Customer Acquisition Channels: 19 Examples & Bullseye Framework

Building a product does not automatically give you a reliable way to reach the people who need it. With limited time and budget, choosing which customer acquisition channels to test is a go-to-market decision, not just a marketing task.

The Bullseye Framework, introduced by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares in their book Traction, is a disciplined answer to that problem. It does not tell you which channel will win. It gives you a way to consider all of them, test a few cheaply and commit to what the evidence supports.

Bullseye Framework worksheet with 19 traction channels around three concentric rings for brainstorming, testing and focusing. — The Bullseye diagram from the original article. Framework by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares, authors of Traction.

What a customer acquisition channel is (and is not)

A customer acquisition channel is a route through which new customers find and start using your product. Three words get mixed up constantly, and the confusion leads to bad decisions:

Channel: The route itself. Example: search engine marketing.
Tactic: A specific way of using it. Example: bidding on competitor-alternative keywords.
Tool: The platform, vendor or medium that runs it. Examples: Google Ads, a specific trade fair, a billboard network.

When a team says 'we tried LinkedIn and it didn't work', it usually tested one tactic, on one tool, for a few weeks. That is a data point about a tactic, not a verdict on a channel.

How to choose which channels to test

There is no universal ranking. The right shortlist depends on a few constraints you can name honestly:

Stage. Before product-market fit, you need learning more than volume. Channels with fast feedback (founder-led sales, small paid tests, communities) beat slow compounding ones.
Business model. What a customer is worth over time sets how much you can spend to acquire one. A low-priced self-serve tool cannot support a field sales team; an enterprise contract often needs one.
Where buyers already are. Do they search for the problem? Read particular newsletters? Attend one annual event? Start there.
Resources and skills. A technical team can ship free tools; a founder with an audience can lean on content and speaking. Money, time and talent are all budgets.

Distribution also cannot rescue a product people do not want. If users arrive but do not stay, that is a product problem first; I wrote about that distinction in the IZIRepair case study.

The Bullseye Framework, step by step

Traction describes three steps, one per ring. Below, the middle step is unpacked into the practical actions it involves.

Outer ring: brainstorm across all 19Write at least one realistic idea for every channel, including the ones you think are irrelevant. The point is to escape the two or three channels your team already likes.
Middle ring: test the promising channelsIn practice: sort channels into promising, possible and unlikely, pick the three to six most promising, and test them in parallel with small budgets and short time windows. You are answering three questions: what does a customer cost here, how many are reachable, and are they the right ones?
Inner ring: focus on what worksPut your effort into the one channel that showed real promise and keep optimising it until it plateaus. Then repeat the process.

The framework improves your odds; it does not guarantee you will find the lowest-cost channel. Tests are small, noisy and time-bound. Treat results as evidence to weigh, not proof.

An earlier version of this guide was published on AskCory.

The 19 channels, with examples and first tests

Examples are illustrative: they show what each channel looks like in practice, not a promise that the same move will work for you.

Viral marketing

Growth that comes from existing users bringing in new ones, by design rather than luck. The mechanic matters more than the message: an invite, a shared artefact, a two-sided reward.

ExampleDropbox's referral programme rewarded both the person inviting and the person invited with extra storage, so sharing the product was also a way of getting more of it.

First testAdd one invite prompt at the moment a user first gets value, and measure invites sent per active user and accepted invites over two weeks.

Dropbox presentation slide reporting historical user growth and the role of its referral programme and shared folders. — Historical results reported in Dropbox's Startup Lessons Learned presentation, not a forecast for other products. Credit: Drew Houston — Dropbox, Startup Lessons Learned.

B2B/SaaS: In B2B, the natural loop is usually collaboration: inviting a teammate, sharing a report with a client.

Public relations (PR)

Earning coverage in media your customers already trust. It works when you have genuine news, and journalists are short on time, so the story has to be obvious.

ExampleApple's product launches are built as news events, so press coverage carries the announcement far beyond the people watching the keynote.

First testPitch one specific angle (data you own, a contrarian finding) to ten niche publications or newsletters your buyers read. Track replies and referred sign-ups.

B2B/SaaS: Trade press and industry newsletters usually beat national media for B2B pipeline.

Unconventional PR

Stunts and gestures memorable enough that people talk about them. Higher variance than classic PR: it can do nothing, or it can travel far for very little money.

ExampleThe Million Dollar Homepage sold pixels on a single web page; the absurdity of the idea became the story, and the story drove the traffic.

First testDesign one low-cost, on-brand stunt tied to a moment your audience cares about. Cap it at a week of effort and judge it on qualified mentions, not raw views.

The Million Dollar Homepage in January 2021: a dense mosaic of small advertisements sold as pixels. — The Million Dollar Homepage, as of January 2021. Credit: Wikipedia.

B2B/SaaS: In B2B, generosity often works better than shock: a free audit, a public teardown, a useful giveaway.

Search engine marketing (SEM)

SEM involves paid advertising on search engines. In the Bullseye Framework, marketers are urged to test and optimize their SEM campaigns to identify the most effective keywords and ad placements.

ExampleMicrosoft used Search Engine Marketing (SEM) as a strategy to drive traffic to its Bing search engine in the early days. When Bing was launched in 2009, Microsoft engaged in aggressive marketing campaigns, including paid search advertising, to increase awareness and gain market share in the search engine industry.

First testPick 10 to 20 high-intent long-tail keywords, one dedicated landing page, and a fixed budget. Measure cost per qualified sign-up, not cost per click.

B2B/SaaS: If nobody searches for your category yet, SEM will mostly tell you that, quickly and cheaply.

Offline ads

Billboards, print, radio, transit. Hard to attribute, but sometimes the cheapest way to own a very specific physical audience.

ExampleRows placed billboards near Google and Microsoft offices, speaking directly to the people who build and use the spreadsheets it competes with.

First testChoose one location where your buyers physically concentrate, use a unique URL or code, and decide in advance what count of visits would justify a second placement.

Yellow Rows billboard addressing Googlers, comparing an older spreadsheet to a Nokia 6070 and suggesting an upgrade. — Rows used the location and the message together to address a specific audience. Credit: Rows.

Screenshot of a Rows tweet asking whether to book a billboard outside Google HQ, alongside the proposed yellow billboard. — The pre-billboard tweet extended the idea into social media before the physical placement. Credit: Rows (@RowsHQ).

B2B/SaaS: Works best when the placement itself is part of the message, as in the Rows case.

Search engine optimisation (SEO)

Earning organic visibility for the questions your customers ask. Slow to start and compounding when it works, but no one can promise rankings or traffic in advance.

ExampleHome Depot publishes DIY guides that answer practical project questions, meeting people at the moment they are working out what to buy.

First testPublish five pages targeting specific problems your product solves, each genuinely better than what currently ranks. Review impressions and sign-ups after 8 to 12 weeks.

B2B/SaaS: Comparison, alternative and integration pages tend to carry the highest buying intent in SaaS.

Content marketing

Building an audience through useful material: articles, guides, templates, newsletters. Distinct from SEO: the goal is trust and an audience you can return to, not only search traffic.

ExampleHubSpot built a large library of marketing resources, courses and templates, so its brand became associated with learning the discipline it sells software for.

First testCommit to one format and one cadence for six weeks, such as a weekly teardown. Track subscribers, replies and assisted sign-ups rather than page views.

B2B/SaaS: Founder-written, specific content outperforms generic thought leadership in early-stage B2B.

Email marketing

Turning people who gave you permission to contact them into first-time customers. The list is the asset; the sequence helps turn interest into a first purchase. It also drives retention, but here the job is the first purchase.

ExampleEOFire offered free email courses on podcasting and webinars. Each 10 to 15-day sequence taught first and then presented the paid course as the next step. According to SegMetrics' analysis of 2015 data, leads who signed up for a free course generated about twice the revenue per lead of those who did not (US$41.67 vs US$19.11). This was a comparison between groups, not proof that the course alone caused the difference.

First testOffer one short email course solving a specific problem your buyers have, ending in a clear first offer. Compare first purchases (or booked calls) from course sign-ups against other leads after 30 days. Treat the comparison as an initial signal, not proof of causation.

Example source: SegMetrics — How EOFire’s Free Email Courses Actually Drive Revenue.

B2B/SaaS: Cold outbound is a different practice with its own legal rules; treat it under Sales, not here.

For a local business: The same logic works with a maintenance guide offered to people who opt in to receive it and follow-up emails, followed by a short sequence inviting a first booking.

Engineering as marketing

Building free tools, calculators or widgets that solve a small problem for your audience and lead naturally to your product.

ExampleMoz offers Link Explorer, a free way to inspect backlinks that introduces SEO practitioners to the paid platform.

First testShip one single-purpose tool in under two weeks, ungated. Measure usage, then the share of users who click through to the product.

Moz Link Explorer landing page offering a free backlink search, with a website address field and Get free link data button. — Moz Link Explorer: a useful tool as an entry point to a broader product. Credit: Moz.

B2B/SaaS: A strong fit for technical founders: it turns engineering capacity into distribution.

Targeting blogs

Getting featured, reviewed or published on the blogs, newsletters and podcasts your niche already follows.

ExampleBuffer's early team wrote guest posts for other blogs, borrowing established audiences instead of waiting to build its own.

First testList 20 niche publications, pitch five tailored guest pieces, and track referral sign-ups per published piece.

B2B/SaaS: Small, focused newsletters often convert better than large general ones.

Business development

Partnerships where another company's distribution and yours benefit each other. Unlike sales, you are not selling to the partner; you are building something together.

ExamplePayPal's early growth is closely associated with eBay, where it became a common way for buyers and sellers to settle payments.

First testIdentify three companies serving your exact customer with a complementary product. Propose one small joint action, such as a co-hosted webinar or integration listing.

Example source: PayPal — Wikipedia.

B2B/SaaS: Integration marketplaces are often the most accessible first partnership for SaaS.

Sales

People directly finding, qualifying and closing customers. Expensive per deal, which is why it fits higher contract values and complex buying processes.

ExampleSalesforce built a direct sales organisation to sell software to companies, fitting the channel to a considered, multi-stakeholder purchase.

First testThe founder runs 20 discovery conversations with a narrowly defined ideal customer profile. Track meetings booked, qualified opportunities and objections heard.

B2B/SaaS: Founder-led sales first; hire a salesperson only once you can describe a repeatable process.

Affiliate programmes

Paying partners a commission for customers they refer. You pay for outcomes, but you also hand part of your message to people you do not control.

ExampleShopify runs an affiliate programme for creators, educators and agencies who recommend it to people starting online stores.

First testRecruit five affiliates who already advise your customers, with clear terms and tracking. Review referred customers' retention, not only the count.

Shopify Affiliate Program page inviting partners to create new entrepreneurs and earn more than commission. — Shopify's affiliate programme presents a proposition specifically for referral partners. Credit: Shopify.

B2B/SaaS: Agencies and consultants are the natural affiliates for most B2B tools.

Existing platforms

Growing on top of platforms with large audiences: app stores, marketplaces, browser extension stores, communities. Fast, but you are renting someone else's ground and rules.

ExampleAirbnb's early history includes leveraging Craigslist listings to reach hosts and guests. Treat it as a historical case, not a playbook: always work within a platform's terms.

First testList your product in one relevant marketplace or app directory with an optimised listing. Track installs and activation from that source for a month.

B2B/SaaS: Slack, HubSpot, Shopify and similar app directories are where many SaaS buyers look for add-ons.

Trade shows

Exhibiting where an industry gathers to buy. Costly in money and time, but it compresses many buyer conversations into a few days.

ExampleTesla has used major auto shows to present its vehicles, putting the product in front of press, industry and buyers at the same time.

First testAttend one show as a visitor before exhibiting. Book meetings in advance and count qualified conversations per euro and per day spent.

Tesla exhibition stand at an automotive show, with a white car, visitors and an illuminated Tesla sign. — A Tesla auto-show stand: a physical setting for product discovery and conversations. Credit: InsideEVs — source linked in the original article.

B2B/SaaS: The value is often in pre-booked meetings, not booth traffic.

Offline events

Hosting your own events, from dinners to meetups to pop-ups. You control the room and the guest list.

ExampleWarby Parker used pop-up shops to let people try frames in person, adding a physical touchpoint to an online-first brand.

First testHost one small, invite-only session for 10 to 15 ideal customers around a problem they share. Measure follow-up meetings, not attendance.

B2B/SaaS: Executive roundtables suit high-value B2B deals well.

Speaking engagements

Speaking at conferences, podcasts and webinars to build credibility with a room of potential customers.

ExampleAt AskCory, we used speaking engagements and podcast appearances to introduce the product to relevant audiences, build relationships and explore partnerships. This included my speaking contribution at the AMIN EMEA Conference.

How it worksSharing useful insights with an audience of potential customers or partners creates an opportunity to demonstrate expertise and start conversations around the problem your product solves. In our case, these appearances supported partnership opportunities and our wider social selling efforts.

Community building

Creating a space where customers connect with each other, not only with you. Slow and demanding, and very hard for competitors to copy.

ExampleHarley-Davidson's Harley Owners Group turned ownership into membership, with chapters and rides that reinforce the brand among riders.

First testStart a small, moderated group for your most engaged users with one recurring ritual. Track weekly active members and member-to-member replies.

B2B/SaaS: Peer communities of practitioners (not product forums) tend to last longer.

Notes for B2B and SaaS teams

Match the channel to contract value. Sales, events and trade shows need larger deals to pay back; SEO, content, integrations and product-led loops suit lower prices.
Account for the buying committee. A sign-up is not a customer when three people must approve the purchase.
Expect long cycles. A channel tested for four weeks in a 90-day sales cycle will look worse than it is; judge leading indicators such as qualified meetings.
Your conversion path matters as much as the channel. Traffic sent to a vague homepage wastes the test; a focused landing page per test keeps results readable.

For the wider picture of positioning and go-to-market, see product strategy and GTM.

Designing your first channel experiment

Write the test down before you start. A simple template:

Hypothesis: Operations leads at 50 to 200 person logistics firms will book a demo from a LinkedIn ad about manual scheduling errors.
Budget cap: A fixed amount you can afford to lose entirely.
Time cap: Two to four weeks, longer only if the sales cycle demands it.
Qualified outcome: Define it narrowly: a demo with someone matching your customer profile, not a click or an email address.
Continue if: Cost per qualified outcome is within what your unit economics can bear, with room to improve.
Stop if: The cap is reached with no qualified outcomes, or the people arriving are clearly the wrong fit.

A cheap customer who churns in two months is expensive. Before scaling, check that customers from the channel retain and pay back their acquisition cost, and compare cohorts by source.

Bonus: Red Bull Stratos, beyond a single channel

Red Bull Stratos brought together a sponsored live event, unconventional PR and video distribution around Felix Baumgartner's jump. It is not a twentieth traction channel: it shows how one idea can travel through several channels.

The useful lesson for a smaller team is not to copy the scale or the risk, but to design an idea with a clear audience, a reason for people to share it and a distribution plan.

Video: Red Bull. YouTube only loads when you press play. Watch on YouTube.

Conclusion

The value of the Bullseye Framework is less in the list than in the habit: consider everything, test small, and commit to evidence instead of preference. Revisit the outer ring every time growth from your main channel flattens.

Originally published on AskCory; revised and expanded for this website. Original article.

Customer Acquisition Channels: The 19 Traction Channels of the Bullseye Framework

What a customer acquisition channel is (and is not)

The 19 traction channels at a glance

How to choose which channels to test

The Bullseye Framework, step by step