Zapier · Go-to-market · Mid · 45 to 60 minutes

How should Zapier win its first 100 users?

Zapier is a no code tool that lets people connect different software apps and automate workflows between them. Answer this product management case and get it graded line by line against a weighted rubric.

go-to-market strategy
prioritization
experimentation
customer empathy
metrics

The situation

It is early in Zapier's life, the product can already connect some web apps through simple trigger and action flows, but the experience is still rough and coverage is limited. The founders need to prove there is real demand from non technical business users before they spend more time building out the platform. APIs are becoming common across SaaS, so the market window feels real, but the team has very little funding, no sales force, and no room for expensive mistakes. The CEO asks you, the product manager for early growth, to recommend how Zapier should get its first 100 active, paying users over the next 90 days. The hard part is that every acquisition choice also shapes product learning. Broad marketing could bring low intent traffic. Deep hand holding could create great insight, but may not scale. Free access could reduce friction, but paid access might better filter for serious users. The team also needs a clear stance on how much support to offer and how to avoid getting pulled into too many custom requests for one off integrations.

What to produce

Write a 1 to 2 page go to market memo for the next 90 days.

Your answer must

Define the initial target user segment and the specific jobs or use cases Zapier should focus on first.
Prioritize up to three acquisition channels, explain why they fit this stage, and describe the order in which you would test them.
Recommend whether early access should be free or paid, and explain how your choice affects learning, conversion quality, and product positioning.
Describe the support model for early users, including who should handle support, what questions to answer, and how insights should feed back into the roadmap.
List the key success metrics for the 90 day plan, including at least two leading indicators and one clear decision point for whether to double down or change course.

Constraints

The team is only the three founders plus you, so any plan must work with very limited time and budget.
The product is incomplete and supports only a limited set of apps and workflows.
You cannot rely on paid acquisition, enterprise sales, or large brand partnerships in the next 90 days.
Engineering capacity is tight, so you must avoid a strategy that depends on building many custom one off integrations for individual prospects.

Format

Use short sections titled target users, channels, beta access and pricing, support loop, metrics, and risks.

How Zapier actually played it

Looks at how Zapier grew with little funding through forums, support culture and partner pages, then added sales.

Go where your users already talk
Make support everyone's job
Partner pages scale

Built from How Zapier Grows: Automating Growth by Jaryd Hermann (How They Grow).