Instead, answer this 10 question checklist:
Most founders jump straight into tactics. But if you don’t have answers to the below questions, you should pause any marketing spend.
Here are the 10 questions I ask every startup before helping them go to market, and why each one matters:
1. Can you describe your product in one concise sentence?
→ If you can’t explain it simply, no one else will either.
2. Can you describe your user persona in one sentence?
→ Marketing without clarity on who you serve is just noise. I've got a lot of scars from wasted time and money that flowed from an inability to clearly articulate a key persona!
3. Have you talked to 50–100 users in this persona?
→ If not, you’re honestly guessing. Insights > assumptions.
4. What benefits does your product provide?
→ People don’t buy features they buy the outcomes they believe your product will deliver.
5. What’s the emotional value prop behind those benefits?
→ Emotion creates resonance. That’s what makes messaging stick.
6. What are the features that support your value prop?
→ Tie features to outcomes so users see the value fast.
7. Where do your users go to seek information?
→ Those are the places/ platforms where your messaging needs to live.
8. Have you mapped the customer journey?
→ You need to know what they’re thinking, feeling, and doing at each stage.
9. Are you present at every critical decision point?
→ Otherwise your funnel has leaks if you're not showing up when it matters.
10. Is your team aligned on the mission and vision?
→ Alignment fuels consistency and without this your collective efforts won't be as impactful.
If you can’t answer these yet, don’t panic! But don’t spend another dollar on marketing spend either.
Instead spend a few days answering these questions. I promise you’ll save the equivalent of 100 days of marketing guesswork.
Anything else would you add to this list? Lmk in the comments below! 👇🏾
---—
👋🏾 Want more startup advice and tech news? Follow me here: Justin Gerrard
And check out my podcast: Rush Hour Podcast
♻️ Repost if you think someone in your network would benefit!
startups gtm marketing
This post was originally shared by on Linkedin.