# Newsworthy side-tool backlink bait

> Build a small timely utility or culturally relevant side project on your main domain to earn links before the core product has search authority.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/newsworthy-side-tool-backlink-bait/
- Source: [kapwing.com](https://www.kapwing.com/blog/how-we-got-our-first-10-customers/)
- GrowthDex source hub: [Kapwing Company Blog](/sources/kapwing-company-blog-kapwing-com/)
- Last checked: May 23, 2026
- Rarity: rare
- Budget: free
- Channels: PR, SEO, Hacker News, Reddit
- Stages: pre-launch, acquisition, search intent
- Key metric: First 15 subscriptions came through Google; one post attracted most early links to the domain

## Why this can grow

Early products often cannot rank because the domain has no trusted links yet. A useful side tool, public data page, or timely mini-project can earn press, forum, and blog links faster than a generic product pitch. Hosting it on the same domain lets that authority spill over to commercial pages. The key is that the side project must be genuinely useful or interesting on its own, not a thin stunt.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. I would treat this as earning the right to be in the room, not dropping a campaign into a room. In community-led growth, the first job is to notice what people already care about, then bring a useful proof, tool, teardown, or question that makes the conversation better. For acquisition, I would keep the first test narrow enough that a clear yes or no is possible. Broad reach is not useful if the signal is muddy. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where newsworthy side-tool backlink bait can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the PR and SEO channel.
3. Use the evidence from kapwing.com to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

Kapwing’s first 15 monthly subscriptions all came through Google. Before the core product had much authority, the team built Firemap, a wildfire satellite-search utility that earned local press links, and a Bladerunner poster generator that got Reddit attention. A startup-learning post about their payment flow went semi-viral on Hacker News and attracted hundreds of links; Julia Enthoven noted that almost 75% of internet links to Kapwing pointed to that post and helped the site rank for product queries.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Startup-learning post backlink wedge](/growth-ideas/startup-learning-post-backlink-wedge/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage
- [Search-task YouTube screencast factory](/growth-ideas/search-task-youtube-screencast-factory/) - same source, 1 shared channel, 2 shared stages
- [High-conversion, low-rank content refresh](/growth-ideas/high-conversion-low-rank-content-refresh/) - same source, 1 shared channel, 2 shared stages
- [Brief blogger outreach with follow-up and low-hit-rate expectations](/growth-ideas/brief-blogger-outreach-with-follow-up-low-hit-rate-expectation/) - same source, 2 shared channels

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [The first customers are supposed to feel a little unfair](/blog/first-customers-are-supposed-to-feel-a-little-unfair/) - early traction, operator-led distribution

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.