292: How to launch a platform when you've got no users [RERUN]

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: Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy - And How to Make Them Work for You (Book) Full transcript:

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292: How to launch a platform when you've got no users [RERUN] is an episode from Tech for Non-Techies by Sophia Matveeva.

This episode is 19:50 long.

This episode was published on Feb 25, 2026.

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