free-tool-strategy

Files (3)

• SKILL.md
• evals.json · evals/
• tool-types.md · references/

SKILL.md (first lines)

# Free Tool Strategy (Engineering as Marketing)

## Purpose

Free tools are permanent acquisition assets. Build a calculator, checker, generator, or grader that your target audience actively searches for. It ranks in Google, gets shared, and funnels users to your paid product. One tool can drive more signups than months of content.

## Reads

- `brand/audience.md` — Personas, daily workflow, pain points
- `brand/keyword-plan.md` — Search volume data for tool-related queries
- `brand/positioning.md` — Positioning angles to connect tool → product
- `brand/creative-kit.md` — Brand colors, fonts for tool landing page

## On Activation

1. Read `brand/audience.md`, `brand/keyword-plan.md`, `brand/positioning.md`, `brand/creative-kit.md`.
2. If any file is missing, note what's unavailable. The skill works at zero context — ask the user directly for missing info in Step 1.
3. Pre-fill persona details, keyword data, and positioning angles from whatever brand/ files exist. Only ask for what's genuinely unknown.

Why these files matter: audience.md tells you whose pain to solve (without this, tools target the wrong users). keyword-plan.md gives search volume data so you don't build tools nobody searches for. positioning.md connects the free tool to the paid product (without this connection, traffic doesn't convert). creative-kit.md ensures the tool landing page matches the brand.

## Workflow

### Step 1: Identify Audience Workflow Pain Points

If `brand/audience.md` exists, extract the primary persona and their pain points — skip the interview below and go straight to Step 2 with that data. If not, map the target audience's daily workflow and find friction:

```
Persona: [Role/Title]
Daily workflow:
1. [Task] -> Pain: [what's annoying about this]
2. [Task] -> Pain: [what's tedious/manual]
3. [Task] -> Pain: [what requires expensive tools]
4. [Task] -> Pain: [what they currently use spreadsheets for]
5. [Task] -> Pain: [what they google repeatedly]
```

Best free tool candidates solve pains that are:
- Recurring (done weekly or more)
- Currently solved with manual effort or spreadsheets
- Searchable ("X calculator", "X generator", "X checker")
- Completable in one session (not ongoing SaaS)
- Adjacent to your paid product's value prop

### Step 2: Match to Buildable Tools

#### Tool Type Matrix

| Tool Type | Best For | Search Pattern | Build Effort |
|-----------|----------|---------------|-------------|
| Calculator | Quantifiable decisions | "[X] calculator" | Low |
| Generator | Content/creative tasks | "[X] generator" | Low-Medium |
| Checker/Auditor | Quality assessment | "[X] checker", "[X] audit" | Medium |
| Grader/Scorer | Benchmarking | "[X] grader", "[X] score" | Medium |
| Converter | Format transformations | "[X] to [Y] converter" | Low |
| Template library | Workflow shortcuts | "[X] templates" | Low |
| Comparison tool | Purchase decisions | "compare [X]" | Medium |
| Playground/Sandbox | Try-before-buy | "try [X] online" | High |

#### Idea Generation Framework

For each persona pain point, ask:
1. Can we calculate something for them? -> Calculator
2. Can we create something for them? -> Generator
3. Can we evaluate something for them? -> Checker/Grader
4. Can we simplify a conversion? -> Converter
5. Can we give them a head start? -> Template
6. Can we let them try before buying? -> Playground

Score each idea:

| Criteria | Weight | Score 1-5 |
|----------|--------|-----------|
| Search volume for "[tool] [type]" | 30% | |
| Relevance to paid product | 25% | |
| Build effort (inverse) | 20% | |
| Shareability | 15% | |
| Data capture opportunity | 10% | |

### Step 3: Validate Search Volume

For each tool candidate, check:

```
Primary keyword: "[tool name]" — Volume: [X], Difficulty: [Y]
Variations:
- "free [tool name]" — Volume: [X]
- "[tool name] online" — Volume: [X]
- "best [tool name]" — Volume: [X]
- "[specific use case] [tool type]" — Volume: [X]

Total addressable search volume: [sum]
Current top results: [list competitors and their quality]
Opportunity: [Can we build something meaningfully better?]
```

Kill the idea if:
- Total search volume < 1,000/month
- Top 3 results are high-authority sites with excellent tools
- Tool requires ongoing data maintenance you can't sustain

### If Web Search Is Unavailable

Assess tool viability based on: (1) audience pain intensity from brand/audience.md, (2) user's direct knowledge of search intent, (3) competitive landscape from brand/competitors.md. Skip search volume validation but note: 'Tool concept is validated on strategic merit, not search data. Run keyword validation before investing in development.'

### Step 4: Design Tool UX Flow

```
Page 1: Landing + Input
|- Headline: "[Verb] your [thing] in [time]"
|- Subheadline: "Free [tool type] — no signup required"
|- Input area: [minimal fields/inputs needed]
|- CTA: "[Action verb] — it's free"
|- Social proof: "[X] people used this tool this month"

Page 2: Results
|- Results display: [clear, visual, actionable output]
|- Shareable result: [unique URL or image for sharing]
|- Email gate (optional): "Get detailed results + recommendations"

From MoizIbnYousaf/marketing-cli, MIT.

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