a low-cost way to meet them.

**How to do it without spamming**

- **Find the threads.** Search for the problem in plain words, for example the frustration your app removes, and for the names of tools people compare.
- **Answer first.** Give a real answer that works without your product. Mention the app only where it fits, and say you built it.
- **Follow each community's rules.** Many ban self-promotion. Read them before posting.
- **Note what you learn.** Record the phrases people use and the questions that recur. They become topics for your content in Move 3.
- **Track what happens.** Count sign-ups that come from conversations you joined, so you know if the effort is worth repeating.

The aim is useful presence, not volume. A handful of good replies in the right places is a better test than a hundred generic ones.

*Further reading: [Choosing your first growth channel: link pending until the post is published].*

## Move 3: Publish useful content you own

Content on your own site keeps working after you stop promoting it, but it is slow. Start small and specific.

**What to write first**

- **Answers to the questions from Move 2.** If the same question appears in several threads, it is a post.
- **Problem-led how-tos.** Show readers how to solve the problem, and where the product fits as one option.
- **Comparison pages.** People who search for 'X vs Y' or 'alternatives to Z' are already choosing a tool. Be fair and accurate about the other options, and cite your sources.
- **Release notes.** Each release is something new to say. Turn it into a short post or page.

Keep each piece honest and useful. Do not invent customers, metrics or reviews. If you do not yet have a number, leave it out.

## A simple first month

| Week | Focus | Output |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Get found | Clear home page copy, readable pages, analytics installed |
| 2 | Live conversations | A short list of places and threads, first helpful replies |
| 3-4 | Content | First two posts that answer questions heard in conversations |
| Ongoing | Review | Check which source sent visits and sign-ups, then repeat what worked |

## What to expect

There is no guaranteed timeline. Some builders see early replies and a few sign-ups from conversations within weeks. Content usually takes longer. If nothing shows up after a fair trial, change the channel, the message or the audience, rather than doing more of the same.

## Where Hockeysticky fits

Hockeysticky is built for solo founders and small teams who can ship with AI tools but have no users. It builds a tailored growth playbook for the product, keeps it updated, and runs tactics such as content and live conversations within guardrails you set. Access is currently by waitlist.

[Join the Hockeysticky waitlist](https://hockeysticky.com/)

## Sources

- Hockeysticky playbooks page, Content you own and Live conversations plays, including timing notes: https://hockeysticky.com/playbooks

*Related posts (links to be added once published): SEO basics for AI-built apps; Choosing your first growth channel.*