Traction

Apply the Bullseye framework from Traction to brainstorm, rank, test, and focus startup traction channels. Use when choosing growth channels, overcoming channel bias, prioritizing marketing experiments, or deciding which acquisition channel deserves focused effort.

Research and shortlist startup traction channels before running Bullseye tests. Use when comparing acquisition channels, studying how similar companies grew, finding underused distribution strategies, or preparing the outer ring for a Traction-style growth process.

Set traction goals and identify the Critical Path from Traction so teams focus only on milestones needed for growth. Use when a startup has too many priorities, needs growth goals, is debating product versus marketing work, or wants to decide what not to do.

Design email marketing traction tests from Traction for acquisition, engagement, retention, revenue, and referrals. Use when planning email courses, newsletter sponsorships, lifecycle sequences, retention emails, or email-driven growth experiments.

Plan existing-platform, trade show, offline event, speaking, and community-building traction experiments from Traction. Use when testing platform distribution, conferences, meetups, talks, forums, local events, or community-led startup growth.

Plan paid acquisition tests from Traction across SEM, social/display ads, and offline ads. Use when designing ad experiments, keyword tests, audience tests, paid channel budgets, or deciding whether a paid channel can acquire the right customers profitably.

Plan business development, sales, and affiliate traction experiments from Traction. Use when testing partnerships, direct sales conversations, outbound lists, affiliate programs, channel partners, or revenue-oriented startup acquisition channels.

Plan PR-oriented traction experiments from Traction, including targeting blogs, publicity, and unconventional PR. Use when pitching bloggers or reporters, designing publicity stunts, earning launch coverage, or validating PR as a startup growth channel.

Review traction experiment results and recommend whether to double down, iterate, repeat Bullseye, or pivot. Use when analyzing growth test data, comparing channel performance, deciding if a channel moved the needle, or reassessing startup traction strategy.

Plan SEO and content marketing traction experiments from Traction. Use when creating organic growth tests, SEO page strategies, content calendars, blog experiments, link-building tests, or deciding whether content can become a core acquisition channel.

Design cheap, measurable traction tests from Traction for startup growth channels. Use when planning marketing experiments, middle-ring tests, A/B tests, acquisition test spreadsheets, channel validation, or growth experiment success criteria.

Plan viral marketing and engineering-as-marketing traction experiments from Traction. Use when designing referral loops, viral coefficients, engineered acquisition tools, calculators, microsites, widgets, or product-led assets that acquire customers; use make-product-viral instead for landing-page audits, shareability reviews, pricing-page polish, or social-preview optimization.