Built a non-custodial USDT escrow service on TRON using 2-of-3 multisig wallets, operated via Telegram bot. Think escrow.com but trustless, no middleman holding funds, low fees.
The problem it solves is real — crypto scams are everywhere and people lose money on basic peer-to-peer deals constantly. I got scammed myself, that's why I built this.
2 months in: ~90 registered users, almost zero transaction volume. Friends love it and actually use it. But strangers don't trust it enough to run real money through it.
What I've tried:
Guest posts and PR articles
Instagram ads
Product Hunt, HackerNoon listings
Active in crypto communities on Threads
Paid Telegram channel placements
Nothing created momentum. I can build. I clearly can't sell.
Is this a trust problem? A distribution problem? Or am I just targeting the wrong audience entirely?
Would love brutal honest feedback from people who've had to crack cold user acquisition for fintech or crypto products.
PaulHoule•1h ago
replooda•1h ago
PaulHoule•25m ago
There might be a legitimate use of crypto somewhere but there is a lot of crime and enabling of crime. In a job market where people are looking at huge stacks of resumes they will apply System 1 heuristics to eliminate people who might have bad ethics.
(Note I am probably more positive about crypto than 85% of Hacker News users!)