I appreciate the effort that’s gone into visualizing and structuring what is essentially the cornerstone of any Go-To-Market strategy. The additional context is helpful, and tools like the ICP prioritization matrix and the viral/referral loops are great ways to make these concepts actionable for founders. However, as I read through, I couldn’t help but think of how my father—a mathematician—viewed the introduction of “New Math” in the 1960s: an update that, while visually fresh and seemingly innovative, often repackaged fundamental principles in ways that could be unnecessarily complex or intimidating for beginners.
This framework feels similar—it’s essentially an updated version of the timeless scarcity, supply/demand, and pricing models. While valuable, I wonder if the sheer number of steps and details could overwhelm newer founders. For example, the activation channels slide is comprehensive, but without clear prioritization, it could lead to analysis paralysis. Additionally, some aspects, like the focus on revenue metrics (WoW Growth), might overlook other critical early-stage factors like product-market fit or customer satisfaction.
That said, I’d love to hear your thoughts on adapting this for industries outside of SaaS or DTC. For example, how might a service-based startup or a manufacturing business approach ICP prioritization differently? Would you adjust the viral/referral loop concepts for industries where customer acquisition happens more offline than online?
Wow, extremely thorough and practical walkthrough of building a startup's GTM strategy!
Thank you Burak, really happy you liked this one. And I have another one ready I think you'll enjoy ;)
Burak knows what he says 🙌
This alone is value:
Identify Your Audience
Benchmark Against Competitors
Position Your Product
Define Your Pricing Strategy
Activate Your Channels
Build Growth Loops
Measure and Optimize
Thanks Hugo! Bit of trial and error to get there, but works very well for our clients!
Congratulations 😊. This article is like a short book in value. How can apply some of it in a newsletter?
Thanks Salvador, happy you found this beneficial! In what way do you need to apply it in a newsletter itself?
I was just wondering if there was a part that applies especially to the product of producing and distributing newsletters.
Maybe it's a silly question, as I'm no expert on the subject, but as I liked the article so much ...
No not at all, wanted to understand more what you had in mind.
Definitely applies, you can easily look at this process from a newsletter launch perspective:
1. Niche down on a good NL audience
2. See who else is in that space
3. Develop your edge (brand, content strategy, etc.)
4. Pricing: Optional if NL is free, but you can benchmark still
5. Think of your acquisition channels
6. Embed an organic loop in here
7. Measure and optimize
With your response I made a note in Spanish (I translate first for me, and later I thought it was of interest for my followers):
(Your biography in comments)
https://substack.com/profile/172879528-salvador-lorca/note/c-79438908
Great one!
Sheesh absolute gem
Thanks Devansh, happy you found this one useful!
This is great!!
Glad you liked it Anitra, would love to know how you end up using it ;)
I appreciate the effort that’s gone into visualizing and structuring what is essentially the cornerstone of any Go-To-Market strategy. The additional context is helpful, and tools like the ICP prioritization matrix and the viral/referral loops are great ways to make these concepts actionable for founders. However, as I read through, I couldn’t help but think of how my father—a mathematician—viewed the introduction of “New Math” in the 1960s: an update that, while visually fresh and seemingly innovative, often repackaged fundamental principles in ways that could be unnecessarily complex or intimidating for beginners.
This framework feels similar—it’s essentially an updated version of the timeless scarcity, supply/demand, and pricing models. While valuable, I wonder if the sheer number of steps and details could overwhelm newer founders. For example, the activation channels slide is comprehensive, but without clear prioritization, it could lead to analysis paralysis. Additionally, some aspects, like the focus on revenue metrics (WoW Growth), might overlook other critical early-stage factors like product-market fit or customer satisfaction.
That said, I’d love to hear your thoughts on adapting this for industries outside of SaaS or DTC. For example, how might a service-based startup or a manufacturing business approach ICP prioritization differently? Would you adjust the viral/referral loop concepts for industries where customer acquisition happens more offline than online?