Steal these unconventional customer acquisition examples from Buffer, Pinterest, and others

Launching a new digital business, product, or service is a grind. You’ll spend long days and nights agonizing over every pixel, parsing through hundreds of lines of code, and wrestling with copy until your eyes blur.

But you know what? As grueling as that sounds, any founder who’s been through it will tell you that’s the easy part. The real battle? Trying to find customer number one.

Luckily, history is on our side. We’re about to dive into the stories of four famous startups and how they snagged their initial users. More importantly, I’ll break down how you can adapt their tactics to find customers for your business.

Leveraging existing platforms: The Pinterest Playbook

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” Well, Pinterest took that advice and cranked it up to eleven.

Back in 2010, Pinterest was just another startup with a dream and zero users. But instead of trying to build an audience from scratch, they pulled off a move so crazy it borders on genius—they hijacked their local Apple stores.

The Pinterest team snuck into Apple Stores and changed the homepage on every demo device to pinterest.com. Ballsy? Absolutely. Effective? You bet your last pin it was.

Suddenly, every person playing with an iPad or MacBook in an Apple Store was inadvertently giving Pinterest a test drive. It was visibility hacking at its finest.

Now, I’m not suggesting you go around messing with other companies’ demo units (legal departments tend to frown on that sort of thing). But the principle here is solid—find where your potential users are already hanging out and figure out how to show up there.

Today, this might look like creating a killer TikTok filter that subtly promotes your app or developing a Chrome extension that adds value to a popular website while introducing users to your product.

The key is to think creatively about existing platforms. Where are your potential users already spending their time? How can you add value to that experience while simultaneously finding customers for your business?

You don’t always need to build the stage—you just need to find a way to step into the spotlight on stages that already exist.

Building authority through content: The Buffer Blueprint

If Pinterest’s approach was a bit too guerrilla for your taste, let’s talk about a strategy that’s more above board but equally effective—content marketing. And nobody did it quite like Buffer.

Back in 2010, Buffer was just a simple tool for scheduling tweets. But instead of relying on paid ads or cold outreach, founder Joel Gascoigne decided to become a one-man content machine.

His strategy? Write. A lot. We’re talking 150 guest posts in just nine months. That’s not a typo—150 articles, each one carefully crafted to provide value and subtly promote Buffer.

Gascoigne didn’t just spam random blogs, either. He targeted publications his potential users were already reading. By providing genuinely helpful content, he built trust with readers before they even knew Buffer existed.

This approach helped him find customers organically.

The result? Buffer’s first 100,000 users were gained almost entirely through the power of words.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Great, but I’m not exactly Stephen King over here.” Don’t sweat it. The key isn’t being the world’s best writer—it’s about providing value consistently.

Today, this might look like starting a newsletter for creative founders that solves a specific problem (👋). Or maybe it’s creating short-form video content that both educates and entertains a particular niche. The medium doesn’t matter as much as the message.

The goal is to position yourself (and, by extension, your product) as a trusted authority. When you do that, selling becomes a whole lot easier because people buy from those they know, like, and trust. Content is your ticket to becoming that person.

Engaging with niche communities: The Etsy Approach

If Pinterest was about hijacking attention and Buffer was about building authority, Etsy’s strategy was all about going deep into niche communities. And let me tell you, it paid off big time.

Back in 2005, Etsy wasn’t trying to be the next Amazon. Instead, they zeroed in on a specific group: craft fair artisans. These were people who were already creating unique, handmade items but lacked a dedicated online platform to sell them.

So what did Etsy do? They went straight to the source. The founders hit the pavement, attending craft fairs and engaging directly with artisans. They weren’t just pitching a platform. They were building relationships and understanding the needs of their target users firsthand.

By focusing on this niche, Etsy didn’t just get customers—they built a community. Each new artisan brought their own mini-fanbase, creating a network effect that propelled Etsy’s growth.

This hands-on approach allowed them to find customers who were passionate and engaged.

Now, you might be thinking, “That’s great for crafts, but my product is different.” Fair enough. But the principle still applies: find your tribe.

Today, this could mean diving deep into subreddits related to your product or becoming an active member of Discord servers in your niche. It might mean attending (or even organizing) local meetups or industry-specific conferences.

The key is to not just show up and pitch. Engage. Listen. Understand the pain points. Become a valued member of the community first, and the customers will follow. Remember, in a world of mass marketing, there’s immense power in going narrow and deep.

Personal outreach and demonstration: The Snapchat Strategy

If Etsy’s approach was about diving deep into communities, Snapchat took it a step further with hyper-targeted, face-to-face interactions. And trust me, it was anything but conventional.

In 2011, Snapchat wasn’t the behemoth we know today. It was just a fledgling app with a weird premise: send photos that disappear. So, how did they get their first users?

They went to the mall.

Yes, you read that right. The Snapchat team, led by Evan Spiegel, literally approached teenagers in shopping malls and asked them to download the app. They’d demo it right there on the spot, showing how it worked and why it was cool.

It sounds almost comically simple. But it worked. Why? Because they were targeting exactly the right audience in exactly the right place. They knew teenagers would get the appeal of disappearing messages, and where better to find crowds of teens than at the mall?

Now, I’m not saying you need to start accosting people at your local shopping center. Still, the lesson is simple: go where your users are and show them—don’t just tell them—why your product is awesome.

Today, this might look like hosting live demo sessions on Twitch or Instagram. Or maybe it’s setting up a booth at industry events where your target users gather.

Remember, people are bombarded with ads and marketing messages all day. But a personal interaction? That’s memorable. That’s how you create not just users but advocates.

So ask yourself: where can you meet your potential users face-to-face? How can you demo your product in a way that immediately showcases its value? Sometimes, the old-school approach of simply talking to people can be your most powerful tool in learning how to find customers.

Wrapping it up: Your roadmap to those crucial first customers

We’ve taken a whirlwind tour through some pretty unconventional strategies. From Pinterest’s guerrilla tactics in Apple Stores to Snapchat’s mall invasions, these founders weren’t afraid to think way outside the box.

While these specific tactics might not work verbatim for your business (please don’t go messing with Apple Store displays), the underlying principles still stand on their own today.

Let’s break it down:

• Go where your audience already is (Pinterest)
• Provide value before you ask for anything in return (Buffer)
• Dive deep into niche communities (Etsy)
• Don’t be afraid of face-to-face interactions (Snapchat)

My favorite part about these four strategies is that each puts the user first. They’re about understanding your audience, meeting them where they are, and showing—not just telling—how you can solve their problems.

These are proven methods for how to find customers for your business.

Now, I won’t sugar-coat it. Getting those first customers is hard. Really hard. But it’s also where the magic happens. It’s where you’ll learn the most about your product, your market, and yourself as a founder.

So, take these lessons, adapt them to your situation, and don’t be afraid to get a little weird with your marketing. After all, in a world drowning in cookie-cutter ads and soulless pitches, it’s the bold, creative approaches that cut through the noise.