HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Offer Influencers A Cut, Not Equity

Offer Influencers A Cut, Not Equity is a partnerships & affiliates tactic for getting your first users: When a notable creator wants in, structuring the deal as a performance-based revenue share rather than handing over ownership, with an option to convert earnings to equity later.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS, Dev tools / technical, Info products / courses, and Newsletters / media teams, and works especially well for B2B SaaS, dev tools, info products. As a partnerships & affiliates play, plan for low effort and expect results to show up quickly, all grounded in 2 linked primary sources.

Partnerships & affiliatesLow effortFast

Why does partnerships & affiliates work for this?

You avoid diluting the cap table for unproven promotion, the creator is motivated by real upside, and the conversion option keeps a great partner engaged once results are clear.

The exact steps (4)

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 SaaSDev tools / technicalInfo products / coursesNewsletters / media

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Offer Influencers A Cut, Not Equity" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS, Dev tools / technical, Info products / courses, and Newsletters / media — pick it when your product looks like one of those, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Offer Influencers A Cut, Not Equity" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 2 primary sources — real founder write-ups and interviews, not generic advice. They are linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original accounts yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is low effort, and results tend to be fast.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via How to Start a SaaS Business From Scratch and The Untapped SaaS Launch Strategy That Made Me $65K, is in the paid library.

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