Traction A Startup Guide to Getting CustomersA Startup Guide to Getting Customers

By Gabriel Weinberg & Justin Mares

Most startups don’t fail because they can’t build a product — they fail because they can’t get traction. Traction is a tactical handbook for founders, growth marketers, and product builders looking to drive real user adoption. The book introduces 19 proven marketing channels and a practical framework to find and double down on what works — fast.

🔑 Top 10 Key Lessons from Traction

1. Traction Is More Important Than Vision

Ideas are cheap. Execution matters. But even more critical? Distribution. Investors and users don’t care how brilliant your startup is — they care how many people you’re reaching. Build for traction from day one, not after the product is ready.

2. Use the Bullseye Framework to Prioritize Growth Channels

You can’t do everything — nor should you. The Bullseye Framework helps startups systematically test 19 different traction channels to identify the one or two that actually work. Focus beats scatter.

3. Don’t Wait to Market Until After the Product Is Perfect

Startups often spend months building in silence, only to launch to crickets. Flip that. Start building your traction strategy early — during product development — so you’re not scrambling for users after launch.

4. Talk to Customers Relentlessly

The best traction insights come from direct conversations with your users. Learn where they hang out, how they make decisions, and what messaging resonates. Assumptions are expensive. Feedback is free.

5. Small Wins Create Big Momentum

You don’t need 100,000 users tomorrow. Start with micro-channels, early adopters, niche communities — and compound your wins. Consistent traction is more sustainable than viral spikes.

6. You Need to Be Methodical About Marketing

Growth isn’t magic. It’s testing, iteration, and measurement. Treat traction like product development: form hypotheses, test them fast, and scale what works. Intuition helps — but data wins.

7. There’s No One-Size-Fits-All Growth Playbook

What worked for Airbnb won’t necessarily work for you. That’s why testing multiple channels — like content marketing, PR, SEO, or sales — is essential. Every product-market fit has a different growth engine.

8. Most Founders Give Up on Channels Too Early

Traction channels often take time to show results. Many founders ditch them after shallow tests. If a channel shows early promise, go deeper before moving on — you may be sitting on gold.

9. Focus on the Few Channels That Actually Work

Once you’ve tested broadly, narrow in on the 1–2 channels delivering results. Going “all in” on high-performing channels creates focus, efficiency, and scale — the trifecta for fast-growing startups.

10. Product and Marketing Must Grow Together

There’s no “build it and they will come.” Product and traction are two sides of the same coin. If you’re not marketing while you build, you’re building in the dark. Pair strong product with smart promotion from day one.

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