A free book on the next era of B2B growth

Your customers are more credible than your marketing team.

Over 90% of B2B buyers trust peers when making purchase decisions. Only 29% trust salespeople. The Advocacy Operating System is a chapter-by-chapter framework for building on that gap — turning genuine customer voice into a measurable growth channel.

Start reading — Chapter 1Browse the contents

Second Edition · July 2026 · Free to read, no signup required

The definition

What is Advocacy-Led Growth?

Advocacy-Led Growth is a B2B go-to-market motion where verified customers create public content on social platforms, turning word-of-mouth into a measurable, scalable pipeline channel.

Every word in that definition is deliberate. Verified customers — not hired creators or affiliates. Public content — on the platforms where buyers actually form opinions, not gated portals. A measurable channel — with the infrastructure of a real growth motion, not a happy accident. Chapter 3 unpacks each term, and what ALG is not.

Why now

The trust shift is structural, not a trend

Buyers are increasingly relying on other buyers — not vendors — for the information they need to make decisions. The research is consistent across every major study of B2B buying behavior.

90%+

of B2B buyers trust peers in their industry

Forrester B2B Brand and Communications Survey, 2023

29%

trust salespeople from vendors — the bottom of the ranking

Forrester B2B Brand and Communications Survey, 2023

23%

spoke with a vendor-supplied reference; the rest asked their own network

TrustRadius B2B Buying Disconnect, 2024

The book

The Advocacy Operating System

Seventeen chapters, from the research behind the trust shift to the operational anatomy of running an ALG program. Every chapter is free to read, start to finish.

FWForewordWhy I wrote this, what changed in this edition, and what I hope you take from it4 min · Read →1The trust shiftSomething changed in how B2B buyers make decisions, and most companies haven't caught up3 min · Read →2How we got hereThe evolution from sales-led to product-led to whatever comes next5 min · Read →3What is advocacy-led growthA formal definition of ALG and why it matters now3 min · Read →4The three pillarsAuthenticity is built into the structure. The channel is public. It runs as a system.4 min · Read →5The organic principleWhy advocate content must be voluntary, and what happens when it isn't3 min · Read →6Who creates the contentCustomers, influencers, and employees are not interchangeable3 min · Read →7The economicsHow advocacy changes the math on customer acquisition6 min · Read →8AmplificationThought Leader Ads and where organic advocacy meets paid distribution7 min · Read →9Building the systemFrom strategy to operations, what it takes to stand up an ALG program6 min · Read →10The four functionsThe operational anatomy of every advocacy program, whether you build it or buy it5 min · Read →11Measurement that mattersThe metrics that tell you whether it's working4 min · Read →12ALG alongside PLG and SLGA layer that makes your existing motions work better5 min · Read →13The compounding effectWhy advocacy programs get stronger over time4 min · Read →13½What goes wrongHonest lessons from the things that don't work6 min · Read →14Getting startedPractical first steps, regardless of company stage3 min · Read →15The future of B2B growthWhere this is heading, and how to be legible to the machines in the middle of it6 min · Read →AWAfterwordAbout Kindling and the platform behind this framework1 min · Read →NNotesSources and references2 min · Read →
Brian De Groodt

About the author

Brian De Groodt

Brian spent 25 years selling enterprise software at SAP, Medallia, Cornerstone, and ADP, closing north of $250 million in deals. The pattern he watched repeat for two decades — the buyer's unscheduled reference call that tipped every deal — is the observation this book is built on.

He writes from Boulder, Colorado. Where he cites research, it's real. Where he shares observations, they come from direct experience. Where he speculates, he'll tell you.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

What is Advocacy-Led Growth?

Advocacy-Led Growth (ALG) is a B2B go-to-market motion where verified customers create public content on social platforms, turning word-of-mouth into a measurable, scalable pipeline channel.

How is ALG different from influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing starts with people who have audiences and pays them to talk about a product. ALG starts with verified customers who have genuine experience and gives them a reason and a platform to share it publicly. The verification is what creates the credibility — without it, you're doing influencer marketing.

Does ALG replace product-led or sales-led growth?

No. ALG is a layer that makes both work better. Product-led funnels convert at higher rates when prospects have already seen customers vouching for the product, and sales cycles compress when the buyer's network is already warm.

Is the book free?

Yes. Every chapter is free to read here, no signup required. If you'd like the whole book in one file, you can get the PDF by leaving your email.

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