Most people think they need to pour money into Facebook, Instagram, or Google Ads to get their first customers. I thought so too—until I didn’t have the budget for it.

This is the story of how I got my first 100 customers without ads, and how you can do it too.

1. Start with a Specific Problem

I didn’t launch a product or service for “everyone.” I found a specific group of people with a specific problem. In my case, it was helping local yoga instructors set up online booking systems after COVID hit.

Key tip: Focus on a narrow audience. The more specific the problem, the easier it is to stand out.

2. Offer Value First

Instead of trying to sell right away, I offered something useful: a free guide, a quick audit, or a helpful checklist.

This builds trust. People remember who helped them when they weren’t being sold to.

3. Leverage Communities

I joined Facebook groups, Reddit threads, and Slack communities where my ideal customers were already active.

I didn’t spam. I participated. I answered questions. I shared my process. Eventually, people started asking me for help. Rule of thumb: Contribute 90%, promote 10%.

4. Use Content Like a Magnet

I wrote blog posts, made short videos, and posted on LinkedIn about the exact problems my audience was facing.

No fluff. No jargon. Just useful stuff—often based on real conversations I was having.

Some examples:

“How to Get More Clients With a Booking Page That Converts”

“5 Mistakes Yoga Instructors Make When Going Online”

This positioned me as someone who gets it—not just another seller.

5. Ask for Referrals (the Right Way)

        After delivering real value to early users, I asked:

Do you know one or two other people who might benefit from this?

        It didn’t feel like marketing. It felt like helping friends. And it worked.

6. Build in Public

I shared my wins and lessons online—what worked, what didn’t, customer feedback, new ideas. It made the journey relatable.

People followed along, commented, and some became customers just because they saw the progress and wanted to be part of it.

7. Turn Happy Customers into Growth Engines

Every happy customer became an advocate. I made it easy for them to share by giving them:

Templates for posts

A referral link

A reason to talk about what we did together

The Results

It took about 3 months. No paid ads. No hacks. Just:

Consistent, helpful content

Real relationships

Word of mouth at scale

I ended up with 100 paying customers—and a business I could grow further without constantly chasing ad spend.