| name | go-to-market |
| description | Use when the user wants to plan a product launch, define go-to-market strategy, choose distribution channels, sequence their GTM motion, or figure out how to get their first customers. Also use when the user mentions 'GTM,' 'launch strategy,' 'how do I get users,' 'distribution,' 'go-to-market,' 'channel strategy,' 'first customers,' 'launch plan,' or 'how do we grow.' |
Go-to-Market
Builds the launch plan and channel strategy that gets the product in front of the right people before the runway runs out. GTM is not a launch event — it's a repeatable motion from ICP to closed customer.
GTM Foundation: Three Questions Before Any Tactic
- Who is the ICP? Not a demographic — a behavioral profile. "B2B SaaS companies with 10–50 employees whose ops team manually reconciles data across 3+ tools every week."
- What is the trigger? The specific event that makes them look for a solution right now. Not "always in pain" — what changed that made today the day they search?
- Where do they already look? The community, publication, influencer, or search query they trust before they trust you.
No channel decision is valid until these three are answered.
Channel Selection by Stage
| Stage | Best channels | Why |
|---|
| Pre-launch (0 users) | Direct outreach, founder network, waiting list | Speed of feedback, not scale |
| Early traction (1–100 users) | Community (Reddit, Slack groups, Discord), founder-led content | Reputation > reach |
| Growth (100–1000 users) | SEO content, Product Hunt, partnerships, referral | Compound, low CAC |
| Scale (1000+ users) | Paid acquisition, sales team, channel partners | Now you can afford CAC |
Rule: Don't run paid acquisition until you have a conversion rate worth paying to scale. Paid amplifies what's working — it doesn't create what isn't.
ICP-to-Channel Fit Matrix
| ICP type | Highest-ROI channel |
|---|
| Developer | GitHub, Hacker News, dev Twitter/X, technical blog, open source |
| Operator / PMM | LinkedIn, Slack communities, newsletter sponsorships |
| SMB founder | Twitter/X, Facebook Groups, local networks, cold email |
| Enterprise buyer | LinkedIn outbound, analyst relations, partner ecosystem |
| Consumer | TikTok/Instagram, SEO, influencer, paid social |
Pre-Launch Playbook (0 → First 100 Users)
6 weeks out:
3 weeks out:
Launch week:
Post-launch (week 2–4):
Messaging Architecture
One message hierarchy, used consistently across all channels:
Positioning: [Product] is the [category] for [ICP] who [trigger].
Value prop: We help [ICP] [achieve outcome] without [sacrifice].
Proof: [Specific result] for [specific customer type].
CTA: [Specific action] — [friction reducer].
All channels use the same positioning. Different formats — same message.
Founder-Led Sales (Pre-Product-Market Fit)
Before PMF, the founder sells. Not the sales team — they don't exist yet, and even if they did, the founder needs to hear the objections directly.
Founder sales motion:
- 10 cold outreach messages per week — personalized, 3 sentences, one ask
- Every demo = discovery call first (listen 70%, talk 30%)
- Every "no" gets a follow-up question: "What would have made this a yes?"
- Close the feedback loop: what they say in demos updates the website copy
When to hire sales: When the founder can close > 50% of qualified demos, you have a repeatable pitch worth teaching.
Metrics That Matter by Stage
| Stage | Metric to track |
|---|
| Pre-launch | Waitlist conversion rate, ICP interview completion |
| Early traction | Time-to-activation, week-1 retention, NPS from first 20 users |
| Growth | CAC, LTV, CAC payback period, referral rate |
| Scale | Net revenue retention, sales cycle length, win rate |
Rule: Don't track scale metrics at traction stage. CAC is meaningless when n=10.
Common Rationalizations
| Rationalization | Reality |
|---|
| "We'll launch on Product Hunt and get users" | Product Hunt is an amplifier, not a source. Launched with 0 audience = 0 upvotes. |
| "We need to be on every channel" | You have one channel that will work. Find it first, then add the second. |
| "We'll figure out distribution after we build" | Distribution is harder than building. Start the GTM motion at the same time as engineering. |
| "Our product will grow virally" | Virality is a feature you design, not a force that happens. What's the referral mechanic? |
| "Paid ads will get us to PMF" | Paid ads scale a working motion. They don't create PMF. Don't pay to learn. |
Verification
