The Traction Roadmap: What to Do in the First 90 Days After Launch
Growth Marketing
Bastiaan van Mastrigt
12 mins
December 5, 2025
You just launched your product. You're excited. You're nervous. And then... nothing happens. The excitement fades fast. You stare at your dashboard. Zero users. Zero traction. Zero clarity on what to do next.
Most founders freeze right here. They don't know what matters. They chase everything at once, branding, features, design, paid ads, social media, SEO. They spread themselves thin. They burn cash. They lose time. And three months later, they're still at zero.
But here's the truth: The first 90 days after launch aren't about doing everything. They're about doing the RIGHT things. This post will give you a simple traction roadmap for your first 90 days, what to do, what to avoid, and why it works. It's direct. It's practical. And it's built for founders who want real results, not vanity metrics
The 90-Day Rule
Early-stage founders must focus ONLY on traction. Not branding. Not perfect design. Not building more features. Just traction. Here's why: If nobody knows you exist, nothing else matters. Your fancy logo doesn't matter. Your beautiful landing page doesn't matter. Your 47 product features don't matter.
What matters is this: Can you get people to care? The first 90 days demand a mindset shift. Fast testing. Small experiments. Clear signals. No perfection. You're not building a brand yet. You're discovering what works. You're finding the people who need you most. And you're learning how to reach them. That's traction.
Days 1–30 - Get Your First Signals
The first 30 days are about conversations, not campaigns. Here's what you must do: Talk to users directly. Validate your messaging. Test your value propositions. Identify your highest-intent audiences. Build a simple landing page, one that clearly explains what you do and collects emails. Soft-launch product demos to early testers. Join 5–10 relevant communities where your target users hang out. Share insights publicly, comments, replies, helpful answers.
This stage feels messy. That's good. You're learning fast. Every conversation teaches you something. What words resonate. What problems hurt most. What objections come up. What gets people excited. Early traction doesn't come from paid ads or viral posts. It comes from real conversations with real people.
So get out there. DM people. Jump on calls. Ask questions. Listen hard. The signals you collect now will guide everything you do next.
Days 30–60 - Run Zero-Cost Traction Tests
By day 30, you understand your audience better. Now it's time to test traction channels. Here's the key: You're not committing to anything yet. You're looking for sparks.
Run these simple, no-cost tests: Post on LinkedIn consistently, 3–5 times per week. DM outreach, 10–20 targeted messages daily. Cold email, 20–50 personalized emails daily. Targeted Reddit participation, answer questions, share insights. "Build in public" updates, share your journey transparently. Guest posts or community threads, provide real value. Partnership outreach, reach out to 5–10 potential partners. Micro-influencer swaps, collaborate with small accounts in your space. SEO quick wins, write one valuable, search-optimized article.
You're testing everything. But you're watching for specific signals: Replies that show real interest. Comments that ask thoughtful questions. Signups that come organically. Booked calls with qualified leads. People asking for more information. People sharing your content.
These are sparks. And sparks matter more than traffic. A thousand visitors who bounce mean nothing. Ten people who engage deeply mean everything. Track every spark. Note which channels produce them. This data will guide your next move.
Days 60–90 - Double Down on the Channel That Works
By day 60, you'll see patterns. One channel will outperform the others. Maybe it's LinkedIn. Maybe it's cold email. Maybe it's partnerships or community engagement. Whatever it is, double down hard.
If LinkedIn gives you traction, post daily and engage aggressively. If SEO shows promise, produce 3 more high-quality articles. If cold email converts, scale to 100 emails per day. If partnerships work, deepen 3–5 strong relationships. If communities respond, show up daily with valuable insights.
This is how you build your first traction engine: One clear message. One proven channel. One repeatable process. One simple metric to track. Focus beats trying 10 things at once.
Most founders fail because they switch too early. They test a channel for two weeks, see slow results, and jump to something new. But traction takes repetition. It takes showing up consistently. It takes refining your approach based on feedback. So when you find your spark, commit. Turn it into a flame.
The Biggest Mistakes Founders Make in the First 90 Days
Building too much before talking to users. You can't code your way to traction. Spending money before testing channels. Paid ads before product-market fit burn cash fast. Switching channels too early. Give each test at least 30 days before moving on. Chasing branding instead of traction. Your logo doesn't get you customers. Trying to "look big" instead of learning fast. Small, scrappy, and responsive wins early. Not measuring early signals. If you don't track sparks, you'll miss what works.
Avoid these mistakes. They kill momentum.
Your Simple 90-Day Traction Roadmap (Summary)
Here's your entire startup traction plan in three parts:
Days 1–30, learn fast. Talk to users. Validate messaging. Collect early signals. Days 30–60, test fast. Run zero-cost experiments. Find the channels that spark. Track engagement closely. Days 60–90, double down fast. Focus on your best channel. Build a repeatable process. Scale what works.
That's it. Simple. Clear. Actionable.
Traction Comes From Action
You're 90 days away from real momentum. Not overnight success. Not viral growth. But real, sustainable traction. The kind that compounds. The kind that builds businesses.
All you need to do is commit to the process. Move fast. Test everything. Focus ruthlessly. And trust the signals. Your first 90 days after launch will define your trajectory. Make them count.
If you want help building your first traction engine, let's talk.
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