Go-to-Market Strategy

Guide founders from validated idea through launch execution to first paying customers.

Workflow

1. Diagnose Stage

Ask: "Where are you in your launch journey?"

2. Pre-Launch Foundation

Build momentum before you have a product.

Waitlist Strategy:

Waitlist Benchmarks:

• 100 signups = Enough for beta testing
• 500 signups = Solid launch foundation
• 1,000+ signups = Strong launch momentum

Pre-Launch Actions:

1. Build email list with landing page
2. Create "Coming Soon" page on Product Hunt (14 days before)
3. Identify 10-20 beta customers from personal network
4. Draft launch announcement (email, social, PR)
5. Prepare all marketing assets (screenshots, video, GIFs)

3. Channel Selection

Choose channels based on your business type.

B2C Consumer Apps — Kickstart Tactics

From Lenny Rachitsky's research on 40+ consumer companies:

Growth Engine Selection (Consumer):

B2B SaaS — GTM Motions

From analysis of 30+ B2B companies:

Evolution Pattern: Most B2B companies start product-led or founder-led sales, then add sales-assist as they move upmarket.

B2B First Customer Tactics:

4. Launch Execution

Platform Launch Checklist (Product Hunt):

2 Weeks Before:

• Create "Coming Soon" page on Product Hunt
• Identify hunter (or self-hunt)
• Prepare assets: screenshots, GIF, video (< 2 min)
• Write compelling tagline (< 60 chars)
• Draft first comment with your story
• Build supporter list (aim for 50+ people to notify)

Launch Day:

• Launch at 12:01 AM PST (Tuesday-Thursday best)
• Post first comment immediately
• Notify email list, supporters, social followers
• Respond to every comment within 1 hour
• Share on Twitter, LinkedIn, relevant communities
• Send personal messages to key supporters

Launch Benchmarks:

• Top 10 of day = Newsletter feature
• 300-500 upvotes = Solid launch
• 700+ upvotes = Strong launch
• 1,000+ upvotes = Excellent launch

Multi-Channel Launch:

5. First 100 Customers

Different playbooks for B2B vs B2C.

B2B: First 10-100 Customers

Week 1-2: Personal Network

• List every founder, exec, PM you know
• Reach out personally (not mass email)
• Ask: "Can I show you what I'm building?"
• Goal: 5-10 demos

Week 3-4: Extended Network

• Ask early users for intros
• Leverage investor networks
• Post in founder communities (YC, On Deck, etc.)
• Goal: 10-20 demos

Week 5-8: Outbound

• Build ICP list (LinkedIn Sales Navigator)
• Craft personalized cold emails
• Follow up 3x (most replies come after follow-up)
• Goal: 30-50 demos

Cold Email Template (B2B):

Subject: 10x [Company]'s [metric] in 10 minutes

Hi [Name],

I have an idea that I can explain in 10 minutes that can get [Company] its next [100 customers / 50% more efficiency / etc.].

I recently used this idea to help [similar company] [achieve result].

Let me know if you want me to share it with you. If not, no worries—just thought you'd find it valuable.

[Your name]

Conversion Benchmarks (B2B):

• Cold email open rate: 30-50%
• Cold email reply rate: 5-15%
• Demo-to-trial: 30-50%
• Trial-to-paid: 20-40%

B2C: First 1,000 Users

Unscalable Tactics (Do These First):

• Manually onboard every early user
• Personal thank-you messages
• 1:1 user interviews
• Fix issues immediately

Scalable Tactics (Add Later):

• Referral programs
• Content marketing
• Paid acquisition (if unit economics work)
• Influencer partnerships

B2C Benchmarks:

• D1 retention: > 40%
• D7 retention: > 20%
• D30 retention: > 10%
• Viral coefficient: > 0.5 (growing), > 1.0 (viral)

6. Growth Engine Selection

Use the Racecar Framework (Lenny Rachitsky):

Kickstarts — One-time boosts to get moving:

1. Share with friends/colleagues
2. Reach out to targeted strangers
3. Go where your users hang out
4. Enlist influencers
5. Get press coverage
6. Create viral content
7. Physical placement (stickers, flyers)
8. Host events
9. Be first on a new platform

Growth Engines — Sustainable, compounding growth:

1. SEO — Content drives organic search traffic
2. Paid ads — Online, out-of-home, direct mail
3. Sales — Outbound, inside sales, field sales
4. Virality — WOM, sharing, referrals, invites

Turbo Boosts — Periodic accelerants:

• Get PR/media coverage
• Create viral content/campaigns
• Host or sponsor events
• Influencer mentions
• Marketing campaigns
• Release a viral mini-product
• Get featured on platforms

Lubricants — Improve efficiency:

• Increase conversion rates
• Increase retention
• Increase brand awareness
• Improve activation/onboarding
• Optimize pricing

7. Early Traction Metrics

Track different metrics based on stage.

Pre-Launch Metrics:

• Waitlist signups
• Email open/click rates
• Social engagement
• Beta applications

Launch Metrics:

• Product Hunt ranking/upvotes
• Website traffic
• Signups/downloads
• Press mentions

Post-Launch Metrics:

Traction Signals (Pre-Revenue):

• Unsolicited inbound inquiries
• Users reaching out unprompted
• Organic word-of-mouth
• Requests for features you planned
• Users comparing you to bigger players

Decision Checkpoints

Channel Selection Matrix

Ask: What's your product type?

Launch Readiness Checklist

• Product is working and tested
• Landing page converts (> 10% email capture)
• Have 50+ people ready to support launch
• Marketing assets ready (screenshots, video, copy)
• Know your first 10 customers by name
• Have a "day 1" script for launch activities
• Analytics/tracking in place

Traction Health Check

Healthy Signs:

• Week-over-week growth > 5-7%
• Retention improving over time
• Users referring others organically
• Inbound interest increasing
• CAC decreasing as you learn

Warning Signs:

• High acquisition, low retention
• All growth from paid (no organic)
• Churn increasing
• CAC increasing over time
• No organic word-of-mouth

Common GTM Mistakes

See references/gtm-mistakes.md for detailed anti-patterns.

Top 5 Mistakes:

1. Launching without a distribution plan — Building doesn't mean they'll come
2. Spreading across too many channels — Focus on 1-2 that work
3. Premature scaling — Don't pour fuel on a leaky bucket
4. Ignoring unit economics — Growth isn't growth if CAC > LTV
5. Outsourcing sales too early — Founders must sell first

Deliverables

1. GTM Strategy One-Pager

Create using docx skill:

• Target customer summary (from ICP)
• Primary launch channel + rationale
• First 100 customers playbook
• 90-day milestone targets
• Key metrics to track

2. Launch Checklist

Customized for chosen platform(s):

• Product Hunt launch checklist
• Multi-channel launch timeline
• Day-of-launch script

3. Channel Prioritization Matrix

Create using xlsx skill:

• List of potential channels
• Effort/impact scoring
• Fit with ICP
• Prioritized ranking

4. First 90 Days Traction Plan

Week-by-week plan including:

• Pre-launch activities (weeks 1-2)
• Launch execution (week 3-4)
• First customers push (weeks 5-8)
• Growth optimization (weeks 9-12)
• Milestone targets per week

Reference Files

• references/channel-examples.md — 40+ company GTM case studies (B2B and B2C)
• references/gtm-mistakes.md — Common anti-patterns and how to avoid them
• references/launch-templates.md — Email templates, launch copy, outreach scripts

Integration with Other Skills

• Use idea-validation skill first if problem not validated
• Use business-model skill for pricing strategy
• Use product skill for PRD and roadmap
• Use fundraising skill to pitch traction to investors
• Use docx skill for GTM strategy document
• Use xlsx skill for channel prioritization spreadsheet

Adapted from Linas Beliūnas's The One-Person Unicorn founder skill set.