Stag Hunting vs. Squirrel Hunting: A Better Approach to B2B Sales for Consumer Apps

Most consumer app founders struggle with monetization beyond subscriptions. While 30% subscription revenue is already challenging to achieve, there's a massive opportunity hiding in plain sight: brand partnerships. Tim Johnson, former Head of Brand Partnerships at Wattpad (acquired for $600M) and current Head of Brand Partnerships at Blossom Social, has cracked this code using what he calls "stag hunting" versus "squirrel hunting."

In a recent episode of the Levels Podcast, Tim shared how he generated $2 million in revenue for seed-stage Blossom, where an impressive 70% of revenue comes from brand partnerships rather than subscriptions. His methodology completely reframes how consumer apps should approach B2B sales.

The Stag Hunt vs. Squirrel Hunt Philosophy

Tim's hunting analogy perfectly captures the difference between strategic and chaotic sales approaches:

"I think a stag hunt versus a squirrel hunt feels like a very, very different thing. With a stag hunt, you're organized, you are focused, you know what you're looking at. You're looking at this big creature that's gonna feed you for a long, long time, right? And it's a very, very deliberate process going towards working with that partner. Versus a squirrel, you're sort of like chasing after it, expending a bunch of energy, and then it's not gonna last long term anyway."

The distinction is crucial for resource-constrained startups. Squirrel hunting leads to scattered efforts chasing small, one-off deals that drain energy without building sustainable revenue. Stag hunting focuses on landing major clients who will provide recurring revenue for years.

Identifying Your Perfect Stag: The Five Criteria

Tim's framework for identifying ideal brand partnership clients involves five key criteria:

1. Repeating Budget Your ideal client should have ongoing budget allocation for your type of partnership. Tim explains: "Are they always going to be working with you? If it's a fit for films, you're working with a film studio, how often do they have films coming out? Like Amazon, Netflix, these guys, how often do they have shows coming out? All the freaking time."

2. Budget Targeted at Your Audience The client must specifically need to reach your user base, not just any audience.

3. Time-Sensitive Spending There should be urgency or a burning platform that requires them to spend their budget within a specific timeframe.

4. Technical Integration Capability Ensure they can technically integrate with your platform and meet any tracking or data requirements.

5. Aligned Success Metrics Both parties must agree on realistic, measurable outcomes whether that's website visits, impressions, or clicks.

The Anti-ChatGPT Sales Approach

Tim's methodology deliberately counters the automation trend in sales. He achieves an remarkable 80% response rate to his outbound efforts by prioritizing personalization and relationship-building over volume.

"All of us have had like a bad sales experience, right? I think all of us have like had that horrible feeling where someone knocks on your door and you like arrive, you open it up and you're like cooking something and you're in your pajamas and they're like trying to sell you some shit that you don't want."

His approach focuses on cultivation rather than immediate conversion. Instead of rushing to close deals, Tim invests time in understanding client problems and positioning himself as a helpful industry expert who brings valuable insights and connections.

Building Relationships Through Value-First Events

One of Tim's most effective tactics involves hosting intimate industry events that naturally bring prospects into his orbit. Rather than cold pitching, he creates valuable networking opportunities:

"Hey, so-and-so, you might know about us. We're the largest social network for X or we're fastest growing or whatever the niche is. And we're hosting like a really small event here. Would love you to attend. It's just with like leaders from your industry. It's non-transferable invitation, but if you can make it, we'd love to have you."

This approach attracts three personality types: detail-oriented people (through insights), socialites (through creators and networking), and competitive people (through existing successful clients). By providing genuine value upfront, prospects enter the relationship positively disposed rather than defensive.

The Long-Term Partnership Playbook

Tim's sales process resembles relationship cultivation more than traditional closing techniques. He describes it using an extended metaphor:

"I guess it's more like you have like this food and you're putting like the food towards the stag and the stag is coming towards you and then you're like putting like, can I put like a harness on you? And they're like, yeah, okay, you can put a harness. Okay, cool. Can I put this saddle on you? Is that okay? Like, okay, yeah. Can I get on you for a couple of minutes? Like, how would you feel about that? Like, okay, yeah. And it's like, all right, let's ride onto the sunset together."

This gradual progression builds trust and commitment. Tim typically starts with smaller campaigns, proves value, then expands into annual contracts with multiple campaigns and reserved inventory.

The Results: Beyond Subscription Revenue

At Blossom, this approach has created a sustainable revenue model where brand partnerships generate 70% of total revenue compared to just 30% from subscriptions. This diversification provides stability and growth potential that pure subscription models struggle to achieve.

For Wattpad, brand partnerships enabled the platform to predict cultural trends years in advance, creating additional value streams beyond direct advertising revenue.

Key Takeaways

• Quality over quantity: Focus on landing a few major, long-term clients rather than many small deals
• Relationship-first selling: Invest time in cultivation and providing value before pitching
• Diversify beyond subscriptions: Brand partnerships can become your primary revenue driver
• Create attraction, not pursuit: Use events and valuable content to draw prospects to you
• Personalization at scale: Maintain high-touch relationships even as you grow

The stag hunting methodology transforms brand partnerships from opportunistic revenue into a strategic growth engine. For consumer apps struggling with monetization, this approach offers a proven path to sustainable, scalable revenue that complements and often exceeds subscription income.

Ready to learn more strategies for scaling your consumer app? Listen to the full conversation with Tim Johnson on the Levels Podcast and discover how the world's most successful B2C companies build lasting partnerships and communities.