Startup validation guides and build journal.
Practical guides to testing startup ideas and running small marketing experiments. Plus notes on what we are building at Boring Marketing Loop and why.
All articles
- Marketing strategy
Should you launch your startup on Product Hunt?
Launch on Product Hunt when your customers are early adopters and your product works without you. If not, wait. How to prepare, and what a launch can and cannot do.
Published
Read the article: Should you launch your startup on Product Hunt? - Marketing strategy
What should a founder post on LinkedIn to get customers?
Post about your customers' problem, not your product. Five LinkedIn post types for founders, a weekly plan, and how to tell if posting brings customers.
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Read the article: What should a founder post on LinkedIn to get customers? - Customer discovery
How do you find beta testers for your startup?
Find beta testers among people who recently acted on the problem, not among friends. Where to look, what to offer, and how to keep 10 testers using the product.
Published
Read the article: How do you find beta testers for your startup? - Marketing strategy
Should you build in public as a solo founder?
Build in public if your customers are other builders or you want to learn faster from feedback. Skip it if they are not online. What to share, and how to test it.
Published
Read the article: Should you build in public as a solo founder? - Product thinking
How do you know when to pivot your startup?
Pivot when several tests aimed at the same assumption keep missing their decision rules. How to tell a pivot from a tweak, and what to change first.
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Read the article: How do you know when to pivot your startup? - Product thinking
How do you know if you have product-market fit?
You have product-market fit when the right customers keep using and paying without being pushed. Learn the signs, the 40% survey, and what an early startup can measure.
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Read the article: How do you know if you have product-market fit? - Customer discovery
How do you write a cold email that actually gets replies?
A cold email gets replies when it names something the reader did, asks one small question, and is short enough to answer on a phone. Template and examples.
Published
Read the article: How do you write a cold email that actually gets replies? - Marketing strategy
How do you market a startup with no money?
Market a startup with no budget by trading time for attention. Use direct messages, useful answers in communities, and one search-friendly guide, and test each one.
Published
Read the article: How do you market a startup with no money? - Marketing strategy
How much should you charge for your first product?
Price your first product from the cost of the customer's current workaround, not from competitors or your costs. Then test the price with a real offer.
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Read the article: How much should you charge for your first product? - Customer discovery
How many customer interviews do you need before you build?
How many customer interviews are enough before you build? Plan for 8 to 15 per audience and stop when answers repeat. Here is how to tell, and what interviews miss.
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Read the article: How many customer interviews do you need before you build? - Marketing experiments
Growth experiment template: how to run and track marketing tests
A free growth experiment template for solo founders: one log, a simple rule for the next test, a weekly review, and a four-week example to copy.
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Read the article: Growth experiment template: how to run and track marketing tests - Marketing strategy
How to write a value proposition you can test
How to write a value proposition in one sentence, how long it should be, and how to test it with five people before it goes on your landing page.
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Read the article: How to write a value proposition you can test - Customer discovery
Customer persona for startups: why know your customer
Why startups need to know their customer, and how to build a customer persona from evidence, not guesses. Includes a template with a source for every line.
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Read the article: Customer persona for startups: why know your customer - Marketing strategy
What is the 1-Page Marketing Plan? The nine squares explained
How the 1-Page Marketing Plan works, square by square. See which of the nine squares a startup can fill in before it has customers, and which are still guesses.
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Read the article: What is the 1-Page Marketing Plan? The nine squares explained - Customer discovery
How to find customers for a new startup
Find your first startup customers by searching for people who just acted on the problem. Build a list of 30 names, send one message, and count replies.
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Read the article: How to find customers for a new startup - Marketing strategy
How do you write a go-to-market strategy? A one-page template
A one-page go-to-market strategy template for solo founders. Name your first customer, offer, channel, and first test, with a worked SaaS example to copy.
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Read the article: How do you write a go-to-market strategy? A one-page template - Build journal
How our new design aims to attract customers
A look at Marketing Loop's new design, from its interactive figure to a clearer signup, and how we will test whether it helps the right visitors take action.
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Read the article: How our new design aims to attract customers - Marketing experiments
How to test startup demand with a landing page
How to run a landing page experiment before you build: one audience, an honest offer, one next step. Count visits and signups, then choose the next test.
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Read the article: How to test startup demand with a landing page - Customer discovery
Customer discovery interview questions for founders
Customer discovery interview questions about a customer's last real experience, workaround, and costs, not opinions. Copy the questions and note template.
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Read the article: Customer discovery interview questions for founders - Product thinking
How to test a startup idea
Test a startup idea with one assumption, audience, and decision rule. Copy this marketing experiment template, track the counts, and read the example.
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Read the article: How to test a startup idea - Marketing strategy
Startup marketing plan: a one-page template for solo founders
Write a startup marketing plan on one page. Copy the template, follow the worked example, and choose the smallest test that could change your mind.
Published
Read the article: Startup marketing plan: a one-page template for solo founders - The starting point
Why we are building a startup validation workspace
Why Marketing Loop connects startup assumptions, marketing experiments, customer evidence, and decisions. What the prototype does and what it cannot do.
Published
Read the article: Why we are building a startup validation workspace