# Kindling > Kindling helps B2B SaaS companies recruit, manage, and pay customer advocates who create authentic content on LinkedIn, X, and YouTube. The platform turns word-of-mouth into a measurable, scalable pipeline channel through what we call Advocacy-Led Growth. Your launch needs fire. We're Kindling. Companies like Clay and tl;dv didn't outspend their competitors. They grew because real customers became their most trusted voices. Kindling gives B2B SaaS companies the infrastructure to do the same: recruit, manage, and pay customer advocates who create authentic content on LinkedIn, X, and YouTube. Your first program is live in 15 minutes. --- ## The problem Your best marketing asset isn't content. It's people. Buyers trust practitioners over vendors. But most teams have no system to turn that trust into pipeline. **Paid channels are getting more expensive.** LinkedIn CPMs keep climbing. CAC is up across the board. You're paying more to reach people who trust you less. **Influencer content feels inauthentic.** Buyers know when enthusiasm is purchased. Professional creators deliver reach, but not the credibility that actually closes deals. **Advocacy today is manual chaos.** Your happiest customers would create content for you, but you're managing it through DM threads, spreadsheets, and Venmo payments. --- ## How it works From happy customer to growth channel in three steps. Kindling gives you the infrastructure to run customer advocacy like a real channel, not a side project. ### 1. Recruit your advocates Invite your best customers with a branded signup page. Set transparent rates, define content guidelines, and onboard creators in minutes. Invite codes plus open signup. ### 2. They create authentic content Your advocates post on LinkedIn, X, and YouTube in their own voice, about their real experience. You track every piece of content in one dashboard. Real practitioners, real workflows. ### 3. Pay them automatically Kindling handles payouts on the 1st and 15th of each month via Stripe. No invoices, no awkward negotiations, no Venmo. Automated bi-weekly payouts. --- ## The platform Programs, advocates, content tracking, and payouts. Everything runs through one dashboard. ### Programs: Set rates. Share a link. Start scaling. Create advocacy programs with published CPM rates, spending caps, and content rules. Share a single link to recruit advocates with no back-and-forth negotiation. - Post caps, monthly caps, and payout thresholds - Shareable program link for advocate recruitment - Platform controls for LinkedIn, X, and YouTube - Minimum posting intervals to keep content authentic ### Advocates: Your creator network, organized See every advocate across every program. Approve applications, track status, and grow your creator network from one view, with no scattered DMs or forgotten follow-ups. - Application pipeline with approve, pending, and archive - Invite directly or let advocates apply via program link - Verified customer status on every profile ### Analytics: Every impression tracked. Every dollar measured. See exactly how your advocacy programs perform over time. Track impressions against spend, measure CPM efficiency, and report ROI in terms your CFO already understands. - Monthly impressions and spend trends - Per-program and aggregate performance - Earned Media Value calculations - Compare advocacy CPM to paid channel benchmarks --- ## What makes Kindling different Influencer platforms help you hire strangers with audiences. Advocacy platforms collect reviews in portals. Kindling does something different. **Influencer platforms rent credibility from professional creators.** You're paying for reach from people who have never used your product. Buyers sense it. The content performs, but it doesn't build trust. **Kindling scales credibility you already own.** Your verified customers create content about their actual experience, on the platforms where your buyers form opinions. That's credibility you can't rent. **Traditional advocacy tools collect proof inside your ecosystem.** Reviews, references, portals, points programs. Valuable for sales enablement, but invisible to the buyers doing research in the dark funnel. **Kindling creates visibility on the outside.** Your advocates post publicly, where your next buyers are scrolling, researching, and forming opinions. Advocacy that feeds pipeline, not just CRM. --- ## How Kindling compares | | Kindling | Influencer Platforms | Advocacy / Reference Tools | |---|---|---|---| | **Who creates** | Your verified customers | Professional creators | Happy customers (reactive) | | **Where it lives** | LinkedIn, X, YouTube | Creator's sponsored channels | Portals, G2, email | | **Primary goal** | Pipeline plus awareness | Reach plus awareness | Sales enablement | | **Content type** | Authentic practitioner stories | Sponsored posts | Reviews, testimonials | | **Budget sits in** | Customer marketing plus demand gen | Paid media / influencer | CS / customer marketing | | **Setup time** | 15 minutes | Days to weeks | Weeks to months | --- ## What ALG unlocks Advocacy-Led Growth isn't a campaign. It's a compounding channel that makes every other motion work better. **Marketing stops renting attention.** Instead of paying strangers to manufacture enthusiasm, you amplify the enthusiasm your customers already have. Your cost per trusted impression drops. **Sales gets warm air cover.** When prospects have already seen customers talking about you, the first call is warmer. When deals stall, there's a network of advocates who can provide peer validation. **Finance sees a real line item.** Advocacy moves from fuzzy goodwill to measurable channel. Spend is tied to content output. ROI is calculable and comparable to paid media. **Advocates get what they deserve.** A clear, fair way to be rewarded for enthusiasm they were already showing for free. Published rates, automated payouts, no awkward negotiations. --- ## Built for speed Kindling was built for growth-stage teams that move fast and don't have time for six-month implementations. - **15 minutes** to launch your first program - **$299 per month** to start - **Zero contracts** or commitments --- > The most valuable marketing asset a company has isn't content. It's the network of customers who would vouch for them if asked. > > The thesis behind Advocacy-Led Growth. --- ## About Kindling Kindling is the operating system for Advocacy-Led Growth. It enables B2B SaaS companies to recruit verified customers as paid content creators on LinkedIn, X, and YouTube, tracking organic posts and automating creator payouts via Stripe Connect. Kindling is built on the Organic Advocacy Principle: advocate content is always organic, never forced. Content may be prompted by company milestones but is never assigned or required. Customers are encouraged and supported, never mandated. Founded in December 2025 by Brian De Groodt, Kindling is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. - Learn what Advocacy-Led Growth is: [kindlinghq.com/advocacy-led-growth](https://kindlinghq.com/advocacy-led-growth/) - Pricing: [kindlinghq.com/pricing](https://kindlinghq.com/pricing/) - Book a demo: [kindlinghq.com/demo](https://kindlinghq.com/demo/) - Get started: [app.kindlinghq.com](https://app.kindlinghq.com) - Writing on ALG: [Earned, Not Bought](https://dogroot.substack.com)