Two Marketing Strategies = $10B Brand

Most startups think they need ads to grow.

But some of the most popular tools didn’t start with big ad budgets.

Take Notion, for example.

It became a $10B productivity brand without spending much on traditional marketing. Instead of chasing clicks, they focused on community building.

And it worked like magic.

The Big Idea:

Notion’s Growth Playbook

If you have ever used Notion, you know it’s more than a notes app.
It’s more than a doc, a calendar, or a task list. It’s a tool people build inside of.

But here’s the thing most people don’t talk about:
Notion didn’t grow by shouting louder than others.

It grew because other people shouted for them.

And not just by accident.
Notion built a system that helped users do exactly that.

Let me explain what that means.

Most startups focus on product features, pricing, or paid ads.

They try to convince you to use the tool.

Notion flipped that.

Instead of selling to you, they gave you reasons to share the product because it helped you look wise or generous in front of others.

This approach is called community-led growth, but it’s not just about Discord groups or branded swag. The real power is this:

Let people become teachers, builders, and leaders around your product.

When that happens, your growth isn’t tied to how many ads you buy.

It’s tied to how many people want to share their designs and products with you. Notion turned regular users into two things:

1. Champions who told others how and why to use it

2. Builders who used the product to create and share it

This idea works well for a tool like Notion. It's also a smart playbook.

Growth becomes automatic when your product helps others get attention, solve problems, or look good online. That’s the core idea.

And that's one of the reasons Notion grew into a $10B company, while still feeling like a tiny startup that listens to its users.

But did Notion make all this happen?

Behind the Magic:

Executing The Unexplored Path

Notion’s playbook might look so small but not many brands take that path. It’s either because they do not see any value in it or fear not executing properly.

But here’s how Notion made it all happen.

1. The Free Ambassador Program

Most ambassador programs feel like marketing campaigns.

But Notion’s felt like a movement.

They didn’t chase “influencers” with large followings but went after people who loved the product and wanted to teach others.

Notion gave these folks early access to features, occasional swag, and a direct line to the team. But what made it work was how much freedom they gave.

Ambassadors could:

• Host Notion workshops in local coffee shops

• Create tutorials in their native language

• Start Discord groups or Notion-specific communities

There were no scripts. No pressure. No content calendars.

That made ambassadors feel like product collaborators, not promoters.

They had skin in the game. Notion also made it very easy to join the program.

Check out this YT video:

And look at how these Notion experts grew:

It wasn’t exclusive. You didn’t need 10K followers.

All people joining as ambassadors wanted was passion. That open-door policy attracted students, creators, educators, and startup folks.

And this is where it all hit.

As more people from different industries at different experience levels joined, it became easier for the product team to reach more people.

And since these ambassadors were already using Notion in their daily work, sharing came naturally. Focusing on the ambassador program worked for Notion because it:

• Built genuine trust and belonging

• Created local and online networks that grew organically

• Gave Notion “boots on the ground” in global markets without hiring teams

This model helped Notion quietly expand across countries without spending money on traditional international marketing.

2. Templates Turned Users Into Distributors

Notion didn’t just let people use the tool. They gave them the power to build inside the tool and share those builds with the world.

The magic wasn’t the product itself. It was what users could do with it.

Templates became a massive growth channel. Right now, if I want to create a template of my own, I can not only design and build it but also sell it to other people.

Here’s Notion’s template marketplace:

Here’s what made it work so well:

• Users could create any system they wanted (calendars, trackers, wikis, CRMs)

• Notion gave them one-click duplication and public links.

• People shared these on platforms where other builders hung out: Twitter, Reddit, Indie Hackers, Gumroad, and personal blogs.

Templates solved real-world problems.

So when someone shared a “content planning board” or “job application tracker,” others found them helpful and signed up to try.

Check this X post, for example:

It was user-generated content and product onboarding in one.

To support this, Notion launched an official Template Gallery.

It became a central hub where users could:

• Browse use cases

• Discover tools they didn’t know they needed

• See how others were using Notion creatively

And it kept the product fresh because new templates appeared every day.

This strategy worked because it:

• Created infinite ways to market the same product

• Gave users pride and visibility (some even monetized their templates)

• Encouraged exploration and stickiness inside the product

Over time, templates became the fastest way for people to find Notion, try Notion, and stay with Notion.

Together, these two strategies, formed a self-reinforcing growth loop:

• A power user created a helpful template

• Someone found it, tried Notion, and became a fan

• That person joined the community, learned more, and eventually shared their template.

• And the cycle continued.

There were no paid ads. No discounts or viral hacks. Just a thoughtful system that gave users tools to teach, build, and share on their terms.

And that’s how Notion grew into a $10B brand with community at the core.

Wait…

Before you scroll away —

Head over to Product Hunt today and take 5 minutes to explore what’s launching.

But… Don’t look at it like a user. Look at it like a founder.

Ask yourself:

• Would I share this if I wasn’t the maker?

• What part of this product makes people want to tell others about it?

• Is it built to be shared? Or does it just hope to be?

That’s what today’s Notion case study is all about.

Notion didn’t grow because it was useful.
It grew because it made people look useful when they shared it.

So the next time you scroll through Product Hunt, don’t just ask “Is this cool?”
Ask “Would this go viral without a team pushing it?”

That’s the real test.

Where It Fits:

Ready-to-Use Marketing Strategy

If you are building a SaaS product, a marketplace, or even a side project, this isn’t just a Notion thing. The idea of turning users into your biggest growth engine can work anywhere, as long as you know where to look.

1.
If your product helps people organize, manage, or track something… You are in a great spot to copy Notion’s template strategy.

Ask yourself:

• Are users building workflows or systems inside your tool?

• Could one user’s setup be helpful for another person?

If yes, build in two features:

• A simple “Share” button for public templates

• A library where users can browse what others are sharing

This is perfect if you build tools like CRMs, finance trackers, content planning tools, project management software, and productivity dashboards because templates also act like mini-ads for your product.

And users are giving you free distribution when they share them.

2.
If your product helps people express, teach, or inspire… Then a community-led ambassador strategy might work well.

But don’t think of it like a formal ambassador program.

Instead, think of it like this: Who are my happiest users and how can I help them talk about us more often?

Start by identifying users who:

• Already talk about your product online

• Answer questions in your support chats or forums

• Teach others how to use it (even in small ways)

Then, create lightweight ways for them to host events, share knowledge, get early access, and feel like insiders. You don’t need a big budget.

You need to create a space where your best users feel valued and seen.

This works great if your product is in spaces like design, no code, developer tools, creator economy, and learning/education.

The goal is to turn support into ownership.

Not just "thanks for using us" but "you are part of what we are building."

3.
If you are just starting, and don’t have many users yet… You can still plant the seeds now.

Here’s how:

• Talk to your first 10 users and ask: “What did you build with this?”

• If they created anything helpful, ask if they are okay with sharing it

• Publish a few examples on your site or in public

Then, highlight them in your newsletter, share them on social, and create a “Built With [Your Product]” gallery.

This strategy works even with 100 users because users start doing the work with you by setting up systems.

Resources For You

Templates: Struggling to create high-converting DTC ads? Get 60+ proven DTC ad templates used by top brands. Plug, tweak, and launch winning ads instantly.

Hunting Marketing Jobs: Check out GrowthRoles. It's a job board just for marketers. From email marketing to social media marketing, find your dream role today.

Blog:

• How to start a brand ambassador program from scratch

• Strategizing your “place” in the marketing mix

YT Video: How I brought my first product to market - Idea to launch

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