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Demand Starter: The Step That Most Teams Skip
Before You Build Demand, Build This
Hello!
I’ve been talking in broad strokes lately, at least, it feels that way to me.
It’s funny how easy it is to geek out on something and not realize you're in the weeds.
So this week, I’m zooming in.
I’m breaking down the first layer of what I see as the demand foundation: building awareness. I call it the Demand Starter, and it’s where real momentum begins.
Hope you find a few nuggets you can use. And if you’re ready to kickstart your own demand engine, there’s a subscriber-only offer waiting at the end 🔥
Let’s talk about what actually starts demand
Most marketing teams jump into tactics: Ads, SEO, LinkedIn, outbound, nurture sequences.
But they skip the first (and most important) layer in a modern GTM system:
The Demand Starter
In my Lean GTM framework, the Demand Starter is Layer 1: Awareness that you own or earn. It’s how you build trust, test your point of view, and attract future buyers before they’re in-market.
What is a Demand Starter?
If your GTM strategy isn’t converting, it might be missing a Demand Starter.
This is the awareness layer, where you use owned and earned content to attract buyers before they hit the funnel. It could be:
A weekly newsletter
A founder-led podcast
A YouTube series
A standout LinkedIn presence
An owned community or media asset
The format doesn’t matter. What matters is that it creates signal, scales attention, and gives you a way to publish and learn without gatekeeping or depending on paid spend.
Wondering if a newsletter is still worth it in B2B?
It’s one of the most efficient ways to build awareness, test your POV, and feed every other part of your demand system.
They are one of the most underrated Demand Starters in B2B, yet:
✅ They’re easy to start
✅ They can be repurposed everywhere (LinkedIn, video, email)
✅ They have built-in distribution to warm, opted-in leads
✅ They play nicely with AI (discovery, summarization, repackaging)
And unlike nurture sequences, they don’t expire.
Nurture has a finish line.
Once it's done, you need to re-engage. Resend. Retarget.
Newsletters don’t end.
They build a relationship. They create consistency. They make your ideas, and your voice stick.
That’s why newsletters are one of the best starting points for demand. Not the only one. But a smart one.