HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Plant Free Plugins on Every Platform That Links Home

Plant Free Plugins on Every Platform That Links Home is a product-led growth tactic for getting your first users: Publish free open-source plugins and extensions across many marketplaces (browser extension, VS Code extension, WordPress plugin, GitHub Action, Framer plugin), each a discovery point funneling back to your main site.

It's a strong fit for Dev tools / technical and Marketplaces teams, and works especially well for Developer tools and utility products. As a product-led growth play, plan for high effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Product-led growthHigh effortSlow

Why does product-led growth work for this?

Each marketplace is its own audience and search surface, multiplying entry points into your product for near-zero cost.

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
Dev tools / technicalMarketplaces

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Plant Free Plugins on Every Platform That Links Home" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for Dev tools / technical and Marketplaces — 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 "Plant Free Plugins on Every Platform That Links Home" 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 high 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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