Marketing for Founders who hate Marketing.
There’s this joke that technical founders fear marketing more than anything else.
And while it’s funny, it’s also painfully true. A lot of people build great products, but when it comes to distribution, visibility, and getting users, they freeze.
Thing is, you don’t need to have insane budgets and pour money into ads.
There are dozens of simple, free or cheap tactics that can help you build awareness, traffic, and even trust — without turning into a full-time marketer.
Here are a few I’ve used myself that actually work.
1. Don’t sleep on SEO and backlinks
This is foundational stuff, and most early-stage teams ignore it.
You don’t need an SEO agency. You just need a few good habits:
Use proper title tags, descriptions, and alt text on your website
Make sure your site is lightweight and fast
Optimize structure, URLs, and metadata for clarity
And most importantly: get backlinks
Backlinks improve your domain authority and help with ranking. But they also bring in real traffic — especially when they come from design galleries or curated inspiration directories.
Here are some free or low-cost places you can submit your site to:
Some have more traffic than others, but together, they create visibility and link value. And if your site is well-designed, that makes the whole thing even more effective.
You can also look into sites like Clutch, Crunchbase, and other directories where you can list your product or studio. It takes just a few minutes — and it adds up over time.
If you’re short on time or patience, services like Effortless Backlinks can do the submission for you, but do your due diligence — a lot of backlink services are scams. I recommend doing it yourself when you can.
2. Use community platforms to share your product
Some of the best exposure I got came from simply sharing Artone in the right places.
These are platforms that exist specifically to discover new tools, products, and startups.
Reddit – Especially niche subreddits related to startups or your domain
Hacker News – If you’re launching something useful or have a story to share
Indie Hackers – Great for early feedback and exposure
Product Hunt – Launching here properly can drive serious traffic. Timing, messaging, and first-hour traction matter a lot.
Besides these, there are curated directories of tools like:
Your goal here is simple: show up where your potential users already hang out. Low cost, low effort — but high impact when done consistently.
3. Pay attention to what your website is telling you
It’s one thing to promote your site across directories and communities. But what happens after people land there? That’s where most founders drop the ball.
You need to track what’s working and what’s not — and your own site gives you a lot of that information. Start with basic analytics. Tools like:
These show you where traffic is coming from, what pages people land on, where they drop off, and what sources are actually delivering clicks that matter.
I highly recommend A/B testing as well — especially around layout, structure, and key CTAs.
Try different homepage sections. See what gets people to scroll, click, convert. Even small layout shifts can change behavior completely.
If you’re driving traffic but seeing no results, maybe it’s not the traffic’s fault — maybe your site isn’t doing its job. You don’t just need visibility. You need to make sure the people who land on your page get it. Fast.
4. Start showing up online — as a person
Founders often think they need to focus on the brand account.
But people follow people, not logos. If you’re not already active on LinkedIn or X (Twitter), you’re leaving value on the table.
You don’t need to go viral. Just start showing your work, your thinking, and your journey.
A few tips:
Don’t just post — engage. Comment. Reply. Join conversations.
Be consistent. I use Typefully to stay on track and schedule posts.
Document, don’t overthink. What are you building? What did you learn? That’s enough.
Building an audience takes time, but it’s a massive long-term advantage. Most of my leads for Artone came from organic content. It works — but only if you’re present.
Also, don’t rely on one platform. If X doesn’t like you anymore, or your account gets limited, you’ll wish you had presence elsewhere.
5. Use PR (even when you’re small)
PR isn’t just for raising rounds. It’s also about awareness, credibility, and trust.
Try to:
Pitch your story to small publications or niche blogs
Share your background as a founder, not just the product
Reach out to journalists who write in your domain
Contribute insights to existing stories (reactive PR)
Use platforms like HARO (Help A Reporter Out) to connect with writers
Founders who are publicly visible often build more trust than the ones who hide behind the brand. Show the face behind the product — especially in early stages.
6. Extra ideas that don’t cost much
These might require more effort, but they work:
Start a simple newsletter about certain topics (preferably relevant to your field) and promote your product there.
Create a small side tool or free resource that points back to your main product
Test and reverse-engineer what your competitors are doing: SEO, content, communities, etc.
Follow creators like Natia Kourdadze who share smart low-cost marketing tips that are actually useful
Explore more hands-on tips from Lisa’s Marketing for Engineers — a great collection of practical resources
A great example of smart, creative marketing:
Jack Kuveke launched a tool called Is My CEO a Fraud?. It’s a simple site where you paste a LinkedIn profile and get a satirical “fraud score” for that person. Funny, ridiculous, and extremely shareable.
Here’s what that little joke tool got him in the first 8 hours:
Whatever you do — be present. Be consistent. Be out there. Even if you’re introverted, be online-extroverted.
Final thoughts
If there’s a place where your name, your face, or your product can show up — put it there.
Be smart, be selective, avoid spammy tactics. But don’t wait for users to magically find you. They won’t.
Marketing doesn’t have to be flashy. It just has to be intentional.
And if you do it right — it can make all the difference.
I’ve spent the last 8+ years helping startups, from zero to funded, turn ideas into products investors notice and users love.
At Artone, we design with purpose. We care about how things look, but even more about how they work. If you’re building something ambitious and want a design partner who gets it, let’s talk.