Problem selection

Marketing starts with product and pain point.

Checklist before starting to build a product: -1 major customer insight

  • 1 distribution channel to get atleast 10 paying users for validation
  • qualifiers for product
  • i am interested in this problem
    • easy to build (<1 month)
    • 1 major customer insight that is not well known
    • is a painkiller not a vitamin
      • solves critical need
      • customer faces major negative consequence if not done correctly
      • b2b
      • they need to use it daily/weekly
      • sounds boring

Marketing Strategy

Don’t follow “launch and see what sticks”

Checklist for Strategy

  • What one problem am I solving?
  • What audience segment craves a solution like my product the most?
  • What’s the current go-to solution for this problem?
  • What’s good and bad about it?
  • How is my product better than the current alternatives?
  • What pricing is a no-brainer for my audience and still a good deal for me?
  • How will I get my first 10 customers?

Marketing channels

Without existing audience, cold email is best for initial customers. Initially, offer for free in exchange for feedback If product solves real pain point, they will use it. Eventually they will pay for it. Everything else, like SEO, PH, ads, etc. comes later. First nail the problem you’re solving. Then focus on defining the ICP.

Landing Page

Follow this template: Bullet-proof landing page structure:

🔹 Hero block • Heading 1 with a value proposition • Product description with an explanation of how the promised value will be delivered • Product visual (loom-style demo / gif / screenshot) that shows the product in action • 1 CTA button (avoid words like “buy” and “purchase”) • Quick social proof (number of customers / average rating / 1-sentence testimonial)

🔹 Problem agitation • Status-quo solution that your product “fights” • 3 negative consequences of sticking to the status-quo solution

🔹 Transformation • Alternative product visual to illustrate your product (can be a “how it works” block) • 3 positive benefits of switching to your product

🔹 Social proof • 3-7 testimonials from satisfied customers (face, role, highlighted key points) • Advanced: get 1-3 endorsements from opinion leaders

🔹 Features • 3-4 groups of features so users can remember them easily • Focus on selling sub-benefits with details of how each feature delivers the promised sub-value • Add specific visuals (bonus points for gifs) to illustrate every feature

🔹 About us • Share your “why” to build affinity • 2-3 paragraphs of storytelling + your face

🔹 Pricing • 2-3 pricing plans (always an upsell plan, sometimes a downsell plan) • End the price at $9 or $7 ($0 if luxury) • Each pricing plan must have 3-5 specific conditions • Clarify if this is a subscription or a one-time payment • Clarify your money-back guarantee

🔹 FAQ • 5-7 objections that bother your audience • Answer each one straightforwardly and concisely

Other landing page tips:

  • Focus on customer benefits, not product features
  • Use “you” and “your” instead of “we” and “our”
  • Include compelling product visuals
  • Add a Loom-style product demo video
  • Write a personal founder’s message
  • Incorporate more social proof
  • Structure copy as: “Emotional heading with promise” + “Description of how promise is delivered”
  • Limit color palette to 3-4 colors
  • Keep lists (features, integrations) to 3-5 points
  • Make the call-to-action simple and appealing
  • Remove generic newsletter signup forms
  • Avoid overly boastful language
  • Keep page width narrow for readability
  • Don’t undersell with excessive free offers

Here is a relevant tweet- https://x.com/namyakhann/status/1823681367198085428

Writing Marketing Copy

Start with an emotion - people don’t buy features, they want to achieve something. Target that emotion of achieving something. Following rational explanation - how do u help achieve that.

emotion - “unqualified applicants take up your time?” rational - “We’ll pre-qualify them for you”

Ationable framework for marketing:

What my marketing should look like?

Here’s a simple framework.

Every week, you either:

Sharpen your positioning Talk to customers Analyze competitors Polish marketing copy Build in-demand features Get more website visitors Post new content Build free tools Buy ads Send emails Get new partnerships Increase your conversion rate Fix your landing page Write emails Get testimonials Experiment with pricing

Pick one goal for your week. It will be easier to come up with relevant tasks.