HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Embed a 'Powered By' Backlink in the Free Tier

Embed a 'Powered By' Backlink in the Free Tier is a product-led growth tactic for getting your first users: Ship a free version of your widget that carries a branded link back to you, so every site that installs it spreads referral traffic and backlinks on your behalf.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS teams, and works especially well for widgets, embeddable tools, freemium SaaS. As a product-led growth play, plan for low effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Product-led growthLow effortSlow

Why does product-led growth work for this?

Each free embed becomes a distribution node advertising you on someone else's website.

The exact steps (5)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

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Sources

Works for
B2B SaaS

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Embed a 'Powered By' Backlink in the Free Tier" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Embed a 'Powered By' Backlink in the Free Tier" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 1 primary source — a real founder write-up or interview, not generic advice. It is linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original account yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is low effort, and results tend to be slow.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Source — IndieHackers, is in the paid library.

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