The questions, answered.
Long answers to the questions the rest of the web answers badly. Each one holds something you cannot get elsewhere: the actual ads, the actual prices, a number instead of “it depends”.
Where to start
What to do at your stage, and what to leave alone.
- What marketing should I do to get from zero to $1k MRR?How to get to $1k a monthNothing clever, and nothing that needs a budget. Six ordinary jobs, done a bit every day, that get a SaaS product, a consumer app or anything in between to its first thousand a month.6 jobs · a bit every day
- I am an engineer with no marketing experience. Where do I start?Marketing for engineersWhat to do first when you can build anything and have never sold anything. Written for the person shipping the product, not for someone selling to developers.7 steps · first week
- What marketing can I do right now with no budget?Marketing you can do this afternoon for nothingThings worth doing that cost no money and take under an hour each, in the order they pay off.12 jobs · $0
When to start what
One question, one threshold, one page.
- When should I start UGC or influencer marketing?When to start UGCOne threshold, the reason behind it, and what to do with the money until you get there.$5k a month
- When should I start SEO for a startup?When to start SEOTwo different answers, because the plumbing and the writing start at different times.Foundations now · writing at $1k
- When should I start running paid ads?When to run your first adsTwenty dollars on day one for a completely different reason than a real budget at five thousand a month.$60 now · real budget at $5k
- When should I hire a marketer?When to hire a marketerAfter a channel already works, and for that channel specifically. The order matters more than the person.$20k a month · specialist first
Tools and money
What things cost and which to pick, with nothing paid for placement.
- How much do AI marketing tools cost?What AI marketing tools actually costThe band on every one of the 71 tools we list, what a working stack adds up to at each stage, and why the headline price is usually not the price.71 tools priced · 47 under $200
- What marketing tools do I need at my size?The stack at $1k, $5k and $20kThree named stacks with real totals, and what to add at each step rather than a list of everything that exists.$0 → $50 → $150 → $400
- What are AI-native marketing tools?The new wave of marketing toolsFive jobs that did not exist three years ago, eight that did and grew an AI button, and how to tell which one you are being sold.5 new jobs of 13
- Are AI UGC ads as good as real creators?AI actors or real creatorsWhat each one is actually for, what they cost when you check rather than read a rate card, and why every number published about this comes from someone selling one side.$100 a video, not $500
- What is the best AI clipping tool?Clipping tools, comparedSix tools that turn long video into shorts, what separates them, and honest pricing on a category where almost every comparison is written by a competitor.6 tools · from free
- How do I find and pay UGC creators myself?DIY UGC: build your own creator networkFind creators yourself on TikTok, Instagram or X, agree a rate directly, and keep them as your own roster. What to say, what to pay, and why this beats agencies and marketplaces once it runs.$15–25 a video + $2 per 1,000 views
- How do I run my first UGC campaign?Running your first UGC campaignWhat to pay, how many videos to order, which model to use, and what a first campaign should cost before you know anything.10 videos · about $1,000
- What is the best Arcads alternative?Arcads alternativesFive tools that do the same job, what each is actually better at, and no affiliate links. Every source ranking for this question is a competing product ranking itself.5 alternatives · 1 free
Getting found
What gets a page cited, and who is being cited today.
- Which short-form ad format should I use for a consumer app?App ad formats that worked, with the adsEvery short-form format indie consumer apps are using, each one taken from a post by the founder or operator who ran it, with the ad playing inside the post.18 formats · 41 apps
- How do I get cited by ChatGPT?How to get cited by ChatGPTWhat the studies actually show moves citations, what does nothing, and the order to do it in.44.2% of citations from the first 30%
- Which AI marketing tools do the models recommend?Which marketing tools the models recommendWe ask the answer engines the questions buyers ask, and publish who gets named. The prompts and the raw source lists are here so you can run it yourself.9 prompts · re-run quarterly
Which marketing to do at which stage is on the climb. The tools are on the route index, and the free ones are here.