1. Pick one learner with a deadline
General flashcard apps compete with Anki and Quizlet for free. Pick a group that has an exam date and money at stake: USMLE Step 1 students, nursing students facing the NCLEX, bar exam takers, or people learning Japanese for the JLPT N3. A deadline makes people pay now instead of someday.
2. Find where they already complain
Go to r/medicalschool, r/step1, r/NCLEX, r/LawSchool, r/LearnJapanese and r/Anki. Search Reddit for "anki too complicated" or "quizlet paywall" and sort by new. Read 30 posts and copy the exact phrases people use about their frustration. These phrases become your pitch.
3. Write a one-line promise
Turn the most common complaint into a specific outcome. Example: "Upload your lecture PDFs, get Step 1 style cards in 2 minutes, no Anki setup." If you cannot say what your app does in one line for one group, you are not ready to ask for money yet.
4. Set a founding price
Offer a founding member deal: $29 for 12 months, or $49 lifetime, versus a planned $8 per month later. Students compare you to Quizlet Plus and Anki's paid iOS app, so stay in that range. Take payment with a Stripe Payment Link or Gumroad. Both take ten minutes to set up and need no website.
5. Send direct messages, not posts
Reply helpfully to posts, then DM the people who described the pain best. Example: "Saw your post about spending hours building Anki decks for Step 1. I'm building an app that turns your lecture slides into cards automatically. It's not finished, but founding members get 12 months for $29 and I build the features they ask for. Want the link?" Send 20 of these a day.
6. Ask for the money on a call
If someone replies, offer a 15 minute call. Show a rough demo, even a Figma mockup or a deck you made by hand from their own notes. Then ask directly: "Founding spots are $29 for a year. Want me to send the payment link now?" Stop talking and wait for the answer.
7. Deliver something this week
Every payer should get value before the app ships. Make their first deck by hand from their materials and send it as an Anki file or a Google Sheet within 48 hours. Hand-made decks prove the promise, keep refunds low, and show you what to automate first.
8. Repeat daily and track replies
Keep a simple sheet: name, channel, message sent, reply, call, paid. Change one line of your message per week based on who replies. Hulby, an AI cofounder, does this daily for founders by finding these posts and drafting the messages.
Mistakes to skip
- Selling to all learners instead of one exam group with a deadline.
- Offering a free beta, which attracts people who will never pay.
- Posting promo threads that get removed instead of sending personal DMs.
- Waiting for spaced repetition and sync to be perfect before asking for money.
Want this done for your flashcard app, every day?
Hulby finds the people asking for what you built, writes every reply and email, and keeps you on it until they pay. Free to start.
Find my first customersQuestions
Will people really pay for an app that isn't finished?
Some will, if the price is low, the deadline is real and you deliver hand-made decks right away. You only need one person to start.
How much should I charge first?
Try $29 for a year or $49 lifetime as a founding price. Raise it once ten people have paid.
What if someone asks for a refund?
Refund immediately and ask what was missing. A clear refund promise also makes the first payment easier to say yes to.
Is self-promotion allowed on Reddit?
Most subreddits ban it in posts. Answer questions helpfully and move to DMs only with people who describe the exact problem you solve.