Essay · 15 min read

The Bullseye Framework for Getting Traction

Gabriel Weinberg · Gabriel Weinberg (Medium) Free Intermediate

If you do not want to buy the whole Traction book yet, this free essay gives you the core method in one sitting. It shows how to brainstorm every possible channel, run cheap tests on a few, and double down on the winner instead of spreading yourself thin. A useful structure once your very first hand-recruited users prove there is demand.

  • List all channels in an outer ring, then move promising ones inward to test.
  • Run cheap, quick experiments before committing real budget.
  • Focus everything on the single channel that shows early traction.

The question it answers

  1. How do I get my first users for the MVP?

Read with it

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  4. Fifty-plus recent YC founders answer the exact question every early founder asks. The pattern across their answers is the lesson. YC Startup Library Article · ~10 min read Founder FAQ: How did you get your first customer? Y Combinator (50+ founders)
  5. A step-by-step, modern YC walkthrough of identifying buyers, starting conversations, and converting them into your first... YC Startup Library Video · ~20 min How to Get Your First 10 Customers Max Kolysh (Y Combinator)
  6. The definitive playbook on distribution, it catalogs all 19 channels and gives you the Bullseye framework to systematically... Portfolio / Penguin Book · book (~240 pages) Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth Gabriel Weinberg & Justin Mares
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