First Customers (GTM)

Distribution & channel strategy

The channel is the strategy.

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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 → Should I focus on one channel or spread across many? Focus. Early on, pick one channel that shows real traction and pour your energy into mastering it before diversifying, spreading thin across five c... Intermediate 2 resources → Should I build an audience first and then a product, or the other way around? If you can build an audience first, it is one of the biggest unfair advantages a solo founder can have, because launch day is no longer a cold star... Intermediate 3 resources → How do I know if a channel is actually working or I'm just fooling myself? A channel is working when you can spend a rupee (or an hour) on one end and reliably get a paying customer out the other, and you can do it again n... Intermediate 3 resources → Everyone says do cold email but my cold emails get ignored. What am I doing wrong? Ignored cold email is almost always a targeting and relevance problem, not a copy problem. If you are emailing people who do not have the pain you ... Intermediate 3 resources → Should Indian founders selling in India lean on WhatsApp as a distribution channel? For selling into India, WhatsApp is often where your customer actually is, so ignoring it because it feels informal is a mistake many founders make... Intermediate 3 resources → Is SEO still worth it for a new startup, or is it too slow and too late? SEO is slow, compounding, and still very much alive, but it is the wrong first channel if you need customers this quarter. It pays off for founders... Intermediate 3 resources → I'm a technical founder who hates selling. Can I distribute without doing sales? You can lean toward channels that fit an introvert (content, product-led growth, community, SEO) instead of cold calling, and many great technical ... Intermediate 3 resources → Should I launch on Product Hunt, and does it even matter for an Indian startup? Product Hunt can give a real spike of early adopters, feedback, and a few backlinks, but it mostly reaches a Western, product-savvy crowd, so if yo... Intermediate 3 resources →