For three weeks after launching my startup, the user dashboard was completely dead.
I had 3 users. One was me, one was a friend, and one was a test account.
If you're an indie developer, you know this exact feeling. You spend weeks coding, hit publish, and... total silence. You start wondering if you wasted your time.
Fast forward to today: PromptDev just crossed 35+ registered users, 300+ guest visitors, and hit the #2 spot on Google Search globally for our primary keyword.
Google Search Console showed a vertical 90-degree spike in traffic, and our live dashboard is finally filled with real developers using the tool.
Here is the exact step-by-step breakdown of how we did it.
1. Stop Building, Start Direct Outreach
The #1 mistake developer founders make is "Build and Pray." They launch on Twitter, get 2 likes, and immediately go back to coding, hoping traffic will appear out of nowhere.
It won't. You have to go get your first 50 users manually.
I started reaching out directly to software engineers on LinkedIn. But instead of dropping links, I asked for feedback:
"Hey [Name]! I'm a 15-year-old founder and I just built PromptDev—an AI prompt generator for VS Code & Chrome. Since you're in tech, I'd love your honest feedback. Can I send the link?"
Why this worked:
- No link in the first message = zero spam flags.
- Asking for feedback instead of asking for a sign-up makes developers want to help.
- Out of 50 DMs, 11+ developers replied asking for the link, giving us our first active user base.
2. The Daily Execution Loop
Growth is a compound game. I committed to a strict daily routine:
- 1 Feature Demo Video: 10-second screen recordings showing quick shortcuts (like using Ctrl+Q inside ChatGPT).
- 2 In-Depth Blogs: Publishing real developer insights on Medium & Dev.to.
- 1 LinkedIn Post: Discussing developer productivity and AI coding trends.
- 15-20 Personal DMs: Building direct relationships with early adopters.
3. Positioning for a Specific Audience
When I first launched PromptDev, it was a generic prompt tool. Nobody cared.
The turning point happened when I stripped away everything non-technical and positioned it 100% for developers and vibe coders:
- Chrome Extension: Injects a single button (and Ctrl+Q shortcut) into ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to turn rough thoughts into structured code prompts instantly.
- VS Code Extension: Allows developers to generate prompts without leaving their IDE.
- Web App: A playground to build and store prompt libraries.
When developers saw it was built specifically for their workflow, conversion rates skyrocketed.
4. The SEO Spike
Because of consistent content, backlinks, and direct traffic, Google indexed promptdev.site rapidly.
Our Click-Through Rate (CTR) hit 30.8%, and Google's AI Overview began referencing PromptDev as an authoritative browser tool for prompt generation. We landed at #2 on Google Search for our core keyword.
Conclusion
If your project is stuck at 0 users right now, don't give up on the code. Change your distribution strategy.
Get out of your IDE, talk to developers, post consistently, and solve a real micro-friction in their daily workflow.
Try PromptDev for free: PromptDev Chrome Extension | Website
Written by Abdullah — 15-year-old Founder of PromptDev & LogicShiftLabs. Building AI developer tools to help coders write better prompts and ship faster.
Top comments (1)
Hey Dev.to! Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Are you guys experiencing the same thing with AI prompts?