Field Guide · No. 05 · B2B Growth

The Lead-Gen
Channel Map.

Every meaningful way a B2B company puts qualified buyers into its pipeline — split by motion. Inbound pulls buyers who are already searching. Outbound reaches buyers who aren't. Most growth engines fail because they confuse the two, or run one without the other.

Startup Builder Lab v.01 · mockup 2026
IN
Inbound
You publish · buyer comes to you
23 tactics
OUT
Outbound
You reach a specific person
17 tactics
Legend
Effort to implement low do it this afternoon med setup, tools, or weeks of reps high built asset, logistics, or serious skill
D · Demand how many B2B companies actively want it — D5 nearly everyone → D1 a niche few
R · Revenue ROI how directly & reliably it turns into booked revenue — R5 fast, direct revenue → R1 slow or indirect
Bottom-up · what B2B responds to
The Demand Hot List.

Of all 40 tactics, these score highest on demand × revenue ROI — the ones most B2B companies actively want and that turn into booked revenue fastest. Four of the top five work the assets a company already owns. Start here.

01ReferralsOUT
Highest close rate of anything. Everyone wants more; almost no one has a system. D5 · R5
02Re-engage dead CRM leadsOUT
Fastest revenue from assets they already own. Near-zero cost. D4 · R5
03Reach out to past customersOUT
Pre-qualified, warm, new budget cycles. Pure upside. D4 · R5
04Cold emailsOUT
The default "I need pipeline now" play. Scalable, cheap, repeatable. D5 · R4
05Case studies + testimonialsIN
Everyone wants proof; it lifts the close rate of every other channel. D5 · R4
06AdvertisingIN
High-intent capture across Google, LinkedIn, Meta, and more — pick the platform your buyers live on. D4 · R4
I
Motion 01
Inbound — You Publish.

Anything you put out into the world that a buyer finds, sees, or hears on their own. You do the work once (or pay for distribution); attention comes back to you.

Tactics23
Blog posts01highD5R3
Articles targeting the exact problems your buyer searches. Compounds; backbone of most B2B pipelines.
High-converting landing pages02medD4R4
Comparison, "alternatives," and programmatic pages built to rank and convert.
YouTube videos03highD3R3
How-tos, demos, teardowns. Evergreen, searchable, long-lived.
Newsletters04highD3R3
Owned email list on a cadence. The one channel ad-breakage can't kill.
Podcast05highD3R2
Interview your ICP. A pipeline engine disguised as a show.
Webinars / workshops06medD4R3
Live session on a budgeted pain. High call-conversion.
Social media posting07medD5R3
Consistent posts on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram. Dominant for SMB & mid-market B2B.
Case studies08medD5R4
Named customer × quantified outcome. SEO + sales collateral in one.
Testimonials & Google reviews09lowD5R4
Collect and publish customer testimonials and Google/Maps reviews. Social proof that converts even for B2B.
Lead magnets10medD4R3
Gated PDFs, templates, reports, and free tools traded for contact info.
Guest posts on industry outlets11medD2R2
Borrow their audience and backlinks.
Advertising12medD4R4
Paid placements on Google Search, LinkedIn, Meta, YouTube, X, and Reddit.
Retargeting ads13lowD3R3
Chase recent site visitors across display and social. Highest-ROAS layer on any funnel.
Sponsor a newsletter14lowD2R2
Buy a placement in a trusted operator's email.
Sponsor a podcast15lowD2R2
Host-read ads on shows your ICP already listens to.
Buy pay-per-lead from review sites16lowD2R3
Category-intent leads sold directly by G2, Capterra, TrustRadius.
In-house PR outreach to journalists17medD2R2
Email reporters covering your beat with a real angle.
Submit to industry awards18lowD2R1
Credibility badges, press mentions, and backlinks from award pages.
List on G2 / review sites and collect reviews19lowD3R3
Category rank + reviews drive high-intent demos directly.
Get listed in "Top X" directories20lowD2R2
Third-party ranking pages that already rank for your category.
Publish an app in a marketplace21highD2R3
HubSpot, Salesforce, Shopify, Slack. Discovery inside the buyer's stack — strong for SaaS.
Speak at conferences22medD3R3
On-stage credibility + a recorded asset you can redistribute for a year.
Run a trade show booth23highD3R3
Build a booth that pulls attendees to your brand. Logistics-heavy, high attract power.
O
Motion 02
Outbound — You Reach Out.

Direct, 1-to-1 contact initiated by you to a specific named person. The buyer didn't ask; you chose them.

Tactics17
Cold emails01medD5R4
Multi-step email campaigns to a built list. Cheapest scalable outbound.
Send DMs02lowD4R3
Direct messages on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter/X after light engagement.
SMS & WhatsApp messages03medD2R3
Text the mobile. High opens, opt-in or warm lists only.
Reply to prospects' social posts04lowD3R2
Thoughtful public comments that warm the first touch.
Cold calls05medD3R4
Dials against a filtered list. Fastest path to a booked meeting mid-market+.
Leave cold voicemails06lowD2R2
Short, specific VM paired with a follow-up email.
Handwritten notes07medD2R3
A physical note to a named prospect. Breaks through for high-ACV accounts.
Direct mail08highD2R3
Dimensional mailers — a box, book, or object. Pattern-breaker for exec inboxes.
Send gifts to target accounts09medD2R3
Sendoso, Reachdesk, or local courier. Pairs with an outreach sequence.
Door knocking10highD1R2
Door-knocking. Still works for local-service and trades B2B with small territories.
Work the floor at a trade show11highD3R3
Pre-booked meetings + walk-ups against a target list.
Host an invite-only dinner12highD3R4
8–12 named ICP buyers in one room. Extraordinary conversion for strategic accounts.
Meetups & networking events13lowD3R3
Show up where your ICP gathers. Follow up every conversation within 24h.
Referrals14lowD5R5
Systematic "who else should I talk to?" on every happy call.
Reach out to past customers with a new offer15lowD4R5
Email or call previous buyers about new use cases or upgrades.
Re-engage dead CRM leads16lowD4R5
Email stalled opportunities and old inquiries with a fresh angle.
Apply for RFPs17medD2R3
Respond to formal requests for proposals. High effort per bid, pre-budgeted buyers.
B2B Growth · Channel Map No. 05 · 40 tactics mockup · not published