Founder Channel Selection Matrix
Choose a first acquisition route by audience task evidence, permission, available effort and a concrete learning question instead of popularity.
Read this resource as Markdown
When to use this template
Use this when several channels sound attractive but you can only execute one well. Compare observed audience behavior and what you can deliver through each route.
Choose another approach when: You want a universal best channel, would need to violate local rules, or are ranking channels with invented conversion rates and search volumes.
Gather these inputs
- Evidence of where relevant people ask about or complete the target task.
- The current rules and appropriate participation format for each route.
- Founder capacity, available assets and a meaningful outcome to observe.
Copy and adapt the template
Edit the text below and copy it into your own document. Edits stay in this browser field and are not submitted or saved by this page.
Worked example
Illustrative example, not a Crany customer result. Replace every example detail with facts you can verify.
Fictional handoff founder compares an existing professional community, a broad social feed and an introduction from a willing colleague. The community has relevant task questions but permits promotion only in a designated thread. The broad feed has no observed audience fit. The introduction could support one relevant voluntary conversation. The founder chooses the introduction for immediate learning and prepares a standalone resource for the community’s allowed format. Neither route is labeled inherently superior for every software product.
How to use it
- Collect actual audience-task evidence and verify participation boundaries.
- Compare the useful contribution and total founder effort each route requires.
- Choose a bounded action and review observed outcomes before increasing allocation.
Check before using it
- Audience evidence is stronger than the founder’s personal platform preference.
- Permission and local rules are reviewed before activity.
- Unknown reach and conversion rates remain unknown.
What to measure
Track actual preparation, conversations or task attempts and follow-through effort by route. A small successful interaction supports further investigation, not a claim that the channel will scale.
Research and sources
The founder essay supports direct early-user learning, while Reddit guidance illustrates participation boundaries. The comparison matrix is original and does not endorse a particular platform or predict its returns.
- Paul Graham: Do Things That Do Not Scale — checked 2026-10-24. Historical founder essay on manual recruitment and learning from early users; not a universal acquisition benchmark.
- Reddit: Reddiquette — checked 2026-10-23. Read community rules, contribute relevant original information and avoid vote solicitation; local rules still apply.
About Crany
Crany is an AI marketing co-founder in development for software founders and vibe coders, designed to strategize, execute approved marketing and improve based on results. This free resource is usable independently of the product. Join the public waitlist.