As the marketing landscape continues to shift at an unprecedented pace, startups in 2025 are rethinking how they drive growth and acquire users. After the overwhelming success of our first roundtable, we’re continuing the conversation with Part Two — a deeper look into the trends that are defining startup marketing this year.
Our experts:
Adam Fachler, Director of Marketing at Veraset
Barry Ryan, Head of Marketing at Thirst
Can Kivanc, Co-Founder at Adsbot
Cristina Hontanilla, Marketing and Communications Director at Finnovista
Delani Denton, Owner of Telos Marketing
Fara Rosenzweig, VP of Marketing at ZEALS
Ivan Drobyshev, Founder at Grechka Media
Jason Stephenson, SVP of Marketing at Aspireship
Jessica Bachan, SEM Specialist at Tripadvisor
Karan Sharma, Head of Content Marketing at Kenko AI
Kristin Jones, Founder and CEO of JONES Marketing & PR
Nicci Reeve, Head of Marketing at Loop
Olga Denisova, Head of Marketing
Peter Kireev, Co-founder and CPO at Reliz LTD
Adam Fachler, Director of Marketing at Veraset
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
For an early-stage startup looking to acquire their first users, the exact channel mix might vary depending on where your target audience hangs out.
But the strategy? The same every time.
- Identify a salient problem your audience is having and study it voraciously. Speak to as many people as you can in as much depth as you can.
- Publish content that speaks to that problem--up to and including solving it. If I were to guess, it would be on LinkedIn or Twitter.
- Comment widely within that audience's "scene" for visibility.
It's not easy, and it's not "cheap" if you value your time. But it's a brutally effective, well-worn path to finding product-market fit.
And with sufficient signal from organic sources, it's then easy to figure out which content or themes you should amplify on paid channels because you already know what's performant.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
The answer to this depends so heavily on the audience. But I'll say this: in many categories (usually B2B, high ACV, long lead time), performance marketing that works for service providers might not work as expected. Even when bidding on the most straightforward, vanilla keywords in your space.
Instead, it might be worthwhile to think of paid as "guaranteed distribution." Then the focus shifts towards making something good enough to truly earn your audience's attention.
Answering that question is actually the highest ROI strategy, and in the long run, it's also likely the most cost-effective since the mileage you can get out of a strong piece of content that sells is almost unlimited.
Barry Ryan, Head of Marketing at Thirst
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
For early-stage startups with limited budgets, my go-to recommendation is to invest in SEO from day one.
It’s hands-down one of the most cost-effective growth channels — especially when every penny counts. Unlike paid ads that stop the moment your budget runs out, SEO builds equity.
It compounds over time. Every piece of content, every technical tweak, every backlink — it all adds up and continues to deliver long after you hit publish.
I’ve seen this play out time and time again over the past 14 years across B2B, SaaS, and e-commerce — brands that commit to SEO early are the ones with serious long-term leverage.
But here’s the honest part: SEO isn’t a quick win.
It takes time, consistency, and patience.
That’s why I always suggest pairing it with faster feedback loops like organic social or community engagement in the early days, but never neglecting your organic foundation. Because six months from now, you’ll wish you started today.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
In the B2B space, LinkedIn Ads can be an incredibly powerful channel — especially for lead generation and cost-effective brand awareness when executed well.
It’s where decision-makers are spending time, engaging with industry content, and actively looking for solutions.
At Thirst, we’ve seen strong ROI when we’ve leaned into highly targeted campaigns that speak directly to the pain points of L&D professionals. With the right message, creative, and segmentation, LinkedIn can cut through the noise like no other platform.
But it’s not a plug-and-play channel.
The biggest pitfall I see is startups burning through budget on broad targeting, weak creative, or vanity metrics like impressions. LinkedIn CPCs are notoriously high, so you need to be laser-focused on quality over quantity.
You can’t afford to treat it like Facebook Ads or boost generic posts and hope for the best.
You need a clear offer, tight targeting, and messaging that genuinely adds value to your audience’s day.
When that’s in place? It absolutely delivers.
Can Kivanc, Co-Founder Adsbot
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
LİnkedIn outreach & referral is the fastest and easiest way to acquire new customers. Getting users from forums like reddit or quora is also another way to find relevant users to test your product.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
Google Ads is the highest ROI and fastest channel based on my experience. If a related search for your product has the intent; you will see the results in a short period of time.
Cristina Hontanilla, Marketing and Communications Director at Finnovista
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
Channels and strategies might change depending on geographics. My experience with early-stage Fintech startups in Latam is that acquiring users from day one without large budgets requires leveraging organic and community-driven strategies. Building a strong community around the product is essential. Engaging with Fintech associations, communities on LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and attending industry events allows startups to connect not only with early adopters, but also with industry peers, and potential partners. These strategic partnerships or associations can enhance visibility and provide access to relevant audiences at minimal cost, maximizing the impact.
Also optimizing content for search engines they will ensure long-term visibility, reducing the need for costly acquisition. Referral programs are another cost-effective strategy, as well-designed incentive structures encourage existing users to bring in new customers in the case of B2C businesses.
Founders actively share industry insights, personal startup experiences, and valuable content on social media to position themselves as thought leaders. This would, in turn, open doors to PR opportunities and thought leadership sessions at industry events.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
The most effective paid marketing channels depend on the business model, and again, geographics. LinkedIn Ads are the most effective channel to reach corporate clients, investors, and strategic partners but less so for engaging customers in a B2C model. Meta ads, particularly through Instagram and Facebook, remain the best-performing channels for B2C. Their advanced targeting capabilities, combined with conversion-optimized campaigns and lookalike audiences, make them a highly efficient tool for scaling user acquisition in B2C, however, they are not as effective for B2B models.
A balanced strategy combining Meta Ads, Google Search Ads, and content marketing collaborations, supported by high-value content on social media and PR, maximizes ROI while keeping acquisition costs under control.
Delani Denton, Owner of Telos Marketing
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
Understand that you can't be everywhere all at once. Also, understand that successfully building a platform is a marathon. So, choose the platform that you can produce the best quality while staying consistent. That being said, stretch yourself and do some research about what make a good piece of content and put in the effort. You don't need a big budget and fancy equipment to do well. Test it out and learn from there.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
That's tough because SEO and email marketing traditionally have the highest ROI, but even though they are not considered paid marketing channels, your media spend can significantly influence results here. Social media campaigns optimized for conversions for a lower-ticket item are going to funnel people into your database, as well as value driven content, such as blog posts with relevant CTAs to sign up for your newsletter. More often than not, Google Ads are going to yield better conversions, but you may not have the budget to compete well for highly-targeted keywords. Until you do, focus on developing informative content on LinkedIn, create a value-packed newsletter, establish your EEAT via blog content, and generate leads via low-ticket items. This will work in your favor to drive leads and build your online presence.
Fara Rosenzweig, VP of Marketing at ZEALS
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
That varies because every startup I have worked with has a different audience. So I look at what channel(s) is my audience on and then start there.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
Events and Reddit have been great channels for my strategy.
Ivan Drobyshev, Founder at Grechka Media
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
For early-stage startups without big budgets, the best marketing doesn’t start with ads — it starts with people. One of the most powerful tools is the founder’s own voice. Raw, honest posts on LinkedIn or X about what you're building, what’s hard, and what’s working tend to outperform polished brand content. It’s not about reach — it’s about trust.
Next, build in referral loops from day one. Your first 10 users should have a reason — even a small one — to bring the next 10. Whether it's exclusive access, a personal thank-you, or a free upgrade, it keeps the momentum going. At the same time, find and join niche communities: Reddit threads, Discord groups, Telegram chats — anywhere your users already live. Be helpful, not salesy.
Cold outreach still works when it’s thoughtful. If you're solving a real problem, a message that shares a useful insight, mini tool, or a sharp observation can start real conversations. Don’t sell — invite feedback. And when it comes to visibility, skip the big PR push. Instead, target smaller but highly relevant media: newsletters, podcasts, or local content creators.
One underrated but surprisingly effective tactic is maps. Just adding your business to Google Maps, Yango Maps, and local directories can drive discovery, especially for local B2B or B2C services. It’s low-cost, high-intent traffic.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
As for paid channels, Meta still delivers the strongest ROI for B2C, especially with native, story-style creatives. Google’s Performance Max campaigns work well when you have clear conversion goals and decent data — great for marketplaces or service platforms. For high-ticket B2B, LinkedIn Ads are expensive but laser-targeted, especially when paired with strong gated content like reports or calculators.
And finally, don’t overlook alternative channels like influencer whitelisting — running ads through creators’ accounts rather than your brand page.
Jason Stephenson, SVP of Marketing at Aspireship
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
When you’re building from zero (or close to zero), your most powerful marketing assets are speed, focus, and your ability to connect directly with your target customers. At this stage, it’s not about scale, it’s about traction. Here’s where I’d focus:
- Nail Your Positioning First - Before you touch a channel, make sure your positioning is clear, differentiated, and speaks directly to a real problem your ICP is actively trying to solve. If you skip this, nothing else will (most likely) work.
- Use Founder-Led or Expert-Led Content - In the early days, the founder or a subject-matter expert is the brand. Post consistently on LinkedIn, offering insights and stories related to the problem you solve. Start conversations, not broadcasts. Comment thoughtfully on posts from your target audience and adjacent thought leaders. Host low-lift webinars, AMAs, or short videos to engage early interest.
- Tap Into Communities - Go where your audience already hangs out: Slack groups, Reddit, Discord, niche forums, listen first, contribute second. Be genuinely helpful, not salesy. Share value, answer questions, and subtly introduce your product (if allowed) where it makes sense.
- Every discovery call is a chance to build trust, learn language, and create advocates. These early users should feel like insiders, not just customers.
- Partner Strategically - Find non-competing tools or service providers that share your audience. Collaborate on webinars, guest content, or bundled offers.
- Leverage Case Studies Early - Even one success story can be turned into 10 different pieces of content. Prioritize this early.
You don’t need a massive budget to make noise, you need focus, empathy, and relentless curiosity about your audience.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
The most cost-effective channels are the ones where learning compounds. That usually means starting small, testing fast, and continuously aligning your targeting and messaging to revenue outcomes, not vanity metrics.
In B2B, especially for early- to mid-stage startups, high ROI comes down to targeting precision and message-market fit.
And ROI isn’t just about cost per click. It’s about cost per qualified conversation or pipeline opportunity. Start narrow, track everything to revenue, not just leads, and double down where quality compounds.
When budgets are tight, it’s tempting to chase the cheapest clicks or leads. But in B2B, especially for startups, volume doesn’t win. Precision does.
Jessica Bachan, SEM Specialist at Tripadvisor
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
For early stage startups, especially those operating without large budgets, I believe the most effective marketing strategy starts with clarity and focus. The first users don’t just come from flashy campaigns - they come from understanding who you’re solving for, and showing up where those people already are.
I’d start by identifying the tightest version of my ICP (ideal customer profile) and mapping where they spend time online- whether that’s Reddit, niche Slack groups, LinkedIn, or even comments sections on YouTube channels. From there, it’s about being present in those communities, not to pitch, but to contribute. Relationship first, brand second.
On the tactical side, I’d lean heavily into channels that offer immediate feedback and low cost of entry- organic social, landing pages with strong value props, and direct outreach. Cold emails and DMs may not scale long-term, but they’re gold when you're learning what resonates. Early users are not just customers, they’re collaborators.
If I can, I’ll layer in referral loops from the start. Not a complex system - just simple incentives that turn early believers into advocates. And on the content side, I’d focus less on volume and more on resonance: a single, well placed blog post or case study can outperform 10 generic ones if it’s speaking directly to your audience’s pain.
The goal at this stage isn’t reach, it’s traction. And that comes from staying close to your users, testing constantly, and being relentlessly clear about the value you deliver.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
In my experience, the paid channels that deliver the highest ROI are the ones that align tightly with user intent and decision stage. Google Search is almost always a top performer - especially when leveraging long-tail, high-intent keywords. Users coming in through search are often problem-aware and ready to act, which shortens the conversion cycle.
Beyond that, Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram) can be extremely cost effective for top of funnel discovery, especially when paired with strong creative and narrow targeting. It’s a great channel for testing messaging, generating early traction, or fueling retargeting audiences.
LinkedIn Ads tend to be more expensive, but if you're in B2B and dial in on job titles and firmographics, the ROI can justify the spend. I’ve also seen strong results with Reddit Ads and Twitter (X) Ads for niche or developer focused products, where contextual targeting lets you show up in exactly the right conversation.
Lastly, retargeting across Google Display, Meta, and even YouTube offers some of the highest ROI per dollar spent. When you’ve already earned someone’s interest, a strategic retargeting flow can do the heavy lifting of nurturing and converting- without breaking the budget.
The best-performing channel isn’t universal - it’s the one that reflects how your audience finds, evaluates, and decides. That’s where I focus first.
Karan Sharma, Head of Content Marketing at Kenko AI
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
Let's be real. Most early-stage startups don't have marketing budgets. They have hustle, creativity, and now - AI as their secret weapon.
Step 1: Forget traditional marketing. You're not buying ads. You're building a strategic system that attracts users like a magnet. Your approach isn't about spending money, but about creating genuine value and connecting with the right people at the right time.
Step 2: Your AI toolkit transforms user acquisition from a complex, expensive process into a streamlined, intelligent strategy. Instead of hiring multiple marketing specialists, you'll become a strategic conductor, orchestrating AI agents that work tirelessly to understand, engage, and convert potential users.
Step 3: These AI agents aren't just tools; they're your digital scouts. The Intelligence Agent dives deep into online communities, decoding exactly what potential users want. The Content Catalyst Agent crafts messages so personalized, they'll feel like they're written by a close friend. The Community Infiltration Agent slides into conversations, providing genuine value without ever feeling like a sales pitch.
Step 4: Your deployment strategy is surgical. You'll start by defining an ultra-specific audience segment with a crystal-clear understanding of their pain points. Then, your AI agents will map the landscape, craft magnetic messaging, initiate meaningful interactions, and convert conversations into real user relationships.
Step 5: Zero-budget doesn't mean zero strategy. Platforms like LinkedIn, niche online communities, and targeted content creation become your growth channels. You'll publish value-driven content, engage authentically in discussions, and build thought leadership without spending a dime. Collaborative growth with complementary startups becomes your secret weapon, expanding reach through smart cross-promotions.
Step 6: The new marketing principles are simple: Humans design the big-picture strategy, AI executes the tactical elements, and you provide constant, light-touch guidance. Your primary investment is time, creativity, and a willingness to experiment rapidly.
Step 7: Your first 100 users won't just be trying a product. They'll feel like founding members of a movement. You're not selling a solution; you're inviting them into a community that understands and solves their deepest challenges.
Step 8: This isn't just a user acquisition strategy. It's a paradigm shift in how early-stage startups think about growth. By leveraging AI, you transform user acquisition from a budget-dependent challenge into an intelligent, automated growth system.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
The most effective paid channels aren't about massive spending but strategic, hyper-targeted deployment based on funnel tier optimization.
Tier 1: The Sniper Channels (Highest ROI)
LinkedIn Ads for B2B/High-Ticket Services work because they offer laser-precise targeting, reach decision-makers directly, and face lower competition compared to Google. The average conversion rates are 2-5 times the industry standard. The pro strategy here is to micro-target by job title, industry, and company size, create ultra-specific, value-driven content, and use retargeting to follow up with engaged viewers. The budget sweet spot is between $500-$2,000 per month, with a potential ROI of 3-7 times the investment.
Google Search Ads at the bottom of the funnel can also be extremely effective. The optimization hack involves focusing exclusively on high-intent keywords, creating hyper-specific landing pages, using exact match keywords, and implementing aggressive negative keyword strategies. For Google Search Ads, the budget sweet spot is between $1,000-$3,000 per month, with a potential ROI of 2-5 times the investment.
Tier 2: The Precision Channels
Facebook and Instagram Ads, especially for D2C businesses, offer unique opportunities. The best approach is to leverage AI for creative testing, create micro-audiences based on behavior, use story-driven, native-feeling ads, and implement advanced retargeting sequences. The budget sweet spot for these channels is between $500-$1,500 per month, with a potential ROI of 2-4 times the investment.
The AI-Powered Optimization Framework
Instead of relying on manual testing, it’s smarter to use AI to generate ad variations, predict performance, automate budget allocation, and identify winning creative elements.
A hidden gem in paid advertising right now is YouTube Shorts Ads. They currently offer the lowest CPM in digital advertising, represent massive untapped potential, and work best for visually compelling offers.
Kristin Jones, Founder and CEO of JONES Marketing & PR
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
For early-stage B2B startups looking to acquire their first users without large budgets, establishing solid marketing foundations is essential before investing in specific channels. This begins with comprehensive market research to precisely define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), followed by developing a compelling value proposition that clearly differentiates your solution. Creating a professional brand identity and strategic website that articulates your solution's benefits rather than just features is equally important, as is preparing sales enablement materials for founders who will typically be finding and closing those critical first customers.
With these foundations in place, focus on high-impact, cost-effective awareness strategies, starting with founder-led thought leadership. Securing byline articles in industry publications should be a cornerstone strategy. These serve as powerful third-party credibility builders, with published thought leadership articles providing validation that's particularly valuable for unknown startups.
LinkedIn offers exceptional ROI for B2B startups when approached strategically — prioritize a content mix of thought leadership (50%), educational insights (30%), and company news (20%), with particular emphasis on short-form video content, which consistently achieves higher engagement rates than other formats. Maintain a consistent LinkedIn presence with 3-5 weekly posts.
Beyond LinkedIn, build community through active participation in existing online forums where prospects gather, strategically network with 50-100 ideal prospects by adding genuine value before pitching, and host small, focused virtual roundtables on topics directly relevant to your ICP's challenges.
At this early stage, measure what truly matters—brand visibility, engagement quality, community growth, and qualitative feedback — rather than focusing solely on lead volume. Remember that your advantage as an early-stage startup lies not in competing with established players on traditional marketing channels, but in authenticity, specificity and personal connection.
By focusing on founder-led thought leadership and targeted community engagement, you can build meaningful awareness that translates to initial customer relationships without substantial budgets, with the goal being not immediate mass lead generation but rather building credibility and trust with a focused group of potential early adopters who will form the foundation of your customer base.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
Paid LinkedIn Ads campaigns consistently deliver the strongest ROI for B2B startups, particularly when targeting specific professional roles. For B2B tech companies, LinkedIn campaigns achieved significant reach with modest paid budgets ($6-8K per quarter ad spend), showing that targeted professional audiences can be reached efficiently. In our experience, the most cost-effective LinkedIn content formats are typically founder POV videos, which can achieve CTRs up to 8.5% in niche segments, dramatically outperforming industry averages.
Google Search Ads (particularly for bottom-funnel keywords with clear purchase intent) typically show strong ROI for B2B startups, with conversion rates that justify the higher CPC. By focusing on highly specific, long-tail keywords related directly to your solution, you can minimize competition and maximize relevance.
Remarketing campaigns across platforms consistently deliver 3-5× higher ROI than cold outreach campaigns. Once someone has visited your website, targeting them with follow-up ads on LinkedIn converts at much higher rates with lower costs.
For industry-specific solutions, targeted sponsorships of niche newsletters or industry publications often deliver excellent ROI, with some B2B startups reporting 2-3× better performance compared to broader digital channels when the audience alignment is precise.
The key for success is not just the channel selection but implementation strategy: smaller, highly targeted audience segments consistently outperform broader targeting, and content that positions the founder as a thought leader tends to drive the highest engagement at the lowest cost for early-stage companies.
Nicci Reeve, Head of Marketing at Loop
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
First: Lay solid foundations
1. Get your first marketing hire right Founders, don’t start by hiring a big-company CMO. You need a full-stack marketer - someone who’s great at going from zero to one. They should balance strategy with execution and ideally have a product marketing mindset. Early-stage is about learning fast and iterating constantly.
2. Define exactly who you’re for You can’t market to everyone and you shouldn’t try. Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a clear picture of who’s the best fit for your product. Think beyond industry and company size. What signals show they’re likely to buy? What problems are they trying to solve? This clarity helps you focus where it counts.
3. Nail your positioning and messaging Clear positioning is foundational to everything you do next. Focus on the memory you want to create about your product or service in your buyers' minds. Keep it simple, clear and relevant. No jargon. No fluff. Just tell them what matters.
Next: Focus your energy
4. Prioritise like your time (and money) depends on it You can’t do everything. Use a framework like ICE (Impact, Confidence, Ease) to work out what’s worth your time. Say no to distractions. Protect your team’s focus on what truly drives growth, rather than executing every idea thrown your way.
5. Show up where your buyers already are If you know your ICP, you should know where they hang out, how they research and what influences their decisions. That’s where you show up.
6. Make content do more than tick a box Ineffective teams create content, post it once and move on. Don’t. Make something useful, then put it to work - share it in outbound, repurpose it in different formats and hand it to sales. → If they’re not buying yet, make sure they remember you. → If they’re ready to buy, make it easy to buy.
Finally: Win as one team
7. Align your go-to-market team The best early-stage teams operate as one. Think 'Allbound' - sales, marketing, product and customer success working together toward shared goals. One team. One ICP. One plan. Alignment is how you work every day. Continuous alignment and feedback loops across early stage start-ups are critical.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
The truth is, there's no universal “best” paid channel. What works depends entirely on your GTM motion, your ICP and how aligned your teams are.
Attribution will only ever tell you part of the story. Buying decisions are rarely the result of one ad or one touchpoint. They’re shaped by everything your company says, does and stands for over time.
If not, paid spend won’t fix it. It’ll just burn cash faster.
If you’re a B2B company with high ACV and long sales cycle, done right, ABM is the most cost-effective and highest-impact channel because it avoids wasted spend. You're not trying to reach everyone. You're showing up with the right message, in the right way, to the right accounts, at the right time.
But (and this bit matters) ABM only works if it’s not just a marketing play. It has to be owned across sales and marketing targeting the same priority accounts, with aligned messaging and a clear plan.
So before you even think about budget:
* Do you have clear goals and a way to measure success?
* Have you tiered your accounts (1:1, 1:few, 1:many) based on potential value and fit?
* Are sales, marketing, and leadership all aligned on the plan?
* Do you know who’s actually involved in buying at each account?
* Do you have messaging and content that speaks to each tier?
* Are you clear on which channels your buyers actually pay attention to?
* Can you adapt your tactics based on how accounts are engaging?
Olga Denisova, Head of Marketing
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
You need to lean into early adopters and boost word of mouth. So organic social if your win here. Reddit is a goldmine of such users for tech strartups, not only it can generate some traffic but also community is super open to share feedback. Consider LinkedIn for b2b products and decision makers. A smart referral program is also a great way to double your community base. The key here is to offer something of true value. Finally, consider unlocking some of your product functionality and using it as a magnet for traffic and a viral tool.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
Hardly any channel can beat paid search because of it's immediate ROI - we are capturing existing demand here, however, you have to be really advanced here and with no smart content and needed talent it's hard to win the game fast. Paid video is still highly under-estimated channel and will give you great ROI - be careful though as it may not show up if you use only one-click attribution and limited in cross-device tracking.
Peter Kireev, Co-founder and CPO at Reliz LTD
What marketing channels and strategies would you recommend for early-stage startups looking to acquire their first users from day one without large budgets?
For early-stage startups with limited budgets, referral programs and word-of-mouth marketing are among the most powerful and cost-effective ways to acquire users from day one. To maximize early traction, consider the following strategies:
- Referral programs help encourage existing users to invite others by offering bonuses, discounts, or access to features.
- Invite-only and early access models can create exclusivity and drive early interest.
- Launch platforms like Product Hunt, BetaList, and Indie Hackers connect startups with audiences actively seeking new products.
- Community engagement on Reddit, Facebook Groups, Discord, and Slack can build awareness through valuable, non-promotional contributions.
- Micro-influencers and user-generated content on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram often deliver authentic exposure with high engagement at a lower cost.
Using a mix of these methods can help attract early users without requiring significant spend.
Based on your experience, which paid marketing channels deliver the highest ROI and are the most cost-effective?
When it comes to paid marketing, early-stage startups benefit most from channels that deliver a high return on investment while keeping costs manageable. Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) continue to be effective, especially with short-form video content in Reels and Stories, which often outperform static formats. TikTok Ads have also proven valuable, as organic-style content tends to generate strong engagement and lower acquisition costs. Google Performance Max and YouTube Shorts Ads offer cost-efficiency through AI-driven optimization, distributing ads across search, display, shopping, and video based on performance. Reddit Ads and Twitter (X) Ads present affordable options with strong potential for niche targeting, particularly in communities with high user interaction.
Programmatic ads combined with AI retargeting can help bring back users who have already shown interest in your brand. Regularly tweaking ad creatives, refining audience targeting, and adjusting strategies can make a big difference in getting the best results without overspending.