The Bullseye Framework: How Early-Stage Startups Should Choose the Right Marketing Channels

The Bullseye Framework

If you're a founder or CEO of an early-stage startup or a D2C brand, you're likely asking yourself every week: "Which marketing channel should we invest in?" Instagram today, Google Ads tomorrow, WhatsApp next week—this constant switching leads to wasted budgets and zero clarity.

Marketing fails not because founders don't work hard, but because they don't focus. That's where the Bullseye Framework comes in.

What Is the Bullseye Framework?

Popularized by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares in their book Traction, the Bullseye Framework helps startups identify the right marketing channels through three concentric circles:

Circle 1: The Outer Circle — All Possible Channels

List every channel where your customers could exist: social media, paid ads, SEO, influencers, WhatsApp, marketplaces, events, and partnerships. At this stage, don't execute—just explore possibilities.

Circle 2: The Middle Circle — Probable Channels

Narrow down to 4–6 probable channels based on your target audience, product category, and competitor insights. Run disciplined, time-bound experiments (2–3 weeks max) with limited budgets. Each experiment should answer one clear question and deliver measurable results quickly.

Circle 3: The Inner Circle — What's Working

After experimentation, you'll find that only 1–3 channels actually work. These become your Bullseye—where you invest serious money, scale campaigns, and build systems. Everything else is paused or deprioritized.

Practical Example 1: D2C Ayurvedic Skincare Brand

Target audience: Urban women (20–40 years), semi-premium pricing, metro cities

Exploration: Instagram, Facebook, influencers, WhatsApp, SEO, marketplaces (Nykaa, Amazon), Google Ads, physical sampling

Experimentation: They test 5 channels over short timelines.

Focus: They discover WhatsApp marketing drives engagement and repeat purchases, SEO brings strong top-funnel awareness, and physical channels help collect genuine feedback. Instead of spreading across 10 channels, they focus on just 2–3 that work.

Practical Example 2: B2B SaaS AI Translation Startup

Target audience: Indian enterprises in FinTech, EdTech, legal firms; subscription-based pricing

Exploration: LinkedIn, Google Search Ads, SEO, Product Hunt, partnerships with agencies, webinars, cold outreach, conferences, referral programs

Experimentation: They test LinkedIn ads targeting decision-makers, publish SEO content, send personalized cold emails, and host webinars.

Focus: Their Bullseye includes LinkedIn (thought leadership + ads) for credibility, SEO for consistent inbound traffic, and partnerships with localization agencies for warm enterprise introductions. They deprioritize Product Hunt and cold outreach due to low ROI.

Key Takeaway for B2B: Trust and credibility matter more than flashy campaigns. Your Bullseye will almost always include a content channel, a performance channel, and a relationship-driven channel.

Final Thoughts

You don't need more channels—you need clarity. The Bullseye Framework helps you stop guessing and start focusing. Every business is different, and identifying your unique Bullseye is critical for sustainable growth.

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