Value-first content builds trust before selling - share genuine value publicly
Insight from Mattia Pomelli
When to use
When you have expertise to share and want to build an audience organically before launching or promoting a product - especially effective when you can demonstrate value through tutorials, open-source tools, or educational content that solves real problems for your target customers.
Don't do this
Leading with sales pitches or gated content before establishing credibility - audiences tune out promotional content from unknown sources, making paid acquisition expensive and ineffective compared to earned trust.
12 Founders Who Did This
Responds thoughtfully to over 10,000 emails per year, maintains list of what he can offer others regardless of reciprocation
Shared progress publicly on X/Twitter, posted updates about building process, collected feedback in the open across all 7 products
Created content for developers on YouTube and social media, sharing genuine value publicly before selling products. Built trust through tutorials and developer resources.
Shared authentic business stories with proof—influencer experiments, YC rejection—never direct product pitch
Published Synto Sheets to Google Workspace Marketplace as primary distribution, users searching for Notion tools discover it organically
Shared educational content about Roblox marketing publicly before selling, built expertise reputation
Shared a screenshot of a 2009 blog post he wrote about Gary Vaynerchuk to prove genuine long-term interest and value, not just opportunistic outreach
Runs Open Source CEO newsletter with 40K subscribers and sold-out sponsorship slots. Newsletter gets paid by sponsors while organically integrating Athyna brand and driving leads. Examples: HubSpot acquired The Hustle, Pendo acquired Mind the Product, Zapier acquired Makerpad.
Contributes free stock photography to Unsplash and Pexels under the Iupilon brand, giving away value while building brand awareness
Published 'Give Away Your Legos' on First Round Review, sharing genuine scaling wisdom from Google and Facebook. Became one of the publication's most-read articles ever.
Maintains transparent startup diary blog sharing mistakes, revenue numbers, strategy changes, and struggles openly. Blog generates 7-8K monthly page views
Created free tools (PitchDeckHunt, investor pitch training) and blog content as value-first strategy with zero paid marketing