The Lead Generation Funnel

Each stage has dedicated tactics below. The key insight: the CLI and MCP server ARE the lead generation tools. Every npx @stitchwand/cli convert is a trial that costs us nothing to deliver.

SEO: Own the DESIGN.md Search Landscape

DESIGN.md is a new format with minimal existing content. This is a rare greenfield SEO opportunity — there are almost no competing pages for these terms.

Priority Keywords (Months 1-3)

SEO Technical Checklist

Content Marketing Funnel

Free Packages as Lead Generation

The npm packages are not charity — they are the most efficient lead generation tool possible. Every npm install is a zero-cost acquisition.

Tactics for npm-to-website conversion

MCP Registry Listings as Discovery Channels

Every MCP registry is a permanent search engine for AI tools. Being listed early means being recommended early.

Chrome Extension as User Acquisition

The Chrome extension injects directly into stitch.withgoogle.com, making it visible to every Stitch user at the moment they need it most. This is the highest-intent acquisition channel.

Chrome Web Store Optimization

• Title: "stitchwand — Design System Validator for Google Stitch"
• Category: Developer Tools
• Keywords: design system, DESIGN.md, Google Stitch, accessibility, tokens, WCAG
• Screenshots: 5 annotated screenshots showing validator, linter, token extraction, DESIGN.md export, and grade report
• Promotional tile: "Make Stitch respect your design system" with brand gradient

Free Tools That Capture Emails

Build standalone micro-tools that solve one problem well and gate the output behind an email capture. These are not the core product — they are supplementary utilities.

AI-Powered Lead Scoring & Qualification

As the email list grows, use AI to score and route leads. This matters most once Pro tier and consulting are live (June+ 2026).

Lead routing logic

• Score 50+: Enterprise lead → personal outreach email from founder within 24 hours
• Score 25-49: Pro prospect → automated email sequence highlighting Pro features
• Score 1-24: Nurture → weekly newsletter, educational content
• Score 0: Passive → monthly digest only

Write a short, personal outreach email from Brian Dils (founder, stitchwand) to [LEAD NAME] at [COMPANY]. They [SIGNAL: downloaded the Chrome extension / used the web app 5 times / visited the pricing page]. The email should:
1. Reference their specific signal naturally
2. Offer a free 30-minute design system audit using stitchwand
3. Mention we do consulting for enterprise teams ($15-25K projects)
4. Keep it under 150 words, genuine tone, no sales-speak
5. Sign off as Brian, link to calendly for booking

Google Cloud Next 2026 Strategy (April 22, Las Vegas)

Google Cloud Next is 11 days after launch. This is the single highest-leverage networking event of the year — Google's developer relations teams, Stitch engineers, and enterprise adopters are all in one building.

Pre-Conference (April 18-21)

At the Conference

Post-Conference (April 23-30)

Design System Conferences & Meetups

Talk Proposal Templates

X / Twitter Community Building

X is the primary social platform for developer tool awareness. The strategy: build authority through consistent, high-value content about DESIGN.md, design systems, and AI-native workflows.

Account Strategy

Engagement Tactics

• Reply to every mention within 4 hours during business hours
• Quote-tweet Stitch announcements from Google with stitchwand context
• Engage in design system discussions (search "design system" and "design tokens" daily)
• Tag relevant people when sharing content (David East, design system community leads)
• Run weekly polls about design system preferences (format, tooling, pain points)
• Share npm download milestones with celebration posts

Community Engagement Plan

Phase 1: Seed Other Communities (Months 1-3)

Before building your own community, establish presence in existing ones.

Phase 2: Build Own Community (Months 3-6)

Once there are 500+ npm weekly downloads and 200+ email subscribers, launch a Discord server.

Strategic Relationships

Thought Leadership: The Kenos Method

The Kenos Method is the intellectual property that differentiates you from "just another CLI tool." It is the framework for thinking about design systems in AI-native workflows. Positioning it properly creates speaking opportunities, consulting justification, and brand authority.

Community Engagement

Beta testers and power users are community ambassadors and future advocates. Treat them well.

User Engagement Pipeline

Tactics

• Fast feedback response: Respond to every bug report and feature request within 24 hours. Speed of response is the #1 user retention factor.
• Public thanks: Thank active community members in release notes and on X/Twitter
• Beta tester Discord channel: Private channel for active testers with early access to roadmap
• Swag at milestones: stitchwand stickers for first bug report, t-shirt for active beta testers (when budget allows)

Content Pillars

30-Day Launch Content Calendar (April 18 – May 18)

Day-by-day content plan for the first month. Each item includes platform, content type, and goal.

Blog Post Queue (Months 2-6)

Video Content Strategy

Newsletter Strategy

The newsletter is the owned audience channel — not dependent on any platform algorithm. Build it early, nurture it always.

Subject: [The DESIGN.md Weekly] + [catchy hook]

Hey [first_name or "there"],

3 things this week:

1. [Interesting finding about design systems / AI / DESIGN.md]
   Short paragraph explaining why this matters.

2. [Tutorial or resource you published]
   One-line description + link.

3. [Community highlight - someone's project, question, or contribution]
   Brief shoutout + link.

---
Product Update: [What shipped this week in stitchwand]
One paragraph, focused on user benefit not feature list.

---
See you next Thursday.

Brian
Founder, stitchwand
stitchwand.com

AI-Generated Content Workflow

Use Claude to accelerate content production. The workflow: AI generates drafts, human adds authenticity and nuance, AI helps with distribution.

Write a blog post for stitchwand.com/blog about [TOPIC].

Context:
- stitchwand converts design tokens to DESIGN.md format for Google Stitch
- Target audience: frontend developers and design system maintainers
- Tone: technical but accessible, like a senior engineer explaining to a mid-level colleague
- Include code examples using @stitchwand/cli where relevant
- Length: 1,200-1,800 words
- Structure: Hook (1 paragraph) → Problem (2 paragraphs) → Solution (walkthrough) → Advanced tips → CTA

SEO target keyword: [KEYWORD]
Include this keyword naturally 3-5 times. Do not force it.

End with a CTA that links to the web app, not to "sign up" or "buy."

Platform Priority Stack

X / Twitter: Complete Playbook

Posting Cadence

X Thread Templates

Tweet 1 (Hook):
[Emoji] Just shipped [FEATURE NAME] in stitchwand.

[One-sentence description of what it does and why it matters.]

Thread on how it works 👇

Tweet 2 (Problem):
The problem: [Describe the pain point this feature solves]

[1-2 sentences showing you understand the user's frustration]

Tweet 3 (Solution):
Here's what [FEATURE] does:

• [Benefit 1]
• [Benefit 2]
• [Benefit 3]

[Screenshot or short video]

Tweet 4 (How to use):
Try it now:

[Code block or command]

No signup. No account. Just works.

Tweet 5 (CTA):
Links:
• Web app: [URL]
• GitHub: [URL]
• Docs: [URL]

If this is useful, RT tweet 1 so more people see it 🙏

Tweet 1 (Hook):
Most design systems are optimized for humans.

But AI agents don't browse Figma. They read markdown.

Here's why DESIGN.md changes everything: 🧵

Tweet 2:
Design tokens store *values*: --color-primary: #1A73E8

DESIGN.md stores *meaning*: "Deep Ocean (#1A73E8) — Primary action color used for CTAs and interactive elements"

The difference? An AI agent can *understand* your design system, not just reference it.

Tweet 3:
This matters because [explain the implication]

[Data point or example]

Tweet 4-6:
[Continue building the argument with examples, comparisons, data]

Tweet 7 (CTA):
If you want to try this with your own design system:

npx @stitchwand/cli convert ./your-tokens.json

Free to use. Works with Style Dictionary, Tokens Studio, Tailwind, and CSS Variables.

[Link to stitchwand.com]

Tweet 1:
[TIME PERIOD] of stitchwand — here's where things stand:

📦 [X] npm downloads/week
👥 [Y] active users
🌐 [Z] web app visitors
📧 [N] email subscribers

Honest breakdown of what worked and what didn't 👇

Tweet 2 (What worked):
What drove growth:
• [Channel/tactic 1] — [specific result]
• [Channel/tactic 2] — [specific result]
• [Channel/tactic 3] — [specific result]

Tweet 3 (What didn't):
What didn't work:
• [Failed tactic] — [why it failed, what I learned]
• [Disappointing result] — [honest assessment]

Tweet 4 (What's next):
Next month I'm focused on:
1. [Goal 1]
2. [Goal 2]
3. [Goal 3]

Tweet 5 (CTA):
Building in public means sharing the real numbers.

If you're building a dev tool, follow along — I'll keep sharing everything.

[Link to tool]

Hashtag Strategy

LinkedIn Strategy

Content Types

• Launch announcement: 800-word article on launch day (more professional tone than X)
• Weekly insights: 2-3 paragraph posts about design systems + AI trends
• Case studies: "How [Company] used DESIGN.md to transform their Stitch workflow"
• Conference recaps: Photos + professional takeaways from Cloud Next, etc.
• Milestone celebrations: Download milestones, star milestones, revenue milestones

LinkedIn Posting Schedule

Cadence: 2-3x per week. Best times: Tuesday-Thursday, 8-10am ET. Avoid weekends.

Format tip: Start with a hook line, use line breaks liberally, end with a question to drive comments. LinkedIn algorithm rewards comments > reactions.

YouTube Strategy

Channel Setup

• Channel name: "stitchwand" or "Fieldhaus" (consistent with brand)
• Description: "Design system tooling for the AI era. Tutorials on DESIGN.md, Google Stitch, MCP servers, and design token management."
• Playlists: "Getting Started," "Tutorials," "Deep Dives," "Conference Talks"

Video Templates

Reddit & Hacker News

Reddit Subreddits

Hacker News Strategy

• "Show HN" posts: Use for major launches only (initial launch, Chrome extension, Pro tier). Maximum 3x per year.
• Title formula: "Show HN: stitchwand — Convert design tokens to DESIGN.md for Google Stitch"
• Comment strategy: Post a top-level comment immediately after submission explaining the technical details, motivation, and architecture decisions. HN values technical depth.
• Timing: Post between 8-10 AM ET on Tuesday-Thursday for maximum visibility.
• Engage authentically: Answer every question, acknowledge limitations, be humble about scope.

Influencer & Creator Outreach

Developer influencers can amplify reach 10-100x. The approach: provide value first, ask for nothing, let them discover the tool naturally.

AI Tools for Social Media Management

Free → Pro Conversion Funnel

Conversion Tactics at Each Stage

Pro Tier ($19/mo) — Value Proposition & Positioning

Positioning Copy (for pricing page)

HEADLINE: "Your design system deserves better than copy-paste"

SUBHEAD: "stitchwand Pro automates the tedious parts of design system
management. Generate components, validate in CI/CD, and keep your
DESIGN.md in sync — all for less than a team lunch."

PRO CARD HEADLINE: "For teams shipping with Stitch"
PRO PRICE: "$19/month"
PRO SUBTEXT: "14-day free trial. No credit card required."

KEY SELLING POINTS:
1. "Generate production-ready React, Vue, or Svelte components
   from any HTML — with proper TypeScript interfaces"
2. "Validate every PR against your design system automatically
   with our CI/CD webhook"
3. "Save and version your design systems in the cloud —
   access from any device, share with your team"

CTA: "Start free trial" (not "Buy" or "Subscribe")

Pricing Psychology & Experiments

Why $19/mo (Pro) and $49/mo (Team)

• Below the "ask permission" threshold: Most developers can expense $19/mo without manager approval
• Comparable to: GitHub Copilot ($10/mo), Vercel Pro ($20/mo), Figma ($15/mo). $19 is competitive and accessible
• Annual discount: Offer $15/mo billed annually ($180/yr) — encourages commitment
• Team pricing: $49/mo flat includes up to 20 members, launching alongside Pro in Phase 3

Pricing Experiments to Run

Enterprise Consulting Sales Process (Path C)

The consulting path generates 10-50x the revenue of a Pro subscription per client. Target: 1 client by month 6, 3-5 by month 12.

Service Offerings

Sales Process (Consulting)

Write a consulting proposal for [COMPANY NAME] from Dilshaus Ventures LLC
(Fieldhaus brand). The prospect is [ROLE] at [COMPANY] and they need help
[SPECIFIC NEED: migrating their design system to DESIGN.md / integrating
Stitch into their workflow / etc.].

Structure:
1. Executive Summary (2 paragraphs — what we'll do and why it matters)
2. Scope of Work (5-7 specific deliverables, each with 1-sentence description)
3. Timeline (2-week sprint, with weekly milestones)
4. Investment ($[AMOUNT] — position as investment, not cost)
5. About stitchwand (brief credibility section)
6. Next Steps (sign SOW, schedule kickoff)

Tone: Professional but approachable. Not stuffy corporate.
Reference the Kenos Method where relevant.
Keep it to 2 pages maximum.

Revenue Milestones & Targets

Churn Reduction Strategies

For a $19/mo product, even moderate churn is survivable. But reducing churn from 10% to 5% monthly doubles lifetime value.

Upsell Paths

Upsell Triggers

• Free → Pro: User hits feature wall (component generation, CI/CD webhook, API rate limit)
• Pro → Team: User adds a second design system, or invites a team member
• Team → Enterprise: 5+ seats, or request for SSO/SAML, audit logs, SLA
• Any → Consulting: Enterprise email domain detected, or direct inquiry about migration help

When to Start Paid Acquisition

Do NOT start paid acquisition until ALL of these conditions are met:

Google Ads Strategy

Campaign Structure

Budget: $500/mo starting allocation

• DESIGN.md campaign: $200/mo (greenfield keywords, low competition)
• Design Tokens campaign: $200/mo (moderate competition, higher intent)
• Brand + Stitch campaigns: $100/mo (defensive + niche)

X / Twitter Ads

Ad Types

Targeting

• Interest targeting: Web development, design systems, AI/ML, Google Cloud
• Follower look-alikes: @anthropic, @GoogleDevs, @figma, @vercel, @tailwindcss
• Keyword targeting: "design system", "design tokens", "DESIGN.md", "Google Stitch", "MCP server"

Reddit Ads

Reddit ads work well for developer tools because you can target specific subreddits. The audience is technical and high-intent.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Newsletter and podcast sponsorships reach curated developer audiences. Typically higher ROI than social ads for B2D (business-to-developer) products.

Recommended first sponsorships (when budget allows)

1. Design system newsletters: Most targeted, lowest cost, highest conversion rate. Start here.
2. AI tool reviewer YouTube channels: Demo-driven format shows the product in action. High credibility.
3. Targeted podcasts: Only if they have a design system or AI dev tools focus.

Budget Allocation Recommendations

Phase 1: First $500/mo (Q3-Q4 2026)

Phase 2: $1,000/mo (Q1 2027, if metrics support)

ROI Tracking Framework

Every paid dollar must be accountable. The tracking infrastructure should be in place before the first ad dollar is spent.

Required Tracking Setup

Key Metrics Per Channel