Michelin Strategy (create-the-award)
Create an industry award or rating system that incentivizes behavior which drives demand for your core product.
Why this can grow a startup
By creating the standard by which an industry measures quality, you become the trusted authority and default brand. The award creates a self-reinforcing loop: winners promote their status (free marketing for you), aspirants engage with your ecosystem to improve, and consumers follow your recommendations — all of which increases your brand reach and product demand. It works because the value you provide (recognition, credibility) is genuinely useful to recipients, making it non-spammy distribution.
Company example
Michelin (created the Michelin Stars restaurant guide to incentivize people to drive to top restaurants, wearing out tires faster and buying more Michelin tires); modern SaaS equivalents include creating "best of" lists, certification programs, or benchmark reports that position the company as an authority.
Source and metric
Source: linkedin.com · Browse linkedin.com tactics
Source discovered: March 21, 2026
When to use it
Use this when Communities, PR, Partnerships is relevant to 0-100, 100-1K and you can run a bounded test with a free budget.
When not to use it
Do not use it as a substitute for customer evidence, a clear owner, or a measurable stop condition. Local platform rules and market behavior still need checking.
Founder checklist
- Read linkedin.com and identify what is directly supported.
- Choose one channel context: Communities, PR, Partnerships.
- Define the test around one observable customer behavior.
- Set an owner, evidence window, and stop condition before launch.
Explore the context
Apply this with an operator
Choose product surfaces that compound distribution without hiding weak activation or retention.