# Idea Cross-Reference — 139 Marketing Ideas Mapped to AARRR

The `marketing-ideas` skill catalogs 139 proven marketing tactics. This doc is the source-of-truth mapping: every idea assigned to a primary AARRR stage, with notes for when it's typically active and what category constraints apply.

The plan's Section 12 ("Tactical idea bank") uses this mapping as the base, then layers client-specific filters: brand voice rules might skip some ideas; funding stage might shift Q-status; client category might rule out others.

## How to read this doc

- **139 unique ideas, 144 entries.** Five ideas cross-cut multiple AARRR stages and appear under each stage they serve (#79 Early-Access Referrals, #86 Lifetime Deals, #91 In-App Upsells, #114 Moneyball Marketing, #117 Product Competitions). Each duplicate row carries a cross-cut note.
- **"Entries" counts rows; idea IDs are unique.** Section header counts reflect rows in this doc, not unique ideas from `marketing-ideas`.
- **Numbers correspond exactly to the `marketing-ideas` skill ordering.** If `marketing-ideas` reorders or expands, update this doc.

## AARRR assignment for all 139 ideas

### Acquisition (116 entries)

These ideas primarily serve top-of-funnel awareness, traffic, and lead generation.

| # | Idea | Category | Typical stage available |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Easy Keyword Ranking | Content & SEO | Now (any stage) |
| 2 | SEO Audit | Content & SEO | Now |
| 3 | Glossary Marketing | Content & SEO | Q2+ |
| 4 | Programmatic SEO | Content & SEO | Q3+ (needs data + template system) |
| 5 | Content Repurposing | Content & SEO | Now (immediate leverage) |
| 6 | Proprietary Data Content | Content & SEO | Now (if data exists) |
| 7 | Internal Linking | Content & SEO | Now |
| 8 | Content Refreshing | Content & SEO | Q2+ (after content base exists) |
| 9 | Knowledge Base SEO | Content & SEO | Q3+ (after help docs exist) |
| 10 | Parasite SEO | Content & SEO | Now |
| 11 | Competitor Comparison Pages | Competitor | Q2+ |
| 12 | Marketing Jiu-Jitsu | Competitor | Now |
| 13 | Competitive Ad Research | Competitor | Pre-paid |
| 14 | Side Projects | Free Tools | Q3+ |
| 15 | Engineering as Marketing | Free Tools | Q3+ |
| 16 | Importers as Marketing | Free Tools | SaaS-specific |
| 17 | Quiz Marketing | Free Tools | Q2+ |
| 18 | Calculator Marketing | Free Tools | Q3+ |
| 19 | Chrome Extensions | Free Tools | Browser-relevant only |
| 20 | Microsites | Free Tools | Q3+ |
| 21 | Scanners | Free Tools | Specific products only |
| 22 | Public APIs | Free Tools | Developer/dev tool products |
| 23 | Podcast Advertising | Paid Ads | Post-budget |
| 24 | Pre-targeting Ads | Paid Ads | Post-budget |
| 25 | Facebook Ads | Paid Ads | Post-budget |
| 26 | Instagram Ads | Paid Ads | Post-budget |
| 27 | Twitter Ads | Paid Ads | Post-budget |
| 28 | LinkedIn Ads | Paid Ads | Post-budget (B2B-strong) |
| 29 | Reddit Ads | Paid Ads | Post-budget |
| 30 | Quora Ads | Paid Ads | Post-budget |
| 31 | Google Ads | Paid Ads | Post-budget |
| 32 | YouTube Ads | Paid Ads | Post-budget |
| 33 | Cross-Platform Retargeting | Paid Ads | Post-paid-firing |
| 34 | Click-to-Messenger Ads | Paid Ads | Niche use cases |
| 35 | Community Marketing | Social & Community | Q3+ |
| 36 | Quora Marketing | Social & Community | Now |
| 37 | Reddit Keyword Research | Social & Community | Now |
| 38 | Reddit Marketing | Social & Community | Q2+ |
| 39 | LinkedIn Audience | Social & Community | Now (B2B + founders) |
| 40 | Instagram Audience | Social & Community | Q2+ |
| 41 | X Audience | Social & Community | Depends on founder bandwidth |
| 42 | Short Form Video | Social & Community | Q3+ |
| 43 | Engagement Pods | Social & Community | Generally off-brand |
| 44 | Comment Marketing | Social & Community | Q2+ |
| 49 | Monthly Newsletters | Email | Q2+ (Acquisition use: subscriber capture) |
| 54 | Affiliate Discovery via Backlinks | Partnerships | Q2+ |
| 55 | Influencer Whitelisting | Partnerships | Post-paid-budget |
| 56 | Reseller Programs | Partnerships | Q4+ |
| 57 | Expert Networks | Partnerships | Q3+ |
| 58 | Newsletter Swaps | Partnerships | Q2+ |
| 59 | Article Quotes (HARO) | Partnerships | Now |
| 60 | Pixel Sharing | Partnerships | Post-paid |
| 61 | Shared Slack Channels | Partnerships | Q3+ |
| 63 | Integration Marketing | Partnerships | Q3+ |
| 64 | Community Sponsorship | Partnerships | Q2+ |
| 65 | Live Webinars | Events | Q2+ |
| 66 | Virtual Summits | Events | Q3+ |
| 67 | Roadshows | Events | Q4+ |
| 68 | Local Meetups | Events | Q3+ |
| 69 | Meetup Sponsorship | Events | Q3+ |
| 70 | Conference Speaking | Events | Now (if founder is speakable) |
| 71 | Conferences (own-hosted) | Events | Q4+ |
| 72 | Conference Sponsorship | Events | Q3+ |
| 73 | Media Acquisitions | PR & Media | Series A+ |
| 74 | Press Coverage | PR & Media | Now (if newsworthy) |
| 75 | Fundraising PR | PR & Media | When fund closes |
| 76 | Documentaries | PR & Media | Q4+ |
| 77 | Black Friday Promotions | Launches | Q4 (seasonal) |
| 78 | Product Hunt Launch | Launches | At GA or major feature |
| 79 | Early-Access Referrals | Launches | Pre-launch or GA |
| 80 | New Year Promotions | Launches | Q1 (seasonal) |
| 81 | Early Access Pricing | Launches | GA |
| 82 | Product Hunt Alternatives | Launches | Same as PH |
| 83 | Twitter Giveaways | Launches | Generally off-brand |
| 84 | Giveaways | Launches | Q3+ |
| 85 | Vacation Giveaways | Launches | Q4+ (seasonal) |
| 86 | Lifetime Deals | Launches | Generally off-brand (damages LTV math) |
| 87 | Powered By Marketing | Product-Led | Q4+ |
| 88 | Free Migrations | Product-Led | SaaS-specific |
| 89 | Contract Buyouts | Product-Led | B2B SaaS only |
| 97 | Playlists as Marketing | Content Formats | Q3+ |
| 98 | Template Marketing | Content Formats | Q3+ |
| 99 | Graphic Novel Marketing | Content Formats | Generally off-brand |
| 100 | Promo Videos | Content Formats | Q3+ |
| 101 | Industry Interviews | Content Formats | Q2+ |
| 102 | Social Screenshots | Content Formats | Q2+ |
| 103 | Online Courses | Content Formats | Q3+ |
| 104 | Book Marketing | Content Formats | Q4+ |
| 105 | Annual Reports | Content Formats | Q4+ |
| 106 | End of Year Wraps | Content Formats | Q4 (seasonal) |
| 107 | Podcasts (own-hosted) | Content Formats | Q3+ |
| 108 | Changelogs | Content Formats | Q2+ |
| 109 | Public Demos | Content Formats | Now |
| 110 | Awards as Marketing | Unconventional | Q4+ |
| 111 | Challenges as Marketing | Unconventional | Q3+ |
| 112 | Reality TV Marketing | Unconventional | Generally off-brand |
| 113 | Controversy as Marketing | Unconventional | Brand-dependent |
| 114 | Moneyball Marketing | Unconventional | Ongoing methodology |
| 115 | Curation as Marketing | Unconventional | Q2+ |
| 116 | Grants as Marketing | Unconventional | Q4+ |
| 117 | Product Competitions | Unconventional | Developer-specific |
| 118 | Cameo Marketing | Unconventional | Generally off-brand |
| 119 | OOH Advertising | Unconventional | Series A+ |
| 120 | Marketing Stunts | Unconventional | Brand-dependent |
| 121 | Guerrilla Marketing | Unconventional | Brand-dependent |
| 122 | Humor Marketing | Unconventional | Brand-dependent |
| 123 | Open Source as Marketing | Platforms | Developer products |
| 125 | App Marketplaces | Platforms | Platform-specific |
| 126 | YouTube Reviews | Platforms | Q3+ |
| 127 | YouTube Channel | Platforms | Q3+ |
| 128 | Source Platforms | Platforms | B2B SaaS only |
| 129 | Review Sites | Platforms | Now |
| 130 | Live Audio | Platforms | Q3+ |
| 131 | International Expansion | International | Q4+ |
| 133 | Investor Marketing | Developer/etc | Now (when raising) |
| 138 | Podcast Tours | Audience-Specific | Q2+ |

### Activation (8 entries)

| # | Idea | Category | Typical stage available |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | Founder Welcome Email | Email | Q2+ (Activation use) |
| 48 | Dynamic Email Capture | Email | Q2+ |
| 51 | Onboarding Emails | Email | When UI is stable |
| 90 | One-Click Registration | Product-Led | Now |
| 91 | In-App Upsells | Product-Led | Q2+ (cross-cuts Revenue) |
| 95 | Concierge Setup | Product-Led | Q3+ (high-value users) |
| 96 | Onboarding Optimization | Product-Led | Now |
| 124 | App Store Optimization | Platforms | Now (App Store products) |

### Retention (8 entries)

| # | Idea | Category | Typical stage available |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | Mistake Email Marketing | Email | Opportunistic |
| 46 | Reactivation Emails | Email | Now |
| 50 | Inbox Placement | Email | Now (technical setup) |
| 52 | Win-back Emails | Email | Q1+ |
| 53 | Trial Reactivation | Email | Q2+ (when paywall is firing) |
| 94 | Offboarding Flows | Product-Led | Q2+ |
| 135 | Support as Marketing | Developer/etc | Q2+ |
| 134 | Certifications | Developer/etc | Q3+ (cross-cuts Referral) |

### Referral (5 entries)

| # | Idea | Category | Typical stage available |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | Affiliate Program | Partnerships | Now (when inbound exists) |
| 79 | Early-Access Referrals | Launches | Pre-launch / GA |
| 92 | Newsletter Referrals | Product-Led | Q3+ (if newsletter exists) |
| 93 | Viral Loops | Product-Led | Q3+ |
| 137 | Two-Sided Referrals | Audience-Specific | Q2+ |

### Revenue (2 entries — most monetization is strategy not tactic)

| # | Idea | Category | Typical stage available |
|---|---|---|---|
| 91 | In-App Upsells | Product-Led | Q2+ (cross-cuts Activation) |
| 132 | Price Localization | International | Q4+ |

> **Skipped from Revenue:** #86 Lifetime Deals appears under Launches (Acquisition section) only. It's generally off-brand for subscription products because it damages LTV math; recommend in Section 12's Skip list with rationale, not in stage totals.

### Cross-cutting / brand foundation (2 entries)

| # | Idea | Category | Typical stage available |
|---|---|---|---|
| 114 | Moneyball Marketing | Unconventional | Ongoing methodology |
| 139 | Customer Language | Audience-Specific | Now (foundational) |

### Developer-specific / dev tool products (2 entries)

| # | Idea | Category | Use when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 117 | Product Competitions | Unconventional | Developer tool products |
| 136 | Developer Relations | Developer/etc | Developer tool products |

## How to apply this to a specific client

For Section 12 of the plan:

### Step 1 — Filter for category fit

For each idea, ask:
- Does this idea apply to the client's category? (e.g., #16 Importers only for SaaS; #19 Chrome Extensions only for browser-relevant; #136 DevRel only for dev tools)
- Skip ideas that don't apply, with a note

### Step 2 — Filter for brand voice

For each idea, ask:
- Does this idea conflict with the client's brand voice?
- Common conflicts:
  - **Lifetime Deals (#86)** — conflicts with premium positioning
  - **Twitter Giveaways (#83)** — often off-brand for serious / clinical / luxury voices
  - **Humor Marketing (#122)** — off-brand for serious / clinical voices
  - **Cameo Marketing (#118)** — off-brand for most voices
  - **Reality TV Marketing (#112)** — off-brand for most voices

If conflict, place in Skip list with explicit rationale.

### Step 3 — Set timing status

For ideas that pass filters, set status:
- **Now (Q1)** — already in 90-day plan OR can run alongside without new capacity
- **Q2** — post-bedrock-fix, post-foundation; second-quarter layer-in
- **Q3+** — post-seed-close, post-GA; expansion moves
- **Q4+** — long-game / large-investment

Use the "Typical stage available" column as the default. Shift earlier if client has unusual capability (e.g., a celebrity founder shifts Conference Speaking #70 from "Now" to "Now and high-leverage").

### Step 4 — Write the client-specific note

Every "Now / Q2 / Q3+" idea gets a one-line client-specific note. Examples:
- For idea #11 Competitor Comparison Pages: "Quietude vs. Calm / Headspace / Brain.fm / Endel / Wavepaths — high-intent SERPs"
- For idea #133 Investor Marketing: "Alex's seed raise — leverage angel backchannel for PR + intros"
- For idea #15 Engineering as Marketing: "HRV interpretation guide; nervous system self-assessment; sound bath finder directory"

### Step 5 — Sum the bank

After all five AARRR tables + skip list:

```markdown
### Idea-bank summary

- {Acquisition count} ideas applicable to Acquisition (the dominant stage at {client}'s current stage)
- {Activation count} to Activation, {Retention count} to Retention
- {Referral count} to Referral
- {Revenue count} to Revenue
- {cross-cutting count} cross-cutting
- {skipped count} ideas skipped for brand / business-model fit

**What this proves:** the plan is roughly X% of the available tactical surface area, not 100%. {appropriate or not for the stage} — as capacity unlocks across Q2 → Q3 → Series A, the cross-reference becomes the inventory to scale activity without losing strategic coherence.
```

## How to maintain this doc

If `marketing-ideas` adds new ideas (it's a living skill — the 139 may become 145 or 160 over time):
1. Read `skills/marketing-ideas/references/ideas-by-category.md` in the `marketingskills` repo
2. Assign each new idea to a primary AARRR stage using the rules above
3. Add to this doc's tables
4. Update SKILL.md's idea-count reference

## Sources

- `skills/marketing-ideas/SKILL.md` (in the `marketingskills` repo)
- `skills/marketing-ideas/references/ideas-by-category.md` (in the `marketingskills` repo)
