
Traction Book – A Startup Guide to Getting Customers - WestCoastJustin
http://tractionbook.com/
======
yegg
Co-author here.

I actually started exploring this book topic in late 2009 through an initial
series of open-ended interviews that involved a lot of people from HN and were
discussed on HN quite extensively (when it was much more startup focused).
Here is that set:
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6r4nAnkQO3VpddRSVwUVDg](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6r4nAnkQO3VpddRSVwUVDg)
(e.g. patio11 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuzNs-
LhC_8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuzNs-LhC_8), Alexis
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enEqAq1x9UQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enEqAq1x9UQ),
Garry Tan
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Win0moC4cA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Win0moC4cA)).

I started angel investing around the same time and I quickly came to the
conclusion that the pursuit of getting traction needed much more structure
akin to product development frameworks. I also got increasingly busy with
DuckDuckGo, and so it took finding a great co-author and many years to
actually get this book across the finish line.

Here's the announcement post from my blog:
[http://www.gabrielweinberg.com/blog/2014/08/get-traction-
tod...](http://www.gabrielweinberg.com/blog/2014/08/get-traction-today.html)

Happy to take any questions.

~~~
programminggeek
I realize that a lot of growth channels tend to become saturated over time and
they no longer make financial sense to invest in. What channels have managed
to sustain themselves as profitable growth channels over longer periods of
time?

~~~
yegg
I know this isn't a very satisfying answer, but the truth is it is highly
dependent on the specifics of the product and market situation. All nineteen
channels we examine in the book have been sustainable growth channels for
companies, and one of our core theses is that the underutilized channels for a
particular market space can often have the best returns. Unfortunately that
means you need to test and that's what our Bullseye framework is all about --
how to approach finding the right traction channel for your particular
situation.

------
mindcrime
Heh, interesting bit of synchronicity... like 30 seconds after I originally
clicked on this, somebody comes in and hands me a package. It was my Amazon
order with my copy of _Traction_.

We are one of those startups that has a product, but doesn't have any paying
customers yet, so needless to say, I'm champing at the bit to dig into this.
If the info in here is actually useful in getting some early traction, this
book will far more than pay for itself.

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maresca
I just finished this book the other day. Great book! As a developer, I'm
usually deep in code so I'm not the best at sales and marketing. The book has
great examples of what others have done to get traction. My biggest takeaway
was that the book helped me get into the sales/marketing mindset which helped
generate a few ideas of my own.

~~~
justinmares
Great to hear it!

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thomasvendetta
I've thoroughly enjoyed and learned from every bit of Traction Book thus far,
highly recommend to anyone who is considering purchasing.

I originally posted this on the GH AMA but my account was pending moderation
and I got skipped... so.. while you're both here:

Do you have any recommendations on using the traction channels to solve the
chicken and the egg problem? Or any other specific reading towards solving the
C&E problem?

Do you have any methods for tracking conversions in offline channels or is it
basically just talking to your customers and asking how they heard about you?

~~~
justinmares
In the book we talk more about offline channel tracking, but basically you can
tie them to online activity (e.g. discount codes, unique URLs, etc.) or via
the "how did you hear about us?" questions.

For beating chicken and egg problem, generally you want to figure out which
side is more difficult to get (demand or supply side) and then think about
what traction channels work to acquire people on that side of the C&E problem.
Happy to chat more over email if you'd like specific help.

------
desireco42
Book is part of Kindle Lending Library, so if you have prime and kindle, you
can get it for free (borrow).

~~~
rahilsondhi
Argh, how do you tell? I just paid $9.99 for the Kindle version and I have
Prime.

EDIT: I see Lending: Enabled under Product Details.

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sshahade
Mid way through the book. Very good read. I wish we had it a couple years
back. But its never too late. As someone said definitely a good way to get
marketing mindset. I would read it along with Lean Startup and go in with the
right tools.

~~~
davidw
Lean Startup struck me as very much in the Business Book mold. The concept is
a good one and he spells it out well, but there's really very little there
that's of much practical use if you've mostly already bought into the concept.

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aaronz8
Nice! It's part of the Kindle library, so I'm able to borrow it for free via
Kindle unlimited. Will definitely buy a hard copy if it's as good as it seems
to be.

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webignition
Any idea when we'll see the hardcover copy available direct from Amazon UK?

For non-linear books such as this I often prefer a physical copy as I can very
easily flick back and forth between sections.

I could buy the hardcover copy from amazon.com for an additional £7.55
shipping cost but would prefer to purchase from amazon.co.uk and pay less (or
nothing) for shipping.

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thomasbacklund
Looks like an interesting read.

How big is the audio download? (I'm on a quota here in the jungle)

Can you name an Android pod app to use with it?

Thanks

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sushidev
I wanted to buy the audio book but castify doesn't want to sell it, they want
me to sign up.. why?

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akbar501
Just purchased the audio book.

Thanks for putting out an audio book. I really wish all books were in audio
form. There's so much free time where audio is possible but reading is not
(driving, walking, running...).

~~~
justinmares
Awesome, thanks!

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whiddershins
hmmm, i signed up for the list but can't figure out how to get my 3 free
chapters

~~~
justinmares
Or go here - [http://snip.ly/5Wwo](http://snip.ly/5Wwo)

~~~
jjsz
Thanks.

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cdnsteve
Discount for HN readers?

~~~
justinmares
We have no power to discount on Amazon, but you can get the first 3 chapters
free here - [http://snip.ly/5Wwo](http://snip.ly/5Wwo)

