How do you get your first real users for a trust-based product?
Built a non-custodial USDT escrow service on TRON using 2-of-3 multisig wallets, operated via Telegram bot. Think escrow.com but trustless, no middleman holding funds, low fees.
The problem it solves is real — crypto scams are everywhere and people lose money on basic peer-to-peer deals constantly. I got scammed myself, that's why I built this.
2 months in: ~90 registered users, almost zero transaction volume. Friends love it and actually use it. But strangers don't trust it enough to run real money through it.
What I've tried:
Guest posts and PR articles
Instagram ads
Product Hunt, HackerNoon listings
Active in crypto communities on Threads
Paid Telegram channel placements
Nothing created momentum. I can build. I clearly can't sell.
Is this a trust problem? A distribution problem? Or am I just targeting the wrong audience entirely?
Would love brutal honest feedback from people who've had to crack cold user acquisition for fintech or crypto products.
Guest posts and PR articles Instagram ads Product Hunt, HackerNoon listings Active in crypto communities on Threads Paid Telegram channel placements
Nothing created momentum. I can build. I clearly can't sell. Is this a trust problem? A distribution problem? Or am I just targeting the wrong audience entirely? Would love brutal honest feedback from people who've had to crack cold user acquisition for fintech or crypto products.