Engineering-as-Marketing: The growth strategy most startups overlook.

Most startups think growth means spending more – on ads, content, or PR. But some of the fastest‑growing companies did the opposite. They built something useful instead of something promotional.

Think of a free calculator, tool, or app that solves a small problem for your target users and quietly pulls them into your world.

That’s Engineering-as-Marketing, using your product or engineering skills to build something that markets itself. It turns developer time into distribution.

“The idea is simple: help first, sell later.”

You give users something valuable before asking for anything in return, earning trust, attention, and organic word‑of‑mouth.

This concept, popularised by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares in Traction, has quietly powered growth for companies like HubSpot, Clearbit, and many SaaS startups.

“The best marketing is when you don’t know it’s marketing.” A useful tool doesn’t feel like an ad — yet it builds goodwill, traffic, and brand authority all the same.

Why Engineering-as-Marketing works

1. It’s an underused channel.

   Most startups compete in crowded spaces – ads, SEO, or social content. Few invest in building small, free tools, making this approach less competitive and often far more memorable. As investor Andrew Chen notes, marketing channels lose effectiveness over time, but new, under‑utilised ones offer early‑mover advantage.

2. It gives value upfront, not a sales pitch.

   A well‑built tool helps your audience do something, not just read something. That shift from selling to assisting lowers friction and builds genuine trust. Users get value before they even think of becoming customers.

3. It compounds over time.

   A side project that ranks on Google or spreads on social keeps generating leads long after launch. Unlike ads that stop when you stop paying, a great tool works 24/7.

   Example: HubSpot’s Website Grader (launched 2006) has analysed over 3 million sites and still drives thousands of new leads nearly a decade later. Dharmesh Shah calls such tools “marketing assets with ongoing returns.”

4. It drives virality and SEO naturally.

   Free, novel tools get shared by users, blogs, and media. They attract backlinks, improve SEO, and often go viral without paid promotion. A clever twist or perfect timing can turn a simple project into a PR flywheel – exposure that money can’t easily buy.

Real‑world examples of Engineering-as-Marketing in action

HubSpot – Website Grader

• Users enter any URL to get an instant score on SEO, mobile, and social performance, plus actionable improvement tips.

• Over 3 million websites graded; the tool still generates leads years later.

• Suggestions subtly link to HubSpot’s paid products, turning a free report into a sales funnel.

“It’s a marketing asset with ongoing returns.” – Dharmesh Shah

Shopify – Free business tools suite

• Free logo maker, business‑name generator, invoice creator, privacy‑policy generator, etc.

• Each solved a common problem for aspiring store owners, earning millions of users and tens of thousands of backlinks.

• The Hatchful logo generator became a top funnel source – users designing logos often turned into Shopify store founders.

Ahrefs – Free SEO tools

• Lightweight versions of paid SEO tools (backlink checkers, keyword generators, SERP analysers).

• Attract small businesses not ready to pay yet, letting them experience Ahrefs’ data quality firsthand.

• Many free users convert once they need deeper insights.

Moz – FollowerWonk & Open Site Explorer

• FollowerWonk analysed Twitter audiences.

• Open Site Explorer helped check backlinks.

• Each solved a focused problem, driving traffic and brand awareness.

(The article continues with additional examples and practical steps for founders to implement Engineering‑as‑Marketing.)