I Built a SaaS People Actually Needed—Marketing It With $0 Has Been Brutal

Building the Product Was the Easy Part

I’ve built multiple tools.

Ideas were never the problem.
Execution wasn’t either.

The real killer was always the same thing:

After launch, nothing happened.
No users.
No traction.
No feedback.

Just silence—and the temptation to jump to the next idea.

The Cycle I Kept Repeating

It usually went like this:

1. Get a strong SaaS idea
2. Build it with excitement
3. Launch it publicly
4. Refresh analytics obsessively
5. See low traffic
6. Abandon the idea

What I actually lacked was distribution.

Why This Time Was Different

TruthScore wasn’t built because I wanted a startup.

It was built because I lost $800 to a YouTube “make money” video that looked completely legitimate.

The likes were high.
The comments were positive.
The creator sounded confident.

It still wasted my money and time.

That’s when I realized:

YouTube optimizes for engagement — not truth.

So before building anything, I validated one question:
Do people want a way to check videos before trusting them?

The answer was an obvious yes.

I Launched — and Reality Hit Again

I launched TruthScore in early December 2025.

I did many things “right”:

• Built a working MVP
• Posted YouTube demos (one reached ~560 views)
• Created an X account
• Won Gold on SoloLaunches

And yet…

Traffic was still inconsistent.
Growth was slower than expected.

That’s when the real lesson kicked in.

A Good Tool Without an Audience Still Fails

This is the part nobody talks about.

You can:

• Validate an idea
• Build something useful
• Get positive feedback

And still struggle—because attention is scarce.

Marketing isn’t a step.
It’s a separate skill.

What Started Working (With $0)

Here’s what finally moved the needle — slowly, but honestly:

1. Writing problem-first content

Instead of saying “Here’s my tool”, I wrote:

• How people get scammed
• What platforms hide
• How to verify claims

One article alone brought:

• 34 views
• 3 real conversions
• Traffic from Google + DuckDuckGo

Not viral—but real.

2. Posting where the pain already exists
I stopped promoting randomly.

I started:

• Commenting thoughtfully under YouTube videos
• Asking real questions
• Adding value before mentioning anything

This built trust—not backlash.

3. Letting SEO do the slow work
I stopped chasing spikes and focused on:

• Clear headlines
• Specific problems
• Long-term discoverability

SEO doesn’t feel exciting—until it compounds.

What I’m Still Learning

• Marketing is harder than building
• Attention beats features
• Consistency beats cleverness
• Quiet progress is still progress

Low analytics don’t mean failure.
They mean you’re early.

Why I’m Not Quitting This Time

I’ve abandoned good ideas before.

This one solves a real problem—and people are already using it.

So I’m committing to:

• Writing more helpful content
• Marketing honestly
• Staying boring and consistent

If you’re building something useful and struggling with traction:
You’re not alone—you’re just in the hard part.

Question for other builders:

What finally helped you get your first real users without spending money?