Nobody knows you exist and ads cost too much
Build something useful that your target audience would search for. Give it away. Now they know you exist.
When to use
You can identify a standalone problem your audience has that's related to what you do.
Hypothesis template
If we build a free tool that solves [adjacent problem], we'll get leads because people will find us while solving that problem.
Method
The problem: Your target customers don't know you exist. Ads cost too
much. Content takes forever to rank.
What HubSpot built: Website Grader—a free tool that analyzes any website and
gives an SEO score. Millions of marketers used it, gave HubSpot their email, and
learned they needed marketing software.
Why it works:
- Solves a real problem (gets attention)
- Shows you know your stuff (builds trust)
- Captures email naturally (send them the results)
- Creates need for your main product (tool shows gaps your product fills)
How to do it:
- Find a painful problem your audience has (adjacent to your product, not a demo of it)
- Build a tool that actually solves it (not a teaser)
- Free to try, no signup required
- Gate full results or ongoing use behind email
- Follow up with education, not hard sell
Other examples:
- Unsplash (free photos) → Crew (design agency)
- Mailchimp's free tier → paid plans
Success metrics
- •Tool users
- •Email capture rate
- •Tool users → product signups
- •SEO traffic to tool
Prerequisites
- Dev resources for a separate tool
- Clear adjacent problem
- Email nurture sequence
Common pitfalls
- •Tool that's just a crippled demo
- •No connection to your main product
- •Aggressive sales follow-up
Source: HubSpot Website Grader. Millions of leads from a free tool.
Suggested ICE scores
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