This article is part of our comprehensive SaaS Growth Strategies Guide.
What is Engineering as Marketing?
Engineering as Marketing means building free tools that attract your target audience. Instead of writing blog posts or running ads, you create something useful that naturally draws potential customers.
Famous examples:
- HubSpot's Website Grader - Analyzes websites, drives leads
- Ahrefs' Free SEO Tools - Attracts marketers who upgrade
- CoSchedule's Headline Analyzer - Gets shared, builds email list
Why It Works
1. Built-in Distribution
Useful tools get shared. People tweet about them, write blog posts including them, and recommend them to colleagues. Your marketing spreads itself.
2. Perfect Audience Targeting
Only people interested in your problem space use your tool. Everyone who engages is a potential customer - no wasted reach.
3. Demonstrates Expertise
A well-built tool proves you understand the problem deeply. This builds trust before any sales conversation.
4. Creates Assets, Not Expenses
Unlike ads that stop working when you stop paying, tools continue generating traffic indefinitely.
How to Choose What to Build
The Intersection Test
Your tool should sit at the intersection of:
- Problem your audience has - Something they actually need
- Related to your product - Users should naturally want your solution
- Simple enough to use - No friction to value
- Complex enough to build - Competitors won't easily copy it
Good Tool Ideas
- Calculators - ROI calculators, pricing tools
- Analyzers - Grade websites, content, profiles
- Generators - Create templates, images, text
- Checkers - Validate compliance, quality, readiness
Questions to Ask
- Would I use this tool myself?
- Would someone share this with a colleague?
- Does using this naturally lead to wanting my product?
- Can I build an MVP in 2-4 weeks?
Building Your First Tool
Step 1: Validate the Idea
Before building, check demand:
- Search for existing tools - if none exist, why?
- Ask your audience if they'd use it
- Look for people asking for this tool online
Step 2: Build the MVP
Start with the minimum useful version:
- Core functionality only
- Simple, clean interface
- Clear value proposition on landing page
- Email capture for results (optional)
Step 3: Launch and Iterate
Get it out quickly, then improve:
- Share on relevant communities
- Submit to tool directories
- Ask for feedback
- Add features based on usage
Maximizing Traffic from Tools
SEO Optimization
- Target keywords people search for: "[type] calculator", "[industry] tool"
- Create landing pages with search intent in mind
- Build backlinks by getting included in tool roundups
Social Sharing
- Make results shareable ("My score is X!")
- Add sharing buttons
- Create incentives to share (unlock features)
Email Capture
- Offer to email results
- Provide extended analysis for email
- Follow up with relevant content
Converting Tool Users to Customers
Soft Promotion
- Show how your product relates to the tool
- "Want to fix these issues automatically? Try [Product]"
- Don't gate basic functionality behind signup
Retargeting
- Use pixel tracking for ads (when you have budget)
- Email sequences for captured emails
- In-app messages for returning visitors
Examples from OneUp
We practice what we preach:
- App Screenshot Generator - Attracts app developers
- Startup Directory - Brings founders looking to launch
- WhatsApp Chat Generator - Draws social media marketers
Each tool attracts our target audience and introduces them to our main product naturally.
Ready to start building? Check out our startup directory for places to launch your tools, or start a campaign to find users for what you've built.