First Customers (GTM)

Should I focus on one channel or spread across many?

A starting point

Focus. Early on, pick one channel that shows real traction and pour your energy into mastering it before diversifying, spreading thin across five channels usually means being mediocre at all of them. Add a second channel only once the first is genuinely working and starting to plateau.

Go deeper

Read

📖 Book
Paid Intermediate

Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth

From Portfolio / Penguin by Gabriel Weinberg & Justin Mares book (~240 pages)

Why we picked it

The definitive playbook on distribution, it catalogs all 19 channels and gives you the Bullseye framework to systematically find the one that works. Essential for anyone thinking channel-first.

  • There are 19 traction channels; most startups win on just one.
  • Bullseye framework: brainstorm all channels, test 3, focus on the winner.
  • The 50% rule: split your time evenly between product and traction.
  • Draws on 40+ founder interviews (Wikipedia, reddit, HubSpot, Kayak).
Open amazon.com →
📄 Article
Freemium Intermediate

How to win your first 10 B2B customers

From Lenny's Newsletter by Lenny Rachitsky ~15 min read

Why we picked it

A tactical follow-on covering the channels and motions top B2B startups scale after the first ten. Grounds distribution strategy in real company examples.

  • Content/SEO is a surprisingly dominant B2B channel (Vanta, Amplitude, Figma, HubSpot).
  • The core B2B channels: self-serve inbound, sales-assist inbound, outbound, content, paid, partnerships.
  • Pick and systematize the one channel that compounds for you.
  • Distribution strategy should follow evidence, not fashion.
Open lennysnewsletter.com →

People also ask

How do I figure out which distribution channel is right for my startup? Run experiments, don't guess. Use the Bullseye framework from 'Traction': brainstorm across all ~19 channels, pick 3 promising ones to cheaply test... Intermediate 2 resources → Why does everyone say 'distribution is more important than product'? Because a great product nobody can find dies quietly, while an average product with a strong channel wins the market. Most founders overspend on bu... Intermediate 2 resources → What are the actual distribution channels I can choose from? There are roughly 19 well-known ones, SEO, content, paid ads, viral/referral, email, sales, business development, PR, community, existing platforms... Beginner 1 resource → How do the fastest-growing B2B companies find and scale their distribution? They start with high-trust channels, personal network and direct outreach, to land their first ten, then scale on a dominant engine, most often con... Advanced 2 resources → As an Indian founder, how do I think about distribution for a global product? The channel is still the strategy, but pick ones that don't require you to be physically in the buyer's market, content/SEO, product-led self-serve... Advanced 3 resources → What's the best channel to launch on, Product Hunt, Reddit, Hacker News, or LinkedIn? Whichever one your customers actually use, don't launch on Product Hunt just because everyone does. Match the channel to your audience: developers ... Intermediate 3 resources →