# How to get first SaaS customers without paid ads. - working worksheet

Reviewed alongside the Eli guide: https://hireeli.io/resources/get-first-saas-customers-without-paid-ads

## Decision to make

Choose customer-acquisition work an early SaaS founder can run before paid media

Owner: ____________________
Review date: ____________________
Canonical page or destination: ____________________

## Buyer questions

- [ ] How can a SaaS startup get customers without ads?
- [ ] Which organic channel should a founder start with?
- [ ] How do search and communities support early sales?
- [ ] When should paid acquisition begin?

## Evidence-led work plan

### 1. Pair one fast loop with one slow loop

Use a direct channel such as founder outreach, introductions or targeted events to create conversations this week.

Evidence or artifact: ____________________
Status: [ ] not started  [ ] working  [ ] verified  [ ] blocked

### 2. Build a list from the problem, not a database filter

Look for companies showing the condition that makes the problem likely: a new role, platform migration, hiring pattern, compliance change or visible manual workflow.

Evidence or artifact: ____________________
Status: [ ] not started  [ ] working  [ ] verified  [ ] blocked

### 3. Turn live objections into durable pages

After each qualified conversation, record the exact comparison, implementation, risk and pricing questions.

Evidence or artifact: ____________________
Status: [ ] not started  [ ] working  [ ] verified  [ ] blocked

### 4. Earn distribution through adjacent audiences

Find consultants, integration partners, newsletters, podcasts and communities already serving the same buyer at a neighboring stage.

Evidence or artifact: ____________________
Status: [ ] not started  [ ] working  [ ] verified  [ ] blocked

### 5. Know when advertising becomes useful

Consider paid acquisition after a defined audience responds to a stable message, the landing page converts qualified visitors and the economics can support learning spend.

Evidence or artifact: ____________________
Status: [ ] not started  [ ] working  [ ] verified  [ ] blocked

## Source ledger

- [ ] Paul Graham: Do Things That Do Not Scale: https://paulgraham.com/ds.html
- [ ] HubSpot: finding and keeping a first customer: https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/first-customer
- [ ] Google Search Central: people-first content guidance: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content
- [ ] LinkedIn: Professional Community Policies: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/professional-community-policies

## Measurement boundary

Baseline date and exact context: ____________________
7-day observation: ____________________
14-day observation: ____________________
30-day observation: ____________________
Known limitations: ____________________

Keep technical eligibility, citations, recommendations, visits, leads and revenue as separate evidence. This worksheet does not guarantee an external ranking or commercial result.