Discover the 19 traction channels that successful startups use to systematically acquire customers and scale efficiently.
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In Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers, Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares provide a comprehensive playbook for startups seeking growth. The book emphasises that traction—evident growth in metrics like revenue, user base, or downloads—is the most critical determinant of a startup’s success. Through interviews with over 40 founders and research into numerous startups, the authors identify and break down 19 key marketing and distribution channels that companies can use to acquire customers and scale effectively.
1. The Importance of TractionTraction is described as the lifeblood of startups, providing validation that the business is working and helping unlock opportunities such as fundraising, partnerships, and hiring. A startup’s primary goal is to grow, and traction provides the quantitative evidence of that growth.
2. The Bullseye Framework
The Bullseye Framework is a systematic approach for identifying the most effective marketing channel for your startup at any given time. It consists of five steps:
3. Traction Thinking
Startups should spend 50% of their time on product development and 50% on traction efforts. This dual focus ensures startups avoid the “product trap,” where founders assume that a great product will naturally attract users without strategic marketing.
The authors outline 19 channels through which startups can gain traction. Each channel is illustrated with case studies and expert insights:
Each channel is backed by real-world examples. For instance, Dropbox’s referral program, which rewarded users with additional storage for inviting others, is highlighted as a successful use of viral marketing.
Critical Path and IterationThe book stresses the importance of defining a critical path—a clear series of milestones to reach your traction goals. After identifying the most promising traction channel, startups should continuously optimise their efforts and pivot to new channels as needed.
Traction offers actionable insights and frameworks for systematically growing a startup, making it an essential guide for entrepreneurs aiming to scale their businesses effectively.
I’ve helped B2B service companies scale — not with random tactics, but with clear systems that align marketing and sales into one predictable growth engine. Built on 15 years of hands-on experience — helping teams move from random tactics to repeatable, scalable results.
15 years experience
1,500 marketers trained since 2015
Exited 6 companies
Strategiefabriek
Transpack Packaging
Founders
The Talent Institute
Stone & Tile Company
Cortazu
Easy Ergonomics
Nestmanager
Booomtag
Springlab
Mooie Boules
Kees de Boekhouder
Ligo
Snappcar
Klup
Amberscript
Yaya
Bridgefund
SOPHIA MAE
Friesland Campina
Decathlon
NU
My name is Ewoud Uphof, a marketing strategist with 15 years of experience. I've been fascinated by growth since 2010, and I created this guide out of a passion for sharing what I've learned. These guides are a way for me to give back to the marketing community and are also linked to my video course, which covers these topics in even greater depth.
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Discover the 19 traction channels that successful startups use to systematically acquire customers and scale efficiently.