The GTM Checklist for Startups

July, 2025 |  Go-to-market strategy, startup marketing, product-market fit, early-stage startup, growth checklist, pricing strategy, startup KPIs

So you’ve got a great idea. Maybe even a working prototype. Now what?


Enter the dreaded GTM black hole: how do you find your first users, convince them to care, and turn interest into something measurable — like revenue, retention, or real traction?

At Cornell Tech, I took a course called Don’t Sell Sand in Deserts taught by Steve Winshel, which was basically a no-nonsense bootcamp on how to avoid building products that no one wants. Instead of just learning frameworks, we were pushed to test our ideas in the wild, talk to real users, and make messaging so clear that it could live without us.

This article is my personal breakdown of the Go-To-Market (GTM) checklist I wish every founder had — based directly on what we covered across seven sessions.

Part 1: Getting GTM-Ready — Problem, Solution, and Customer Clarity

At Cornell Tech, our GTM class kicked off with a powerful message:

"Don’t sell sand in the desert."
Translation? Even the best GTM plan can’t fix a product nobody actually needs.

Start With the Problem

You’d be surprised how many startups skip this. But defining the right problem is the first and most essential step. The slides push us to ask:

  • Is this a real pain point for your customer?

  • Is it happening frequently enough to matter?

  • Is it painful enough that they'd pay to fix it?

💡 Pro tip from class:
Frame your problem like this:

"[Target user] struggles to [do what] because of [what limitation or friction]"

Example:
Freelance marketers struggle to manage multi-channel campaigns because they lack affordable tools that simplify planning, publishing, and reporting in one place.

Good problems are specific, customer-centered, and ideally, urgent.

Define Your Solution (Not Just Features)

This isn’t your feature list. This is about what your product does for someone — what transformation it enables.

“Your solution should be obvious, compelling, and believable — without a sales pitch.”

Ask yourself:

  • What job is your product really doing for your customer?

  • What makes it different or better than what they’re using today?

  • Would a stranger instantly get it?

Use this simple solution formula from class:

"[Product] helps [target user] solve [specific problem] by [how it works]"

Example:
PlanPilot helps solo marketers plan, publish, and analyze campaigns across platforms — all from one clean dashboard — in under 15 minutes a day.

Notice how it’s functional, outcome-focused, and easy to visualize.

Think outcomes (benefits), not features. - for messaging that actually converts

Most messaging talks about what a product does. Great messaging shows what it means to the user.

  • Don’t sell a dashboard - sell the time saved

  • Don’t sell AI —sell the 10 hours they don’t have to work.

  • Don’t sell “security”, sell “peace of mind when you sleep”.

Test messaging before you run ads. Before you code a landing page. Even before you pitch investors.

Know Exactly Who You're Helping

This is where many founders get stuck. If your audience is “everyone,” your marketing will land with no one.

The GTM course challenged us to get hyper-clear:

  • Who is the first user? Not the eventual user or “market”— the first person.

  • What are they doing today to solve the problem?

  • What’s broken for them —and how broken is it?

  • What signals show that they are actively looking for help?

Use this checklist from the slides:

  • Demographic: Age, role, industry?

  • Psychographic: Motivations, frustrations?

  • Behaviors: How do they research? Where do they hang out?

  • Buying triggers: What would prompt them to look for a new solution?

Customer discovery isn’t something you do once. It’s the heartbeat of a good GTM.

Interview like a human, not a survey:

  • “Walk me through your day.”

  • “Tell me about the last time this went wrong.”

  • “Why didn’t you just solve it with X?”

You’re not validating your solution — you’re testing whether the problem even matters.

Your goal?
Find a segment that is specific and large enough to matter — people who feel the problem acutely and are reachable through clear channels.

TL;DR (Part 1)

Before you build out your go-to-market strategy, you need three things:

  1. A real problem worth solving (not just a “nice-to-have”).

  2. A focused customer definition (who feels the pain and would pay for relief).

  3. A solution that clearly solves that problem — better than the alternatives.
    Miss any of these? Your GTM engine may stall before it even starts.

Part 2: Positioning, Product-Market Fit, and Pricing

Craft a USP That People Can Repeat (and Believe)

Here’s the truth: if your users can’t explain your product to someone else, you probably don’t have a USP (Unique Selling Proposition) — you have a feature dump.

In class, we learned a simple but powerful USP formula:

“For [target user] who [has a specific pain], we offer [solution category] that [delivers benefit]. Unlike [alternative], we [core differentiator].”

Example:
For early-stage solopreneurs who waste hours formatting content across platforms, we offer a smart tool that repurposes one post for many. Unlike generic AI writers, we preserve your voice and intent.

Why does this work? Because it’s clear, positioned, and rooted in user pain. The best USPs feel like they came from your users’ own mouths — not your brainstorming session.

✨ Checklist for your USP:

  • Is it immediately understandable in 5 seconds?

  • Does it focus on the benefit, not the tech?

  • Can your target user repeat it without you?

If it passes all three, you’re on the right track.

Positioning = clarity + contrast.

  • What’s your category? (What kind of thing is this?)

  • Who are you for? (Who isn’t it for?)

  • What makes you different from what they already use?

“If I’m your customer, why should I care right now?”

Positioning is how you win!

Testing for Product-Market Fit (It’s Not a Feeling)

Founders love to say, “We’re close to product-market fit.” But what does that actually mean?

Here’s what we learned in class: PMF isn’t a milestone — it’s a set of observable behaviors:

  • Users come back without being nudged

  • They integrate your product into their workflow

  • They start referring others — unprompted

  • They’d be very disappointed if you shut it down

One of the most useful techniques?
The “40% rule” test — ask users:

“If we took this away, how disappointed would you be?”
If 40% say “very disappointed,” you’re likely close to PMF.

Another strong signal? Pricing.

The moment someone says, “I’d use this,” follow up with:

“If it cost $10/month, would you pay for it today?”
Their hesitation — or excitement — will tell you more than any survey.

🎯 Pro tip: Don't wait for perfect retention metrics. Early PMF lives in user behavior and urgency — not dashboards.

Pricing: Start with Value, Not Costs

Talking about pricing early makes most founders uncomfortable. But pricing is part of product-market fit. If they won't pay anything for it — even $1 — then something’s off.

In class, we used this framework:

What does your customer already pay for?
What value are you replacing or improving?
Is your price believable and fair for what you're offering?

We were reminded that price ≠ just revenue — it communicates positioning. Too low, and it feels cheap or risky. Too high without proof, and they’ll bounce.

Pricing reflects value, not effort

💬 Tip: Anchor your pricing in time saved, money saved, or growth gained. Don’t price based on how long it took to build your product.

If sill concerned, the team can do a willingness to pay testing (real vs hypothetical)

TL;DR (Part 2)

  • A strong Unique Selling Proposition (USP) explains what makes your product different and better — not just faster or cheaper.

  • Your USP should resonate emotionally, be credible, and clearly show your edge over alternatives.

  • Achieving Product-Market Fit means customers are not just using your product — they’re coming back, telling others, and would be upset if it disappeared.

  • Use behavior-driven signals (like retention and referrals) over surface-level feedback.

  • Pricing should be anchored in value — test willingness to pay, use value-based framing, and adjust based on traction and user type.

Part 3: GTM Strategy, First Channels, and Measuring Traction

Strategy First, Tactics Second

We often confuse GTM with running ads or posting on social media. But a true GTM plan is about alignment — matching your product, message, and audience with the right moment and method.

At Cornell Tech, we learned to build GTM like a funnel:

Awareness → Consideration → Conversion → Retention

Each phase needs different messaging, channels, and metrics. The biggest GTM mistake? Using the wrong tactic for the wrong stage.

💡 Class insight:

“The most important GTM strategy is the one that brings your first 10 real users. If you can’t do that, you won’t get 100.”

Pick a Channel, Not All Channels

It’s easy to feel pressure to “be everywhere” — TikTok, email, LinkedIn, events, ads, cold outreach... But trying all of them at once, especially as a small team, just leads to burnout.

One of my favorite slides asked us:

“Where does your customer hang out when they’re in problem-solving mode?”

Not just where they scroll. Where they look for help.

We mapped channels by cost, control, and credibility:

  • Paid (ads, sponsorships): fast, expensive, controlled

  • Owned (your site, email, blog): slow to build, full control

  • Earned (press, influencers, word of mouth): highest trust, least control

Your job is to pick 1–2 primary channels and do them exceptionally well. For a product targeting HR managers, that might mean webinars and LinkedIn posts. For student creators, it might be Discord and YouTube shorts.

🧪 GTM tip: Run tiny experiments (a webinar, a cold email sprint, a TikTok series) and double down on what gains traction.

Metrics: What Counts vs. What Looks Good

Once you're live, metrics start flying in. But not all numbers matter equally. The class taught us to distinguish between:

  • Vanity metrics: views, followers, likes

  • Behavioral metrics: signups, conversions, engagement

  • Outcome metrics: revenue, retention, referrals

One question we learned to ask constantly:

“What does success look like for this stage?”

🧠 Example:

  • Early stage = 10 users actively using your product every week

  • Mid-stage = 40%+ users would be “very disappointed” if you disappeared

  • Growth stage = Cost to acquire a customer (CAC) is lower than their lifetime value (LTV)

Don’t celebrate launch-day buzz unless it turns into habits and payments.

TL;DR (Part 3)

  • GTM is not just about launching — it’s about building systems to acquire, convert, and retain users.

  • Start with one or two channels that are high-intent (search, referrals, events), not just high-volume.

  • Build a funnel from awareness → consideration → conversion → retention.

  • Focus on behavioral KPIs — are users staying, engaging, and referring?

  • Early traction comes from structured experimentation, not intuition alone.

Part 4: Final Strategy Check & The GTM Reality Check

GTM Summary: What Investors Want to See

In our final session, we were told to boil everything we’d done into a single GTM summary slide. Why? Because if you can’t explain your go-to-market clearly and concisely, you're probably not ready to go to market.

Here’s what that slide should include — directly from the lecture:

  1. Target customer: Who exactly are you going after first?

  2. Acquisition channel: What’s your primary method to reach them?

  3. Messaging: What are you saying to convert attention into action?

  4. Conversion point: What action must they take? (e.g., sign up, download, demo)

  5. KPIs: What metrics will you track and how often?

  6. Risks & Assumptions: What has to be true for this to work?

🔍 Note: This isn’t for show — it’s for you. If any of these feel fuzzy, your GTM strategy needs more sharpening.

GTM Diagnostic Questions

The class gave us a powerful set of GTM self-check questions. Here are some highlights I’ve come back to again and again:

  • Do people already spend time or money solving this problem?
    If not, you’ll have to educate and convert — a double lift.

  • Is there a clear, repeatable way to find and reach them?
    No channel = no traction, no matter how great your product is.

  • Do you know exactly what to say to get them to act?
    Messaging is half the battle. Clarity wins over cleverness.

  • Are early users sticking around and referring others?
    Retention and referrals are your most honest growth metrics.

  • Do your early customers feel like they “discovered” you?
    If yes, you’re onto something magnetic. If not, you may be pushing too hard.

The Mindset Shift: GTM is a Process, Not a Moment

This may have been the most important takeaway of all:

GTM is not something you “launch.”
It’s something you build, test, adjust, and scale — over time.

Your first strategy is rarely your final one. But if it’s rooted in the problem, shaped by feedback, and measured against real behavior — you’re already ahead of 90% of early-stage startups.

There is no “big launch” moment. GTM is not fireworks. It’s consistent signal collection

Test → Learn → Iterate → Expand.

  • Pilot quietly with your best-fit users

  • Use real feedback to improve the experience

  • Only scale when you’ve nailed the early conversion loop

🎯 Checklist

  • ☐ Piloted with a small group before launching

  • ☐ Used analytics + interviews to validate traction

  • ☐ Retention > vanity metrics

TL;DR (Part 4):

  • Before scaling, use the GTM Summary Slide: define your customer, channels, messaging, CTA, metrics, and risks.

  • Run the GTM Diagnostic to validate whether your assumptions are holding up: Is there a real problem? Are users behaving as expected?

  • GTM success isn’t a one-time event — it’s an iterative, data-driven process.

  • Be honest about what’s working, what’s not, and where the real friction lies.

Final Thought 💬

Most founders overthink GTM like it’s some big reveal. But real traction comes from clear positioning, human conversations, and listening more than pitching.

You don’t need a perfect funnel. You need a real reason someone wants what you’re building — and a repeatable way to deliver that value.

So if you’re launching soon, here’s the only real question to ask:

👉 “Who is this for, and why will they care enough to act today?”

That’s where your GTM starts.

GTM is the strategy between product and growth: Whether you’re pre-product or post-launch, GTM sits at the intersection of what you’ve built and what the world actually needs. It’s how you turn insight into traction — and traction into something worth investing in.

Finally, GTM is not a one-time task — it’s a system. GTM isn’t linear. It’s iterative.

  • Early-stage: Learn > Position > Talk to Users

  • Mid-stage: Nail Messaging > Build Repeatable Sales

  • Growth: Add marketing channels > Layer systems

Focus on what matters right now. Not what a Series C company is doing.

Ongoing Habits

  • Stay close to your customers

  • Update your positioning every 2–3 months

  • Keep learning what makes users say “I want this”