How to Get Your First 100 Users (for a Chrome Extension)

Published 2025-10-18

If you’re building a browser extension, landing your first 100 users is not about virality or ads — it’s about finding your people, getting honest feedback, and iterating fast.
I’ve built and followed dozens of Indie Hackers who did this for their extensions. Here’s what actually works.

1. Why the First 100 Users Matter

At around 100 installs, patterns start to form:

Who installs it (students, marketers, devs)?
What features they actually use.
What breaks their flow.
What convinces them to stay or uninstall.

Those first 100 users give you real-world telemetry that analytics alone can’t. They’re the raw feedback that turns a half-baked idea into a product people talk about.

On Indie Hackers, Anuj Jindal wrote “I got my first 150 users on my Chrome extension”.
He explains how he posted a simple demo to a few subreddits, replied to every comment, and watched the first 10 → 50 → 150 installs come in. His takeaway:

“Most people stop after the launch post. But 80% of installs came from my follow-up comments — not the announcement itself.”

2. The Extension Traction Triangle — Offer → Channel → Proof

Offer: Make a Focused Promise

A Chrome extension isn’t a “mini-app.” It’s a workflow enhancer. Your offer should be crystal clear:

“We help LinkedIn recruiters copy candidate emails in one click.”
“We block distracting sites — but only during meetings.”

The narrower the offer, the faster you’ll get traction.

Channel: Where Your First Users Hang Out

Forget big ads. The most successful founders found their first users in niche conversations:

Subreddits (r/ChromeExtensions, r/Productivity, r/SEO)
Indie Hackers build-in-public threads
Product Hunt early-access posts
Communities tied to the workflow you improve (e.g., Notion, Figma, Shopify)

In “Got My First 100 Users in 25 Days 🚀”, the maker broke down channel performance:

“Reddit: 60 users, Twitter: 25, Indie Hackers: 10, Discord: 5.”

Lesson: go deep on one or two channels that match your user’s daily routine.

Proof: Show Real Usage

Extensions live or die by trust. People install only when they believe it’s safe and useful.
Ways to prove that early:

Add screenshots or a 15-sec GIF in your Chrome Web Store listing.
Post micro-updates: “v0.2 adds X, thanks @user123 for reporting Y.”
Ask your first 10 users to leave honest reviews.

Each review compounds discoverability.

3. Lessons from Real Chrome Extension Founders

🧩 Case A — 150 Users by Talking to Every Commenter

Anuj Jindal built a simple productivity extension and grew from 0 → 150 installs by hand-replying to Reddit and Indie Hackers comments.
Lesson: Follow-up engagement drives more installs than the launch post.

⚙️ Case B — 2 Years to $36 MRR

Maker Tetrev shared brutal honesty:

“I built too long before sharing. When I finally posted, only 3 people cared. The rest came after I started writing small dev logs weekly.”
Lesson: Visibility > perfection. Ship, share, fix, repeat.

💬 Case C — Lessons from Building My First Extension

CorpoCoder wrote a post-mortem that’s gold:

“I didn’t realize how much the Chrome Web Store itself can drive traffic once you hit 100 installs and 3+ reviews.”
Lesson: Early reviews multiply organic reach. Treat them like SEO keywords.

4. Step-by-Step Framework to Reach 100 Users

Week	Focus	Action
Week 1	Clarify Offer	Write one line: Who + What + Outcome. Validate with 3 people in your niche.
Week 2	Build MVP	Only one use-case. No settings, no dashboards.
Week 3	Pre-Launch	Collect 10–20 emails via a simple “notify me” page. Post your concept on Indie Hackers.
Week 4	Publish	Upload to Chrome Web Store. Optimize icon + screenshots. Ask friends for 3 reviews.
Week 5	Outreach	Share progress threads, DM early users, fix bugs fast.
Week 6	Feedback Loop	Release v0.2, thank users publicly, share data: installs + DAU.
Week 7	Momentum	Re-share updates in your community and show proof of use.

Repeat this cycle until you hit 100 installs and consistent DAU.

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Building in silence. The web store is not your growth channel until you earn reviews.
Too-wide promise. “Boost productivity” means nothing; “copy Gmail attachments to Notion” does.
No onboarding. Even a 15-sec tooltip tour helps retention.
Ignoring reviews. Bad reviews kill conversion faster than bugs.
Skipping screenshots. People don’t read text; they click on visuals.

6. Chrome Web Store Optimization Tips (Trust Layer)

Title: Include both keyword + benefit. (“YouTube Summary AI – Instant Video Notes”)
Short Desc: Start with the outcome (“Summarize any video in one click”).
Screenshots: 3 minimum; one should show it in action.
Category: Pick the most relevant one — it affects discovery ranking.
Version Updates: Even “minor fixes” updates tell users you’re alive.

CorpoCoder notes:

“I jumped from 20 to 90 installs in 2 weeks right after adding better screenshots.”

7. Quick Traction Checklist

✅ One-liner offer focused on a niche problem
✅ Pre-launch page + first 20 emails
✅ Chrome Web Store listing with icon + 3 screenshots
✅ Ask 3–5 friends for initial installs & reviews
✅ Reply to every comment, bug, or tweet
✅ Post weekly progress logs
✅ Track installs + DAU + retention in Chrome Dev Dashboard

🪞Reflection

The first 100 users of your extension aren’t just numbers — they’re your co-builders.
They tell you what to keep, what to kill, and what actually delivers value.
Anuj Jindal reached 150 installs by simply showing up every day in the same threads.
You can, too.

💪 CTA

Join Indie10k — the growth gym for indie founders and extension builders.
Do one rep a day, measure traction, and share progress with makers who are also pushing toward their first 100 users.

🧭 Start your free 7-rep trial → indie10k.com
Because momentum isn’t found — it’s built, one rep at a time.