How to Get Your First Real Clients for a New Dev Agency

Starting a dev agency is exciting, but landing those first few real clients can feel like a daunting challenge. You’ve got the skills, the experience, and the passion—but how do you turn that into paying customers beyond friends and former colleagues? Here’s a breakdown of proven strategies to help you build credibility and attract your first 3-5 clients.

Why Finding Early Clients Matters

For a new dev agency, the first clients are more than just revenue—they’re validation. They help you refine your offerings, build case studies, and establish trust in the market. Without a massive portfolio, you’ll need to rely on smart outreach and strategic positioning.

Effective Strategies to Land Your First Clients

Here are some of the most effective ways to find your first real clients:

Strategy	How It Works	Best For
Cold Outreach	Personalized LinkedIn DMs or emails targeting startup founders with specific pain points.	Direct, high-intent leads.
Niche Forums	Engage in discussions on platforms like IndieHackers or HackerNews where early-stage founders hang out.	Organic, community-driven leads.
Reddit Engagement	Comment on relevant threads in subreddits like r/startups or r/webdev to showcase expertise.	Low-cost, high-visibility leads.
Referrals	Leverage your network (even friends/colleagues) for warm introductions.	Trust-based, low-friction leads.
Freelance Platforms	Use platforms like Upwork or Toptal to land smaller projects that can lead to bigger clients.	Quick wins and portfolio builders.

Building Credibility Without a Large Portfolio

If you don’t have a robust portfolio yet, focus on:

Showcasing small wins. Even side projects or pro bono work can demonstrate your skills.
Creating content. Write blog posts or tutorials that highlight your expertise.
Offering free audits. A quick website or MVP review can showcase your value upfront.

How Beno One Helps

Beno One is an AI-powered platform that automates customer acquisition on Reddit by finding and engaging with relevant discussions. For dev agencies, this means:

Automated discussion discovery. Beno One scans Reddit for threads where startups or small businesses are seeking development help, ensuring you don’t miss opportunities. Intelligent comment generation. The platform crafts context-aware responses that position your agency as a solution, driving organic traffic without manual effort. Account management. Beno One handles posting using its own accounts, so you don’t need to manage multiple profiles or risk getting flagged as spam.

By leveraging Beno One, you can focus on delivering great work while the platform handles lead generation, making it easier to land those crucial first clients.

Key Takeaways

Cold outreach and niche forums are great for direct leads.
Reddit and community engagement can drive organic visibility.
Credibility comes from showcasing small wins and offering value upfront.
Tools like Beno One can automate and scale your outreach efforts.

Ready to streamline your client acquisition? Explore how Beno One can help your dev agency grow. For more tips, check out our guide on how to find clients for your web development business.