Welcome to Part 5 of our SaaS-from-scratch series.

So far, we’ve:

• Found a real problem worth solving (Part 1)
• Mapped out the product and user flow (Part 2)
• Designed a pricing model tied to real value (Part 3)
• Chosen our first target market: WordPress agencies (Part 4)

Now comes the moment of truth:

“How would we actually launch this product?”

Not with a huge budget.
Not with flashy ads.
But with a sharp, simple go-to-market plan that gets real users, fast.

Step 1 – We’d Launch Before We Build

This might sound backwards, but we mean it:

Launch before you build.
Don’t hide in code for six months.
Build the landing page first.
Start conversations first.
Get commitments first.

If no one wants it when it’s free to sign up, they won’t pay for it later.

Step 2 – We’d Use a Dead-Simple Pre-Launch Site

We’d build a clean landing page with:

• Problem statement: “WordPress media bloat is killing your hosting.”
• Solution: “Scan your site. Clean it. Store safely. Restore anytime.”
• Visual mockup (from Balsamiq, even rough)
• Call to action: “Join the beta – first scan is free.”
• Optional: Pricing preview + waitlist form

Tools? Use Carrd, Framer, or just WordPress itself. No excuses.

This page does 3 things:

1. Tests if anyone cares
2. Captures leads
3. Gives us signal before investing months into dev

Step 3 – Where We’d Find Our First 25 Beta Users

Forget ads.
Here’s where we’d go:

1. WordPress & agency Facebook groups
Look for conversations about backups, media management, slow sites, and hosting costs.

2. Indie dev & SaaS forums
Post a transparent build thread on Indie Hackers or Reddit (/r/SaaS, /r/WordPress).

3. Hosting communities
Managed WordPress hosting platforms often have active user groups and Discord servers.

4. WordCamps / Meetups (online or local)
Show your idea. Ask for feedback. Invite early testers.

5. Personal network
Chances are, you know someone running or building WP sites. Start there.

The goal isn’t to “scale.”
The goal is to find 25 people who feel the problem, and want a better way.

Step 4 – What We’d Offer Those First Users

This is where you don’t act like a startup.
You act like a partner.

We’d say:

“Hey, we’re building a tool to clean and manage WordPress media storage without plugins.
Want to try the first scan for free? You’ll get a full report + 30 days free storage. In return, we’d love your honest feedback.”

No pitch. No pressure.
Just real value + a clear ask.

And when they say “yes,” we don’t give them a login.
We personally onboard them.

Step 5 – What We’d Do With Their Feedback

Early beta feedback isn’t about feature requests.
It’s about signal:

• Is the problem real?
• Is the cleanup process clear and safe?
• Would they pay for the storage or not? Why?
• Where did they hesitate or drop off?

This tells us if the messaging, UX, and pricing are aligned.

And if someone says,

“I want to use this for all my client sites…”
Congratulations. You’ve found product-market fit.

Step 6 – Turn Feedback into Momentum

With just 5–10 active testers, we can:

• Build testimonials
• Create before/after screenshots
• Quote real storage saved
• Write up mini case studies
• Refine the onboarding flow

Now we’re no longer selling an idea.
We’re selling something that’s already working — and we can prove it.

That’s what makes the next 100 customers easier to win.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need ads.
You don’t need a product.
You need proof.

Real users, real results, real conversations — that’s how lean SaaS gets off the ground.

In Part 6, we’ll go a little deeper under the hood and explain how we’d build this technically — using the WordPress REST API, object storage (like S3), and a no-plugin architecture that keeps things fast and secure.

Thanks for following along — this is the fun part now.