Tech for Non-Techies 292: How to launch a platform when you've got no users [RERUN]
Feb 25, 2026
19:50
How do you start a marketplace when you have no customers? Or a dating app with no users?
This is the classic chicken-and-egg problem every platform faces: you need both sides to attract either side.
In this episode, I break down six proven methods successful platforms used to solve this problem, including:
- How Amazon converted from a pipeline business to a platform
- Airbnb's controversial (but effective) Craigslist strategy
- Why dating apps create fake profiles in the early days
- How Facebook started with just 500 Harvard students
- The $100M offer Joe Rogan received to switch platforms
You'll learn exactly how to get your first users when you're starting from zero.
This episode is part of a series on platform businesses. Listen to the full series:
- Episode 90: What makes platform businesses so successful
- Episode 92: How to get people to be nice to each other on your platform
- Episode 93: Lessons from the Netflix C Suite
- Episode 94: Learning effects: why getting more users isn't the only key to success
Resources mentioned:
- Full transcript: https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/292-how-to-launch-a-platform-when-you-ve-got-no-users-rerun