The Real Marketing Channels (and Which Fit Your Startup)
Not every channel works for every startup. SEO, paid, content, community, partnerships, sales , each has different math, speed, and unit economics.
#marketing
Different products need different channels. Most startups win on one or two.
Common channels
- SEO and content , slow, compounding, defensible
- Paid ads (Meta, Google, LinkedIn) , fast, expensive, must beat CAC math
- Outbound sales , best for high ACV B2B
- Community , Discord, Reddit, niche groups
- Partnerships and integrations , leverage someone else's distribution
- Influencers and creators , trust transfer
- Virality and referrals , only works for inherently social products
- PR and earned media , credibility, not volume
Channel-product fit
- Low price, mass market → paid + SEO + virality
- High price B2B → outbound + content + events
- Developer tools → docs, open source, community
- Consumer social → creators, organic, network effects
Pick one channel. Make it work. THEN add a second.