PLAY THE BOOK

Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth

by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares

This book distills how startups find their first customers and scale growth, covering 19 traction channels and the Bullseye framework for testing and prioritizing them. In this world you practice choosing, testing, and doubling down on the channels that actually move the needle for your business.

Play the demo Get on Amazon

63 maps · 311 characters · 1117 questions · free to try, no account needed · book links are affiliate links

Two ways to play the same book. Climb the platformer and answer to refuel.

Loading the demo…

← → to move, Space to jump, ↓ + Space to drop through. Use the on-screen controls to run and jump. Orbs ask a question; a correct answer refuels the climb.

What's inside

63 maps, 311 characters and 1117 questions, all generated from the book.

MAP 01

Forest of Traction Channels

Overview of the 19 traction channels available to startups.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 02

Castle of Traction Thinking

Balancing product development with traction pursuit.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 03

Bullseye Ruins

The framework for prioritizing which traction channel to pursue.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 04

Cave of Traction Testing

Cheaply testing channels before committing resources.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 05

Critical Path Desert

Setting traction goals and mapping the path to reach them.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 06

Blog Targeting Woods

Reaching customers through influential niche blogs.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 07

Publicity Peaks

Generating press coverage to build early traction.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 08

Unconventional PR Caverns

Stunts and creative tactics to attract media attention.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 09

SEM Desert Sands

Buying targeted traffic through search engine ads.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 10

Social Ads Ocean

Advertising across social and display networks.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 11

Offline Ads Ice Fields

Traditional advertising through print, radio, and TV.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 12

SEO Ruins

Optimizing content to rank higher in search results.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 13

Content Marketing Forest

Building an audience through valuable content creation.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 14

Email Marketing Castle

Using email to acquire and retain customers.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 15

Viral Marketing Volcano

Designing products that spread through word of mouth.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 16

Engineering as Marketing Cave

Building free tools that attract customers.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 17

Business Development Fortress

Forming partnerships to accelerate growth.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 18

Sales Desert Outpost

Building a sales process for enterprise customers.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 19

Affiliate Programs Reef

Leveraging partners to promote your product for commission.

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 20

Existing Platforms Ruins

Growing by building on top of established platforms.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 21

Trade Show Icefields

Gaining traction through industry trade show exhibits.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 22

Offline Events Grove

Hosting or attending events to acquire customers.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 23

Speaking Engagements Summit

Building authority and leads via public speaking.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 24

Community Building Oasis

Cultivating engaged communities around your product.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 25

Bullseye Inner Ring Trials

Narrowing down to the traction channel that works.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 26

Middle Ring Testing Grounds

Running structured tests across promising channels.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 27

Outer Ring Exploration Plains

Brainstorming every possible traction channel.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 28

Phase Growth Citadel

Understanding startup growth phases I, II, and III.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 29

Traction vs Product Divide

Balancing time between building and marketing a product.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 30

50 Percent Rule Chamber

Allocating half your effort toward traction.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 31

Channel Bias Labyrinth

Overcoming personal biases toward familiar channels.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 32

Milestone Mapping Trail

Working backward from traction goals to milestones.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 33

Quantitative Marketing Vault

Using spreadsheets to evaluate channel potential.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 34

Unscalable Tactics Hollow

Doing things that don't scale to get first customers.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 35

Guest Blogging Pass

Contributing content to blogs your customers read.

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 36

Press Release Ridge

Crafting stories that journalists want to cover.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 37

Stunt Marketing Chasm

Bold publicity stunts that capture attention.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 38

Keyword Bidding Dunes

Selecting and bidding on search engine keywords.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 39

Ad Copy Testing Springs

Refining ad messaging for higher conversion.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 40

Retargeting Ice Caves

Re-engaging visitors who didn't convert initially.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 41

Direct Mail Ruins

Reaching customers through targeted physical mail.

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 42

Outdoor Advertising Cliffs

Billboards and public space advertising strategies.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 43

Backlink Building Grotto

Earning links to improve search rankings.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 44

On-Page SEO Terrace

Optimizing website content and structure for search.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 45

Editorial Calendar Meadow

Planning consistent content to build an audience.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 46

Guest Post Bridge

Expanding reach by writing for other publications.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 47

List Building Well

Growing an email subscriber base for marketing.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 48

Drip Campaign Corridor

Automating sequences of emails to nurture leads.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 49

Referral Loop Lagoon

Designing built-in mechanisms for user referrals.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 50

Sharing Incentives Volcano

Rewarding users for spreading the word.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 51

Free Tools Workshop Cave

Creating utilities that attract and convert leads.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 52

Interactive Content Forge

Building assets that generate leads indefinitely.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 53

Partnership Negotiation Keep

Structuring deals that benefit both companies.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 54

Deal-Making Diplomacy Hall

Approaching and closing business development deals.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 55

Enterprise Sales Path

Navigating long sales cycles for large customers.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 56

Sales Funnel Canyon

Moving prospects from leads to closed deals.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 57

Affiliate Recruitment Shoal

Finding and motivating affiliate partners.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 58

App Store Platform Ruins

Leveraging app marketplaces for distribution.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 59

Trade Show Booth Glacier

Designing effective trade show presence and follow-up.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 60

Event Hosting Hollow

Organizing your own events to attract customers.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 61

Conference Speaking Peak

Turning talks into a customer acquisition channel.

5 characters · 18 questions

MAP 62

Online Community Sanctuary

Building forums and groups that drive growth.

5 characters · 17 questions

MAP 63

Traction Roadmap Overlook

Synthesizing all channels into an ongoing strategy.

1 characters · 5 questions

How the book becomes practice

Reading puts ideas in. Retrieval keeps them there. The game is the retrieval.

Walk the world of the book

63 maps, one per part of the book. Signs along the way hold its key ideas, so the walk itself is a refresher.

Battle the characters

311 characters, each a short quiz on one idea. Answer well and the map opens up; a boss guards the end of each one.

Missed ideas come back

Every question you get wrong is re-asked in rematches and boss fights until you get it right. That is the part that makes it stick.

Keep what you learn

Sign up for free and your demo progress, XP and best tower stage move to your account. Come back whenever a chapter starts to fade.

Questions

Is this the actual book?

No. This is a quiz game built from the ideas in "Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth": 1117 multiple-choice questions with explanations, spread over 63 maps. It works best alongside the book, which is why the page links to where you can get it.

Is it free to play?

You can play the demo on this page without an account (5 battles in the RPG and 10 questions in the tower). Sign up for free to keep going; premium worlds come with a preview and Lifetime Pro unlocks everything.

Do I need to have read the book?

It works either way. If you have read it, the game is spaced repetition for what you learned. If you have not, every question comes with an explanation, so the game is a fast tour of the main ideas.

Does my demo progress carry over?

Yes. Sign up from the game and the characters you beat, your XP and your best tower stage move to your account.

Are the book links affiliate links?

Yes. If you buy the book through one of them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It helps keep the free worlds free.