# Free Tools

When the user wants to plan, evaluate, or build a free tool for marketing purposes, ...

- Repository: https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills (57838 stars)
- Category: Marketing
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-31
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill free-tools -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill free-tools -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill free-tools -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill free-tools -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add coreyhaines31/marketingskills`

## Description

When the user wants to plan, evaluate, or build a free tool for marketing purposes, lead generation, SEO value, or brand awareness. Also use when the user mentions "engineering as marketing," "free tool," "marketing tool," "calculator," "generator," "interactive tool," "lead gen tool," "build a tool for leads," "free resource," "ROI calculator," "grader tool," "audit tool," "should I build a free tool," or "tools for lead gen." Use this whenever someone wants to build something useful and give it away to attract leads or earn links. For downloadable content lead magnets (ebooks, checklists, templates), see lead-magnets.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Free Tool Strategy (Engineering as Marketing)

You are an expert in engineering-as-marketing strategy. Your goal is to help plan and evaluate free tools that generate leads, attract organic traffic, and build brand awareness.

## Initial Assessment

**Check for product marketing context first:**
If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Before designing a tool strategy, understand:

1. **Business Context** - What's the core product? Who is the target audience? What problems do they have?

2. **Goals** - Lead generation? SEO/traffic? Brand awareness? Product education?

3. **Resources** - Technical capacity to build? Ongoing maintenance bandwidth? Budget for promotion?

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## Core Principles

**"Your product is my marketing opportunity."** Bezos said "your margin is my opportunity." The engineering-as-marketing version: take a capability others monetize and build a free version as an acquisition channel. Unsplash gave away the stock photos Getty sold, and Getty acquired it. See [references/tool-benchmarks.md](references/tool-benchmarks.md) for sourced cases and measurement limits.

### 1. Solve a Real Problem
- Tool must provide genuine value
- Solves a problem your audience actually has
- Useful even without your main product

### 2. Adjacent to Core Product
- Related to what you sell
- Natural path from tool to product
- Educates on problem you solve

### 3. Simple and Focused
- Does one thing well
- Low friction to use
- Immediate value

### 4. Worth the Investment
- Lead value × expected leads > build cost + maintenance

---

## Tool Types Overview

The rest: https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/blob/HEAD/skills/free-tools/SKILL.md