Growth•6 min read
Customer Acquisition Guide | 2026
How to acquire your first 100 customers. Channels, strategies, and tactics that work.
The Acquisition Framework
Before spending money, master organic:
- Content (SEO, social)
- Network (warm intros)
- Product (referrals, virality)
Then scale with paid: 4. Paid ads (Google, Meta) 5. Partnerships 6. Influencers
Channels That Work
1. Direct Outreach
- Email founders directly
- Personal, not mass
- Offer value first
2. Warm Introductions
- Ask every contact
- LinkedIn connections
- Alumni networks
3. Content Marketing
- Blog posts
- Guides
- Case studies
4. Communities
- Slack groups
- Discord
5. Product Hunt
- Launch early
- Get feedback
- Build email list
CAC by Channel
| Channel | Avg CAC | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Content | $0-50 | B2B |
| Referrals | $0-20 | Consumer |
| Google Ads | $20-100 | B2B |
| Meta Ads | $10-50 | B2C |
| $50-200 | B2B |
Conclusion
Start free, prove it works, then scale.
Use Our Tools
Model your unit economics.