Emerging Channels Framework

A three-ingredient assessment for deciding when and how to invest in new acquisition channels

Adam Grenier
When to invest in new acquisition channels

Emerging Channels Framework

"Rarely ever is it like, 'Hey, this should be your entire team's focus for the next three sprints.' I think keeping it minimum at first is my typical recommendation." - Adam Grenier

What It Is

The Emerging Channels Framework is a systematic approach for evaluating whether to invest time and resources in new or emerging acquisition channels like TikTok, VR, newsletter ads, or influencer marketing. Rather than chasing every shiny new platform, this framework helps growth teams make disciplined decisions about channel exploration.

The framework acknowledges that only about 5% of truly emerging channels end up working. However, when they do work, they can be game-changing. The key is having a structured approach to filter opportunities and size investments appropriately.

How It Works

The framework has three core ingredients that must all align before investing:

Ingredient 1: Customer-Company-Channel Overlap

Find the intersection of:

  • Customer needs: What does your customer actually need?
  • Company goals: What are your growth objectives?
  • Channel strengths: What does this channel do really well?

Example: Spotify exploring Clubhouse made sense because:

  • Customer need: Music discovery and deeper artist relationships
  • Company goal: New customers and deeper engagement with audio
  • Channel strength: Audio-first, live conversations, esoteric knowledge sharing

All three aligned. In contrast, Paparazzi (photo-driven) had no clear overlap with Spotify's audio focus—a yellow light at best.

Ingredient 2: Channel DNA

Assess the channel's trajectory and alignment:

  1. Where are they in their growth curve?

    • Very early = high risk, things will change rapidly
    • Accept that early bets may be one-time opportunities
    • If you get something working early, expect to commit ongoing cycles as the platform evolves

  2. How do they monetize?

    • If your business can support their monetization strategy, you gain leverage
    • You can do custom partnerships, get into alphas, and your solutions stick longer
    • Example: Hotel Tonight got into Facebook mobile ads alpha by positioning themselves as a non-gaming case study that Facebook needed to prove the platform worked beyond gaming

Ingredient 3: Company DNA

Honest assessment of your own capabilities:

  1. Risk profile: Do you have true first-mover appetite?

    • Tracking won't work
    • It won't be programmatic
    • You'll show up on offensive content
    • Refunds won't happen

  2. Team capacity: Can you dedicate someone without distracting from core work?

  3. Current channel mix: Are your basics working first?

    • Don't chase emerging channels before Google and Facebook foundations are solid
    • Exception: Perfect fit where emerging channel is clearly your thing

How to Apply It

  1. Score the overlap - Rate the alignment between customer needs, company goals, and channel strengths. If all three don't clearly connect, stop here.

  2. Assess channel DNA - Determine where the channel is in its lifecycle and whether your business aligns with how they monetize.

  3. Check your readiness - Be honest about your risk tolerance, team capacity, and whether your foundational channels are working.

  4. Size your investment based on assessment:

    • Weak overlap + early channel + small team = Half a person, minimal investment
    • Strong overlap + maturing channel + large team = Dedicated resources, push hard

  5. Set time boundaries:

    • Most tests should yield signal in a month or less ("fishing")
    • Don't let anything bleed past a quarter
    • Exception: High-investment content (like video production) warrants more time

  6. Define success metrics upfront:

    • For non-trackable channels (Clubhouse): Are we growing our reach 10% each time?
    • For trackable channels (TikTok): Standard conversion metrics
    • Look for momentum and improvement, not statistical significance

When to Use It

  • When a new platform is getting buzz and stakeholders are asking "Should we be on X?"
  • Before adding any new acquisition channel to your roadmap
  • When deciding between multiple channel experiments to prioritize
  • After macro changes (economic shifts, market changes) that require reassessing product-market fit for new channels

Source

  • Guest: Adam Grenier
  • Episode: "When to invest in new acquisition channels"
  • Key Discussion: (00:14:38 - 00:30:00) - Full framework walkthrough with Spotify/Clubhouse example
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

Related Frameworks

  • Channel DNA Assessment - Deeper dive into evaluating channel trajectory and monetization alignment
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