julian.com · Starting Up

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Why we picked it Julian Shapiro's deeply practical framework for landing pages, including the desire-minus-friction conversion model, a canonical growth resource.

How to build a landing page (Startup Handbook)

From julian.com by Julian Shapiro 25 min read

Purchase rate = desire minus (labour plus confusion)
The hero header must be fully descriptive; visitors have short consideration spans
Show the product in action and test copy on both outsiders and insiders

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Answers What should actually go on my startup's landing page? Why isn't my landing page converting visitors into signups? What are the rules of good marketing copy? How do I write a headline / value proposition that grabs attention?

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Free Intermediate

Why we picked it Julian Shapiro's growth handbook frames brand and messaging as downstream of who you're for and what you replace, practical foundations, not brand theory.

Positioning (Startup Handbook: brand and marketing foundations)

From julian.com by Julian Shapiro 20 min read

Brand is a consistent promise and feeling, not a logo
Mine customer language from calls, reviews and communities
Nail who you're for before investing in visual polish

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Answers What does 'branding' actually mean for an early-stage startup? How do I position my startup so people instantly 'get' it? Do I need to hire a designer for a logo, or can I DIY it? How did Indian brands like Zerodha build trust without huge ad budgets? How do I create a consistent visual identity (colours, fonts) without a designer? When is it worth investing real money in branding? How do I find the exact words my customers use to describe their problem? What growth metrics should I actually track as an early-stage startup? How should I set up a simple growth model or dashboard? My first launch went okay but the second felt embarrassing, like 'why are they back again already?' Is relaunch fatigue real?

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✓ Link checked Free Beginner

Why we picked it 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.

Startup Handbook: Customer Acquisition Channels

From julian.com by Julian Shapiro Long-form guide

Most companies cannot profitably acquire on Meta/Google without high margins or strong referrals.
Match the channel to your product's format, targeting, audience, and device.
Great creative and a promise-keeping landing page beat obsessive targeting.

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Answers How do I get my first users for the MVP? Where do I find the very first people to even talk to about my product? What's the best channel to launch on, Product Hunt, Reddit, Hacker News, or LinkedIn? How do I build a targeted list of the right people to cold email? Should I even be running paid ads at this stage? How do I know if my paid ads are actually profitable? What makes a paid ad actually convert? How do I pick which paid channel to start with? How much budget do I need to test a paid channel properly? How do Indian D2C brands keep paid acquisition sustainable as CACs rise? I'm a solo technical founder and hate selling. How do I get my first customers without becoming a salesperson? How do I launch in India where there's no single 'Product Hunt moment' that reaches Indian founders and buyers? How do I turn a launch into an ongoing drip instead of one spike that flatlines two days later? I'm a solo non-technical founder with no audience. How do I launch when I have zero followers to post to?

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✓ Link checked Free Beginner

Why we picked it Shapiro gives you a concrete framework you can apply the same afternoon: write a header that is fully descriptive of what you sell, then build your value prop from a bad alternative, a better solution, and an action statement. It is free, example-heavy, and written for founders drafting their own page, not for agencies. Read it with your own headline open in another tab and rewrite as you go.

Startup Handbook: Landing Page Copywriting

From julian.com by Julian Shapiro Long read, about 30 minutes

Your header should pass one test: if a visitor reads only that line, do they know exactly what you sell.
Build a value prop by naming the bad alternative people use today, how you beat it, then turning that into an action statement.
Cut vague slogans and add a hook plus a subheader that explains why the claim is believable.

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Answers What's the fastest way to write landing page copy when I'm not a copywriter? How do I write the copy for my landing page hero section when I have three different types of customers using my product? What are the most common copywriting mistakes first-time founders make on their website that quietly kill conversions? I keep tweaking the landing page instead of launching. How do I tell polishing from procrastinating?

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✓ Link checked Free Intermediate

Why we picked it Julian Shapiro argues that growth should be designed into the product itself rather than bolted on afterward, so every new feature is an opportunity to build in a reason for people to notice it and share it. Read it next to your short answer, since it explains why a new integration or segment isn't just a product change, it's a fresh acquisition surface if you treat it that way.

Startup Handbook: Product-Led Acquisition

From julian.com by Julian Shapiro

Design growth into features as you build them, not as an afterthought once they ship.
Every new capability can double as a way to bring in or reactivate users if you build it that way.
The biggest software companies grew this way: the product itself did marketing's job.

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Answers How often should I be launching, is once a quarter too much?