Fix GTM Briefs That Try to Do Everything using Get Who To By
Your GTM brief looks like a CVS receipt - long, confusing, and full of things nobody actually asked for. You're trying to boil the ocean with a tea candle, and your team is exhausted before they even open the deck. The Get Who To By framework is the slap in the face you need to stop 'synergizing' and start actually selling. It forces you to stop pretending you can be everything to everyone and makes you pick a lane that actually leads to a conversion.
The TL;DR
Stop making your GTM a wish list. Use Get Who To By to nail your target (GET), find the real reason they're currently ignoring you (WHO), give them a clear command (TO), and build the mechanism to make it happen (BY). One goal, one audience, zero fluff.
Why This Framework Beats Your 50-Page Strategy Deck
Because nobody reads your 50-page deck, and even if they did, they'd still be confused about what to do on Monday morning. This framework cuts the nonsense.
The Four Steps
GET
Who exactly are you trying to reach?
Define the smallest group that will actually care. 'Decision makers' isn't an answer - it's a lazy generalization. Pick the people who are actually feeling the pain today.
WHO
What’s the critical behavior insight about them?
Why are they stuck? What are they doing instead of using you? Figure out the habit, fear, or frustration that’s keeping them from clicking 'Buy'.
TO
What’s the message that makes action obvious?
Craft a message that tells them exactly what to do. If a tired intern can't understand your ask in two seconds, it's garbage. Simplify until it hurts.
BY
How are you going to make them actually do it?
This is the mechanic. Is it a demo? A specific landing page? A limited-time bribe? Outline the actual bridge they have to walk across.
Ways You'll Probably Screw This Up
(Don't say I didn't warn you)
- ×Targeting 'Global Enterprises' with a $5k budget
- ×Confusing a demographic with a behavior insight
- ×Writing a 'TO' that sounds like a philosophical poem
- ×Making the 'BY' a 14-step onboarding process
- ×Forgetting that people are inherently lazy and hate change
- ×Using the word 'leverage' or 'synergy' in your message
- ×Trying to solve five problems in one brief
- ×Ignoring the status quo - it's your biggest competitor
Fix these, or just go back to making pretty slides that nobody acts on.
Real Examples
B2B SaaS GTM
A campaign to pivot a project management tool toward stressed agency owners.
GET
Agency owners with 10+ employees using messy Slack threads for task tracking.
WHO
They know they're losing billable hours to chaos but fear a new tool will take months to set up.
TO
Get your agency organized in 15 minutes, not 15 days.
BY
A 'Magic Importer' that turns Slack exports into a structured project board instantly.
DTC Subscription
A launch for a premium coffee subscription targeting home office workers.
GET
Remote workers who currently drink stale grocery store coffee.
WHO
They miss the 'coffee shop experience' but are too busy/lazy to leave their desk during the day.
TO
Stop drinking sad desk coffee and bring the cafe to your kitchen.
BY
A 'Starter Kit' including a free frother with the first month of beans.
Cybersecurity Service
Promoting a security audit for small e-commerce businesses.
GET
Shopify store owners who just hit their first $1M in sales.
WHO
They think they're too small to be hacked but have recurring nightmares about their site going down during a sale.
TO
Don't let a $500 hack destroy your $1M business.
BY
A free 5-minute 'Vulnerability Scorecard' that highlights their top 3 risks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have two 'GETs' in one brief?
No. Pick one or run two separate campaigns. If you try to talk to everyone, you end up talking to a wall.
What if my 'WHO' insight is just 'they want to save money'?
That's not an insight, that's a universal truth. Find the specific reason *why* they haven't saved it yet. Are they lazy? Scared? Overwhelmed?
Is the 'TO' just a headline?
It's the core directive. It can be a headline, but it's really the soul of the creative. It's the one thing they need to believe to move.
How specific should the 'BY' be?
Specific enough that your designer or developer knows exactly what to build without asking you ten follow-up questions.
Why is there no 'Strategy' box in this framework?
Because this *is* the strategy. If you need a box labeled 'Strategy' to feel like a real marketer, go buy some Legos.
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