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Marketing & Sales · Framework

Client Acquisition Wheel

A visual framework mapping startup growth channels, sub-tactics, and specific tools

From the Xiry library · Updated 11 October 2026

This framework maps the primary client acquisition avenues available to early-stage startups across six core categories. It breaks each channel down into actionable sub-tactics and suggests specific software tools and platforms to execute them. It serves as a single-page reference to audit marketing options and plan distribution experiments.

The framework

Six segments, each with sub-strategies and tactics:

SEO (green): Backlinks (Micro Launchpads), Keywords (Ahrefs, Semrush, Ubersuggest), Competitors (Ahrefs), Broken Links (DA), Contra (Tasks: High Imp., Medium Imp.), FlexJobs (Tasks: High Imp., Medium Imp., Low Imp.), Linkedin (Task: High Imp., Tasks: High Imp.), Network (Fiverr, Upwork), Task: Med Imp.

Employees (yellow): Paid/employee-driven channel ring with task tiers (Low/Med/High impact).

Paid ads (brown): X ads (Price: Low), Instagram Ads (Price: Medium), Meta Ads (Price: Medium), Reddit Ads (Price: Low), Linkedin Ads (Price: Average), Googls Ads (Price: High), Affiliate platform, X.

Affiliates (red/orange): Lemonsqueezy, Rewardful, Heepsy, Passionfroot, Ezycollab, Micro Influencers, Influencers, Platform, Referrals, Recommendations.

Outbound (purple): Apollo, Phantombuster, Billy Buzz, Repliyguy, F5bot, PH, Founders, Keyword Mentions, Auto Replies, Social Listening, b2b, b2c.

Inbound (blue): Hacker News (Show HN), Reddit (Case Studies), Threads, Instagram (Reels, Short Form), Linkedin (Long-form), X (Memes + Threads), SEO GPT.

What it's for

  • Brainstorm customer acquisition experiments across multiple distribution channels
  • Identify specific tools and platforms for outbound outreach and social listening
  • Compare paid advertising options based on relative price tiers

Key points

  • Covers six core acquisition pillars: Inbound, Outbound, Affiliates, Paid Ads, Employees, and SEO
  • Recommends specific software tools for keyword research, backlink building, and automation
  • Breaks down outbound strategies by social listening, auto-replies, and scraping platforms
  • Categorizes paid channels by relative cost (Low, Medium, Average, High)
  • Maps organic inbound content types across platforms like Hacker News, Reddit, and LinkedIn

Pricing

Free

Details

Type
Framework
Category
Marketing & Sales
Topic
Customer Acquisition
Open source
No
Platforms
other
For
Startup founders, solo entrepreneurs, and early-stage marketers
Alternative to
Bullseye Framework
Tags
framework, marketing, lead generation, startups, growth

Why it was saved

  • @natiakourdadze, 28 December 2024: A one-glance reference of where to find clients: which channel, which sub-tactic, and which specific tool or platform to use.

Related

Updated