How We Grew Okara to 300K Monthly Visitors (After a Painful Pivot)
A first-hand SaaS growth case study: how we rebuilt Okara's traffic to 300K monthly visitors after killing our old product, the three channels we bet on, and the exact SEO, X, and influencer playbook we ran
We grew Okara to 300,000 monthly visitors by focusing on three channels where our buyers already spent their time and where we had real expertise: X, search engine optimization, and influencer marketing.
Then we went all in on them for months instead of trying to do a little bit of everything.
The part most success stories leave out is that we did this after making a change that initially hurt our traffic. In March, we pivoted from an AI chat product to an AI marketing manager, deleted almost all of our old content, and watched our traffic fall before it began climbing again.
This is the full story of what happened: what worked, what it cost, and the mistakes people usually leave out when discussing their successes.
If you are a founder trying to grow your website traffic without a marketing team, this is the complete playbook, not a quick summary.
The starting point: we deleted our traffic
Most stories about growing a website start from zero. Ours did not.
We already had traffic, rankings, and videos built around an AI chat product. When we pivoted to an AI marketing manager, our old positioning began working against us. Google and other search engines still understood us as the old product.
So we removed the old content, pages, and videos.
Our traffic dropped.
It took Google months to understand our new positioning, and honestly, it is still catching up.
When you make a major pivot, expect this. Cleaning up your positioning is more valuable in the long run than holding on to traffic that attracts the wrong audience. However, you have to be willing to take the initial hit.
We were.
Step 1: We picked three channels and ignored the rest
The biggest mistake people make when trying to grow their website is testing every channel for a short time and then abandoning it.
We did the opposite.
We chose the channels where our ideal customers already spent their time and where we had existing expertise:
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X: The platform where founders and marketers, our primary buyers, already spend their time.
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Search engine optimization: A channel that compounds over time and the discipline our product is built around.
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Influencer marketing on X and TikTok: A channel we already knew how to run effectively.
We deliberately skipped almost everything else.
Not because the other channels were bad, but because focusing on a few channels for months is more effective than doing a little bit of everything.
If you take one lesson from this article, let it be that.
Step 2: We matched content formats to each channel
Once we had selected our channels, we identified which content formats worked best on each one instead of posting the same content everywhere.
On X, four formats drove most of the results: product launches, educational posts, opinionated takes, and product demos.
We publish four to five times a day and repurpose the posts for LinkedIn. There is little downside to repurposing strong content across relevant platforms.
For search engine optimization, we focused on guides, how-to articles, competitor roundups, listicles, and launch announcements. These formats matched the way our buyers searched for information.
The lesson is simple: do not guess which formats will work.
Study each platform, identify what already performs well in your niche, and replicate the structure, not the exact post.
Step 3: We launched the product, then launched every agent
We launched the main product on X and then ran a separate launch for every agent we shipped: the SEO agent, the Reddit agent, the influencer agent, and others.
Each agent had its own launch, its own post, and its own reason for people to pay attention to Okara again.
This also supported our SEO strategy because every launch had a permanent home on our website.
That brings us to the part of the strategy that compounds over time.
Step 4: We built a page for every agent
For SEO, we created a dedicated page for every agent.
Some of these pages began ranking on the first page of Google. Our Reddit agent page, for example, ranks on page one.
We also wanted to own the terms that define our category, including “AI marketing manager” and “Okara.” To do that, we published clusters of articles around those keywords so we could occupy more of the first page for our own category.
On top of that, we created the two types of pages that convert best for us:
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Comparison and alternative pages for every competitor: These pages have high purchase intent because someone searching for a “[competitor] alternative” is already considering another product.
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Educational blog posts targeting keywords our ideal customers search for: We initially prioritized high-volume, low-competition keywords and increasingly focused on the bottom-of-funnel terms that many founders ignore.
This is the boring but important half of the strategy.
It is also the half that continues to pay off months later.
For the underlying mechanics of getting this content surfaced in AI-generated answers, read our guide to generative engine optimization.
Step 5: We ran influencer marketing cheaply
The channel that generated our biggest individual traffic spikes was influencer marketing on X.
We ran these campaigns for a fraction of what agencies typically charge.
Influencer agencies specializing in X may quote between $50,000 and $100,000 for a launch. We ran ours for less than $2,000 and generated more than 1.8 million views.
Here is how we kept the campaigns affordable and effective:
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We started with a target CPM of $5 and only increased it when necessary. We calculated each creator’s rate using their average views rather than their follower count.
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We studied TikTok and Instagram for content ideas. We searched for keywords such as “marketing” and “AI marketing” to identify formats that were already performing well.
We noticed that the “AI killed [xyz]” format was going viral, so we doubled down on it. We briefed creators to make videos about how Okara could replace parts of the work traditionally handled by marketing agencies.
We did not invent the trend. We identified it early and participated while it was still gaining momentum.
The takeaway is that you do not need a five-figure agency to run a successful influencer campaign.
You need a validated hook, creators priced according to their average views, and the discipline to use formats that are already working.
Step 6: We earned backlinks and created growth loops
Everything above earned us backlinks as a byproduct.
We have earned more than 10,000 backlinks from websites, blogs, and newsletters that referenced our product and content.
Influencers also began making videos about Okara without being paid. Users discovered our affiliate program and started promoting the product independently.
That is the goal: build enough momentum in your core channels that distribution begins happening for you instead of relying entirely on your own efforts.
Step 7: We measured results for 30 to 60 days, then doubled down
We did not judge a strategy after one week.
We ran each play for 30 to 60 days, reviewed the data, invested more in what worked, and cut what did not.
This is where most of the important decisions were made.
Not during the launches, but during the less exciting monthly reviews that followed them.
What we would tell you to copy
If you are trying to grow a software company from scratch:
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Pick one or two channels where your ideal customers already spend time and where you have an advantage. Commit to them for months. Focus beats breadth.
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Match your content formats to each platform by studying what already performs well there.
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Build your long-term assets early: agent or feature pages, comparison and alternative pages, and educational content based on real search demand.
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Price influencer campaigns based on views, not fame. Use formats and hooks that are already gaining traction.
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Give a channel 30 to 60 days before judging it, then double down on the winners.
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Expect a temporary traffic decline after a major pivot. Reposition anyway if it attracts the right audience in the long run.
None of this is a secret.
The hard part is consistently doing a few things for long enough that their results begin compounding.
That is also the part software can help with.
Where Okara fits
Everything described above is the manual version, and it requires a lot of work.
Okara is an AI marketing manager that runs the same playbook for you.
Point it at your website, and it builds your marketing strategy, writes SEO articles and comparison pages, drafts X and LinkedIn posts, finds relevant Reddit conversations, and reports on what is working.
Everything begins as a draft, so you remain in control.
It is the execution engine we wish we had while rebuilding our traffic manually, available for $249 per month.
Frequently asked questions
How long did it take to reach 300,000 monthly visitors?
It took months, and the growth came after a major pivot that initially caused our traffic to decline.
SEO and content compound over months, not weeks. Influencer launches created short-term spikes, while the durable traffic came from content that continued ranking over time.
Which channels drove the growth?
Three channels drove most of the growth: X for attention and product launches, SEO for compounding organic traffic, and influencer marketing on X and TikTok for high-leverage spikes.
We deliberately ignored many other channels so we could focus on these three.
How did you grow traffic after a pivot?
We removed the content associated with our old positioning and rebuilt the website around our new category.
We created dedicated product and agent pages, published clusters of content around our target keywords, and accepted a temporary traffic decline while Google and other search engines relearned what Okara did.
How much did the influencer campaigns cost?
We ran launches for less than $2,000 that generated more than 1.8 million views.
We did this by pricing creators based on their average views instead of paying agency rates of $50,000 to $100,000 per launch.
Do I need a large marketing team to grow a software company?
No.
The bigger risk is spreading yourself too thin. Pick one or two channels where your buyers already spend time and where you have expertise. Commit to them for several months before deciding whether they work.