Why this is the best $100 your startup can spend on marketing

Why this is the best $100 your startup can spend on marketing

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There’s not a lot you can get for $100 of your marketing budget these days but for many early stage startups this might be all they can spare.

What do you think would be the most effective way to spend $100 on marketing if that is all you had?

This article isn’t a list of 21 ways you can waste your money chasing down some leads on Facebook. I’m simply going to tell you about the one, single most valuable way you can spend $100 on promoting your startup. Thousands of startups have already deployed this technique successfully, you may even have seen it in action.

So what is best way I can start promoting my startup?

One word….t-shirts!

Yes, that’s right. That most versatile of items of clothing. The humble t-shirt: custom printed, with your brand, what you do website or all three.

At this point I’ve probably lost half of the readers as you’re either choking on your coffee or curled up in a ball laughing but for those of you that can think outside of the box let me explain, in a few points, why this is the most effective way to spend $100 and how to get yourself some swag.


Dudes in startup shirts

1 — They’re cheap, like really cheap

What can you really get with $100 these days in terms of marketing?

  • A box of business cards — when was the last time you saw someone with one of those?
  • Maybe 20 leads on Facebook or clicks from Google if you’re lucky. The website and all the time trying to set the ads up though is going to cost you a lot more
  • 200 flyers you can hand out in your area only to have your neighbours throw away
  • Some fridge magnets (actually a pretty good idea if you’re a plumber)

Or you could order like 4 or 5 t-shirts for the same price. A t-shirt not only keeps you clothed but acts like a portable billboard — everywhere you go, your brand goes with you.

No one is going to miss this guy

2 — Visibility

When you’re out there doing business. whether it’s talking to potential investors, meeting customers or going to networking events you’re advertising your business when you have a company branded t-shirt on.

“When you do to a startup event with a t-shirt on, everyone knows where you’re from.”

To get similar exposure you could spend tens of thousands for a booth at an industry event to get a similar level of exposure or you could spend your $100 on some t-shirts and wait for people to come to you.

3 — Identity

Many startups don’t have their own office and may be working out of a co-working space or from their own home(s). Having a company t-shirt can act like both a uniform and a company HQ sign. Giving the company both an ethos and a sense of culture which is critical to the survival of an early stage startup.

“It’s amazing how many strangers will come up to us on the street and ask what is this thing on your shirt?”
What a stylish team

4 — It’s easy to do

You don’t need a designer, or a logo. Heck, you don’t even need any design skills. Most t-shirts are just text.

Instead of spending time fumbling around in photoshop and on back and forth with a printer you can download the oShirt app available on iOs and Android.

OShirt is made for designing t-shirts and has a lot of the power of tools like Photoshop without the complexity. Better yet you can design your t-shirts and have them shipped to you all from the comfort of your couch. Try it out.


We’ve seen a lot of startup t-shirts proudly made with oShirt. That’s what inspired us to write this article.

Have a story or suggestion of your own about the most effective way to spend $100 on startup marketing? Tell us about it below.