Shotgun to Sniper Strategy
Entrepreneurial approach of starting broad with many experiments, then focusing intensely on what gains traction.
Also known as: Shotgun then sniper, Spray and focus, Explore then exploit
Category: Business & Economics
Tags: entrepreneurship, startups, strategies, product-development, indie-hacking
Explanation
The Shotgun to Sniper Strategy, coined by indie hacker Marc Lou, describes a two-phase approach to finding product-market fit. In the shotgun phase, you spray widely: launch multiple projects, test various ideas, ship MVPs quickly, and add a buy button to everything. The goal is rapid experimentation and data collection, not perfection.
The key is observing what actually works—not what you think should work or what gets positive feedback, but what gets real traction: purchases, viral growth, and sustained revenue over months. Most ideas won't hit. That's expected. The shotgun phase is about finding the signal amid the noise.
Once you identify a winner—something that makes money and keeps making money—you switch to sniper mode. Now you focus intensely on that one project. Stop spreading attention across experiments. Double down on what's working. Build features, improve marketing, scale operations, and make it as big as possible.
This strategy counters two common failure modes: (1) focusing too early on one idea without market validation, spending months building something nobody wants; (2) perpetually experimenting without ever committing, never giving any project the focused attention needed to reach its potential. The shotgun phase finds opportunities; the sniper phase captures them.
For indie hackers and creators, this means: launch fast, measure ruthlessly, stay emotionally detached during shotgun phase, then commit fully when you find traction.
Related Concepts
← Back to all concepts