How to get the first ads on a new classifieds website
An empty classifieds site gets no visitors, and without visitors nobody posts. This 30-day plan fills one small corner first, then helps it grow.
In this guide
- Start with one town or one niche, not a whole country
- Post real first ads yourself, and ask owners before you add theirs
- Keep posting free, and let people write the ad before they sign up
- Find users where they already are, from local groups to shops
- Ask every new user for a second ad, and count the results each week
A new classified ads website starts with no ads and no users. This guide shows how to get users for a classifieds website that is still empty, one week at a time.
The cold start problem, or why a new site stays empty
A visitor who finds three ads rarely comes back. A user whose ad gets no reply rarely posts again. Founders call this the cold start, or the chicken and egg problem.
Most marketplaces get their first users by hand. Craigslist began as a list for one city, San Francisco, and grew from there.
Start with one town or one niche
A hundred ads in one town feel busy, and the same hundred spread across a country feel empty. Good first corners look like these.
- Kids' clothes and toys in one city
- Rooms and flats for rent near one university
- Used bikes and scooters in one region
- Cleaners, movers and handymen in one district
Listivo can use your own list of towns and districts instead of an address box, with no Google Maps key. With Google Maps, visitors can also search within a distance of any place. That key needs a Google billing account, which comes with a free monthly credit.
How to get users for a classifieds website, week by week
Here is the whole month on one list. The steps that need more words follow below it.
The 30-day plan
18 tasks
Tick each step as you finish it.
Week 1 · Pick your corner
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Add more when users ask for them.
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It needs no Google key, but visitors cannot search by distance from an address.
Location Field based on predefined list (taxonomy) instead of Google Maps -
Paid featured days can run next to it, because nobody has to buy them.
Free Package, Free Registration, Free Subscription and WooCommerce Coupons -
One button in the Listivo Panel does it.
Week 2 · Fill the site
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Use the message below, and post only what people say yes to.
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New ads wait for your approval.
Moderation: How it Works and How to Enable or Disable It
Week 3 · Bring people in
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Write a short line for each group.
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Week 4 · Keep them posting
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Listivo can email users when an ad will expire soon. Each email goes out on the next visit to your site.
Notifications: setup, management and Twilio integration -
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Make the first ad easy to post
Every extra step loses people. Keep posting free at first, and ask only for the details a category needs.
Listivo lets a visitor write the whole ad first and sign up at the end, and this is on by default. The guide Boosting User Engagement with the 'Add Ad Before Logging In' Option explains why it helps. People can also sign up with a Facebook or Google account.
For free posting, turn on an always-free package or a free pack of ads for new users. Each category also gets its own form, so a car asks for make and model and a flat asks for rooms.
Do week one on a real Listivo website
Your site is ready in a minute, with the demo you pick and the full WordPress admin for your towns and categories.
Try Listivo free Free for 7 days. No card needed.Seed the first ads, with permission
Nobody wants to be the first to post, so be the first yourself. Post real things you want to sell, rent or give away. Then ask friends, family and colleagues for theirs.
Next, look at where your town already advertises, from shop windows to local groups. Write to the people behind those ads and ask whether their ad may go on your site for free.
An ad the owner posts is best, because visitors then reach the owner directly. If you post it for them, pass on every message the same day. For the rules that keep fake ads out, read how to stop spam and fake ads on a classifieds website.
Copy this message to ask for an ad
Send it by message or email to a shop or a person who already advertises.
Replace the words in brackets. Post only the ads people say yes to, and send them the link.
Promote a classifieds website where people already are
The cheapest way to promote a classifieds website is to go where your future users already spend time. In the first month, that means a few places close to home.
- Local buy-and-sell groups on social networks
- Neighborhood chats and community pages
- Notice boards in shops, schools and gyms
- Shops that already put ads in their window
Ask each group's admin before you post, because many groups delete links to other sites. Then share one good ad at a time, with its photo and a line in your own words. A post that sounds like a neighbor wrote it does better than a bare link.
Shops are worth a visit in person, because they post often and bring their own customers. For a longer pitch to local businesses, read how to get businesses to list on your directory.
Ask every new user for a second ad
The first ad shows that someone tried your site, and the second shows that it worked for them. So write to every new user within a day. Thank them, ask whether anyone replied to their ad and ask what else they could post.
In Listivo, every user gets a panel for their ads and a public page that lists them all. They can share that page like a small shop window.
Measure three numbers every week
Pick one day a week and write down three numbers. They tell you whether to keep going or to change one thing.
- New ads this week show whether people find and finish the posting form. If this number stays low, post in more groups and try the form on a phone.
- Users who posted twice show whether the site works for the people who post. If this number stays low, ask users who posted once why they stopped.
- Ads that got a reply show whether visitors come and trust the ads. If this number stays low, share the best ads and ask for clearer photos and prices.
You need no extra tool for the first number. The Moderation tab sorts ads by newest and shows the day each one was added, so counting this week's new ads takes a minute.
For the other two numbers, a short note per user is enough. Change one thing at a time, so you know what worked.
What to leave for month two
Charging for posting comes after the site is busy. Featured days and a move to the top can run from day one, because users who do not want them pay nothing. How to make money with a classified ads website compares the ways to charge.
Google comes later too. A category page with three ads has little to show, so SEO for a classifieds website is worth the time once your categories fill up.
Rather spend the month on users?
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