A startup marketing plan fits on one page and answers six things: who you sell to, their problem in their words and why you beat the alternative, the one or two channels you will test, the budget and time for each, the number that means a channel works, and what you will do every week. Write the positioning first, because every channel depends on it. List the channels where your buyers already spend attention, such as search, LinkedIn, Instagram, communities, events or partners, and test a few cheaply before committing, as Traction lays out. Give each channel one goal tied to revenue, such as demo calls booked or paid orders, and review it every month. HubSpot's free template gives the structure if you want one. Rule: one channel that works beats six half-tried, so cut what does not move after a fair test.
Part of Marketing on eChai Explore.
7 resources, 7 link-checked.
A step-by-step marketing plan guide with a free downloadable template covering goals, audience, channels, budget and measurement.
From blog.hubspot.com by HubSpot Guide and template
A free, author-written summary of the positioning framework for founders who want the core idea before buying the book, perfect for the 'how do I position against a giant?' question.
From aprildunford.com by April Dunford ~8 min read
When you have no budget, the worst move is to pour your limited time into a channel that was never going to work for your product. Traction gives you all nineteen ways a startup can reach customers and a simple way (the Bullseye framework) to bet on two or three worth testing first. Treat it as a menu and a method, not a verdict: your free channels will come from this list, you just have to find the ones that fit you.
From Portfolio (Penguin Random House) by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares
A blunt, practical guide from Demand Curve's founder on which paid and organic channels fit which business, and why most startups can't profitably buy ads early on.
From julian.com by Julian Shapiro Long-form guide
Most founders pick an ad budget by copying a percentage they read somewhere, which is exactly backwards. Rollins gives you a concrete number to test a channel conclusively (roughly 1,000 to 3,000 dollars) and, more usefully, ties it to your own math: your max acceptable cost per customer is lifetime value minus cost of goods minus the margin you need. It is a clean starting point for sizing a test instead of guessing.
From Practical Marketing by Brandon Rollins
You asked how to say what you actually do instead of a vague inspirational line, and this piece is built around exactly that contrast: it shows clear headlines next to the generic, jargon-heavy ones founders default to. The real-company examples (short, specific, outcome-first) give you patterns you can adapt rather than abstract advice. Use the 5-second test it recommends: if a stranger cannot repeat back what you do, rewrite.
From HubSpot Marketing Blog by HubSpot About a 12 minute read
Most first 100 users advice is vague. This piece is the opposite: it groups the real cold start tactics into seven concrete plays and names the exact company behind each one, from Tinder pitching sororities in person to Dropbox seeding online communities. Read it as a menu to pick from, not a checklist to run top to bottom, since almost every founder here won just one channel that fit them.
From Lenny's Newsletter by Lenny Rachitsky About a 15 minute read
The same ground, over in Launch & get your first customers, our D2C track.
How founders actually use AI for this, over in Sales Prospecting.
The same ground, over in Build pipeline, our GTM track.
