How We Scaled AgentHunter.io to $5K MRR in 30 Days

Launching an AI product is one thing. Scaling it to sustainable MRR is another. Here's the exact playbook we used to grow AgentHunter.io from $0 to $5K MRR in just 30 days.

The Product: AI Agent Discovery Platform

AgentHunter.io helps developers find and integrate the right AI agents for their applications. Think "NPM for AI agents" with built-in testing and comparison tools.

Initial Metrics (Day 1)

• 0 users
• $0 MRR
• No organic traffic
• No brand recognition

Results (Day 30)

• 2,847 registered users
• $5,120 MRR
• 45,000 monthly visits
• 3.2% conversion rate

Week 1: Foundation & First Users

Day 1-3: Launch Strategy

We didn't just "launch" – we orchestrated a multi-channel release:

Product Hunt Launch:

• Prepared 3 weeks in advance
• Built email list of 500 hunters
• Created custom graphics and GIFs
• Result: #2 Product of the Day

Hacker News Strategy:

• Posted at 8 AM EST (peak time)
• Title: "Show HN: We indexed 10,000 AI agents so you don't have to"
• Result: Front page for 6 hours, 12,000 visits

Reddit Outreach:

• Posted in 8 relevant subreddits
• Provided value first, product second
• Result: 3,000 targeted visits

Day 4-7: Early User Onboarding

// Our onboarding flow that converted at 12%
const onboardingSteps = [
  'instant_value',     // Show agent search immediately
  'quick_win',         // Find first agent in <10 seconds
  'social_proof',      // Display success stories
  'gentle_upgrade'     // Soft paywall after 3 searches
];

Key Learning: Don't ask for signup until users see value. We let users search 3 times before requiring registration.

Week 2: Growth Hacking & Virality

The Viral Loop That Worked

1. User searches for AI agents
2. Creates a "stack" of their favorite agents
3. Shares stack publicly (with AgentHunter branding)
4. Stack viewers become new users

Implementation:

// Shareable stack URLs
app.get('/stack/:username', (req, res) => {
  // Public stack page with SEO optimization
  // Includes "Create your own stack" CTA
  // Tracks referral source for attribution
});

Content Marketing Engine

We published 15 pieces of content in week 2:

• "Best AI Agents for [Use Case]" (10 articles)
• "AI Agent Comparison: X vs Y" (3 articles)
• "How to Build with [Popular Agent]" (2 tutorials)

Results:

• 15,000 organic visits
• 847 email signups
• 124 paid conversions

SEO Optimization

// Programmatic SEO pages that ranked
const generateAgentPage = (agent) => ({
  title: `${agent.name} - Reviews, Pricing, Alternatives | AgentHunter`,
  description: `Everything about ${agent.name}. Compare with ${agent.alternatives.length} alternatives.`,
  schema: generateAgentSchema(agent),
  content: generateAgentContent(agent)
});

We created 10,000 agent profile pages programmatically. Within 2 weeks, we ranked for 500+ long-tail keywords.

Week 3: Pricing Optimization

Initial Pricing (Failed)

• Free: 5 searches/day
• Pro: $49/month unlimited
• Result: 0.3% conversion

Optimized Pricing (Worked)

• Free: 10 searches/month
• Starter: $19/month - 100 searches
• Pro: $49/month - Unlimited + API
• Team: $149/month - 5 seats

Key Changes:

1. Reduced free tier (created urgency)
2. Added lower entry point ($19)
3. Positioned $49 as "most popular"
4. Added team pricing for enterprises

Results: Conversion rate jumped from 0.3% to 3.2%

Week 4: Conversion & Retention

Email Marketing Campaign

Drip Campaign Performance:
  Welcome Series:
    - Email 1: How to find your first agent (42% open)
    - Email 2: Case study: $50K saved with AI agents (38% open)
    - Email 3: Limited offer - 30% off first month (12% conversion)
  
  Engagement Series:
    - Weekly agent recommendations (35% open)
    - New features announcement (31% open)
    - Success stories (28% open)

Conversion Optimization Wins

1. Exit Intent Popup: "Wait! Get 50% off your first month" → 2.1% conversion
2. Urgency Banner: "Only 3 free searches left this month" → 4.2% conversion
3. Social Proof: "2,847 developers finding agents" → 1.8% lift
4. Trust Badges: "SOC2 Compliant, 256-bit encryption" → 1.2% lift

Churn Prevention

// Churn prediction and prevention
const churnRiskScore = (user) => {
  const factors = {
    lastLogin: daysSince(user.lastLogin) * 0.3,
    searchesThisWeek: (5 - user.searches) * 0.2,
    savedAgents: (10 - user.saved) * 0.2,
    teamSize: user.team === 1 ? 0.3 : 0
  };
  return Object.values(factors).reduce((a, b) => a + b, 0);
};

// If high risk, trigger retention campaign
if (churnRiskScore(user) > 0.7) {
  sendRetentionOffer(user);
}

Results: Reduced churn from 8% to 3% monthly

The Growth Stack

Tools We Used

• Analytics: PostHog (free tier)
• Email: Resend ($20/month)
• Payments: Stripe
• Monitoring: Sentry (free tier)
• SEO: Ahrefs ($99/month)
• Support: Crisp (free tier)

Total Marketing Spend

• Product Hunt: $0
• Reddit Ads: $500
• Google Ads: $1,000
• Content Writing: $500
• Total: $2,000

ROI: $5,120 MRR ÷ $2,000 = 256% first month

Key Metrics & Learnings

Conversion Funnel

Visitor → User: 18.2%
User → Trial: 8.1%
Trial → Paid: 41.2%
Overall: 3.2%

Traffic Sources

• Organic Search: 38%
• Direct: 24%
• Product Hunt: 18%
• Social: 12%
• Referral: 8%

Top Converting Features

1. Agent comparison tool (12% conversion)
2. Stack sharing (8% conversion)
3. API access (6% conversion)
4. Team collaboration (4% conversion)

Mistakes We Made

1. Delayed Mobile Optimization

Lost 30% of traffic due to poor mobile experience. Fixed in week 3.

2. Ignored Email Marketing Initially

Could have added $1K MRR if we started email campaigns from day 1.

3. Free Tier Too Generous

Original 5 searches/day was too much. Reducing to 10/month increased conversions 10x.

4. No Referral Program

Missed opportunity for viral growth. Adding in month 2.

The Playbook You Can Copy

Week 1: Launch & Learn

• Prepare Product Hunt launch 3 weeks early
• Build email list of 500+ potential users
• Create 10 pieces of launch content
• Set up basic analytics
• Launch on 3+ platforms same day

Week 2: Growth & Scale

• Implement viral sharing mechanism
• Publish 15 SEO-optimized articles
• Create programmatic SEO pages
• Start paid ads with $500 budget
• A/B test pricing

Week 3: Optimize & Convert

• Reduce free tier
• Add urgency elements
• Implement exit intent
• Start email drip campaigns
• Add social proof everywhere

Week 4: Retain & Expand

• Build churn prediction
• Launch retention campaigns
• Add team plans
• Implement referral program
• Optimize conversion funnel

Your Turn: The 30-Day Challenge

Want to replicate our success? Here's your homework:

1. Days 1-7: Launch on 3 platforms, get 100 users
2. Days 8-14: Publish 10 articles, implement viral loop
3. Days 15-21: Optimize pricing, start email marketing
4. Days 22-30: Focus on retention, scale what works

The difference between $0 and $5K MRR isn't talent or luck – it's execution.

Ready to scale your AI product? Let's build your growth engine together.

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About the Author: James is the founder of Orris AI. We've scaled 20+ AI products to profitable MRR. Schedule a free growth consultation.