Clarify the Ask in a Go-To-Market Brief using Get Who To By
Most Go-To-Market briefs are just 50-page suicide notes for your budget. They're bloated with 'synergy' and 'omnichannel' buzzwords that mean absolutely nothing to the person actually trying to sell the product. The Get Who To By framework is the slap in the face your strategy needs. It forces you to stop dreaming and start focusing on the one thing that actually matters: getting a specific human to do a specific thing.
The TL;DR
Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Use Get Who To By to nail down your smallest winnable audience (GET), identify why they're currently ignoring you (WHO), tell them exactly what to do (TO), and give them a mechanism that isn't a total chore (BY). It’s strategy for people who actually want to ship.
Why This Framework Beats Your 60-Slide Deck
Because your current brief is probably a mess of conflicting goals and wishful thinking. This framework cuts through the noise like a hot knife through corporate butter.
The Four Steps
GET
Who is the smallest, most winnable group of people?
Stop saying 'Decision Makers.' It’s lazy. Define the specific person who is most likely to care about this right now. If your target is too broad, your message is a whisper in a hurricane.
WHO
What is the frustrating reality of their current behavior?
What are they doing instead of using your product? Why are they doing it? You're looking for the friction, the habit, or the misguided belief that’s keeping them from your solution.
TO
What is the one stupidly obvious thing you want them to do?
This isn't the time for poetry. It’s the time for a clear, direct ask. If they have to think for more than two seconds about what you want from them, you’ve already failed.
BY
How are you actually going to force their hand?
This is the 'how.' Is it a demo? A trial? A limited-time bribe? Define the mechanism that bridges the gap between 'that's nice' and 'take my money.'
Ways You'll Probably Screw This Up
(Try Not To)
- ×Targeting 'everyone' because you're afraid of leaving money on the table
- ×Writing a 'WHO' that is just a list of job titles instead of a behavior
- ×Making the 'TO' message so clever that nobody knows what it means
- ×Forgetting the 'BY' and assuming people will just figure out how to buy
- ×Treating the framework as a checklist rather than a cohesive story
- ×Using corporate jargon in the message because you're afraid to sound human
- ×Ignoring the actual competitive landscape in your 'WHO' insight
- ×Setting a 'TO' goal that is actually three goals in a trench coat
If your brief feels like it was written by a committee, it probably was. Burn it and start over with these four steps.
Real Examples
B2B SaaS Launch
Launching a productivity tool for remote project managers who are drowning in Slack notifications.
GET
Overwhelmed PMs at mid-sized tech firms.
WHO
They spend 4 hours a day just 'managing' communication instead of actually moving projects forward.
TO
Reclaim your deep work time with automated status updates.
BY
A 14-day 'No-Meeting' challenge fueled by our platform's automated reporting features.
DTC Subscription
A high-end coffee subscription for people who are tired of grocery store beans.
GET
Home-office workers who consider themselves 'coffee nerds.'
WHO
They buy expensive gear but settle for stale supermarket beans because they forget to order online.
TO
Never drink a mediocre cup of coffee at your desk again.
BY
A 'First Bag Free' trial that syncs with their calendar to ensure they never run out.
FinTech App
A budgeting app for freelancers who have inconsistent monthly income.
GET
Full-time freelancers earning $50k-$100k.
WHO
They ignore their bank accounts during 'lean months' because the anxiety of seeing the balance is too high.
TO
Take the fear out of your fluctuating income.
BY
An 'Income Smoothing' calculator that shows them exactly how much they can safely spend this month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have two 'GETs' if the product serves two audiences?
No. Pick one. If you have two audiences, you have two briefs. Trying to do both in one framework is how you end up with a mess.
What if my 'WHO' insight feels too negative?
Good. People change behavior to avoid pain or solve a problem. If it feels too 'nice,' you aren't digging deep enough into their frustrations.
Does the 'TO' have to be the actual ad headline?
It can be, but it doesn't have to be. It’s the core message. The creative team can make it pretty, but you need to make it clear first.
Is the 'BY' just a Call to Action?
It's the CTA plus the reason to click it. It's the mechanism - the offer, the tool, or the event that makes the action happen.
How long should each section be?
One sentence each. If you need a paragraph to explain your 'WHO,' you don't actually understand your customer yet.
Generate a Framework for your Product Launch Strategy
Use our framework generator to generate various Get Who To By, 4C, 4 Points Strategy, and other frameworks — all in one place and directly to editable Google SLIDES!
Go to Framework Generator