It's going to sound super simple, but initially you really just want to try and have as many conversations as possible with your users.
Firstly though, you need to have an idea (doesn't have to be perfect or 100% right) of who your target segment is. These are the people whose problem you are solving - and therefore initially are going to hold more weight with their feedback.
Once you have identified these users - use a combination of current users and potential users to get feedback from.
Some ideas:
* Email (like you've been trying) - Try and be candid and frank. Put yourself in their shoes - why should they respond? If it's a generic email their probably going to be of the mindset of either 'Someone else will do it' or 'I can't be bothered'. If you make it unique and more personal you're going to have a higher reply rate - but obviously a higher time commitment. I'd also suggest pushing for feedback calls rather then just messages. A call with a target user is worth its weight in gold.
As other users have suggested - offering a giftcard in exchange for a feedback call is also another valuable route if you can afford it.
* LinkedIn: Depending on your business (B2B or B2C) you can follow up with these users and potential new users on LinkedIn. Again this comes back to being somewhat more personal. Explain who you are etc.
* In app messaging: If they are constantly using your app - ask them while they are there in the midst of it. Don't be spammy though (this is approach we take mainly with delighted).
Lastly, once you have gotten your feedback - don't just take it at facevalue. Try and really understand what problem they are trying to solve as the solution might be completely different then the one they were thinking of.
E.g. if you were building an analytics app and someone gave feedback that they want to be able to export the data. If you take that at facevalue you will most likely build a tool that exports their data. However if you dig deeper and try and understand why they want to export the data, you might be able to solve a bigger issue for them AND for more users. E.g. if they come back and say they want to do XYZ with the data beacuse that means they can then gain ABC insight from the data - you might be able to add the ABC insight into the dashboard instead, skipping the need for export and customer work.
If you want more of a hand feel free to reach out! I'd be happy to help you out!
[1]: This is actually a problem we are trying to solve with Delighted so I feel your pain - https://getdelighted.co
Firstly though, you need to have an idea (doesn't have to be perfect or 100% right) of who your target segment is. These are the people whose problem you are solving - and therefore initially are going to hold more weight with their feedback.
Once you have identified these users - use a combination of current users and potential users to get feedback from.
Some ideas:
* Email (like you've been trying) - Try and be candid and frank. Put yourself in their shoes - why should they respond? If it's a generic email their probably going to be of the mindset of either 'Someone else will do it' or 'I can't be bothered'. If you make it unique and more personal you're going to have a higher reply rate - but obviously a higher time commitment. I'd also suggest pushing for feedback calls rather then just messages. A call with a target user is worth its weight in gold.
As other users have suggested - offering a giftcard in exchange for a feedback call is also another valuable route if you can afford it.
* LinkedIn: Depending on your business (B2B or B2C) you can follow up with these users and potential new users on LinkedIn. Again this comes back to being somewhat more personal. Explain who you are etc.
* In app messaging: If they are constantly using your app - ask them while they are there in the midst of it. Don't be spammy though (this is approach we take mainly with delighted).
Lastly, once you have gotten your feedback - don't just take it at facevalue. Try and really understand what problem they are trying to solve as the solution might be completely different then the one they were thinking of.
E.g. if you were building an analytics app and someone gave feedback that they want to be able to export the data. If you take that at facevalue you will most likely build a tool that exports their data. However if you dig deeper and try and understand why they want to export the data, you might be able to solve a bigger issue for them AND for more users. E.g. if they come back and say they want to do XYZ with the data beacuse that means they can then gain ABC insight from the data - you might be able to add the ABC insight into the dashboard instead, skipping the need for export and customer work.
If you want more of a hand feel free to reach out! I'd be happy to help you out!
[1]: This is actually a problem we are trying to solve with Delighted so I feel your pain - https://getdelighted.co