The Chrome extension strategy that prints money 👑

How tiny browser extensions are creating billion-dollar companies overnight

The most successful companies don’t ask users to come to their product.

🛟 They bring their product to the users.

And where are your users, exactly? ↓

Living inside Google Chrome for 8+ hours every day.

💡 The marketing idea

1. Turn your product’s best feature into a Chrome extension that works everywhere - not just on your website/portal.

2. Then give it away for free (even to non-customers).

Think of it as a “mini version“ of your product that follows users across the internet. When they’re ready to get more value → they’ll naturally upgrade to your full platform.

💸 Billion-dollar examples no one talks about

Grammarly didn’t become a $13B company by asking people to visit grammarly.com. They put that little green dot in your browser (with a Chrome extension) and made their product accessible everywhere you write.

And they’re not alone:

🎥 Loom: Instead of forcing users into their portal, they added a “Record video” button that works on any webpage. Usage exploded.

✍️ Notion: Their “Web Clipper” lets you save anything from Chrome straight into Notion. No portal visits required.

📈 Clearbit: Shows company data right on LinkedIn profiles - their data feels native to the platform.

🛠️ LastPass: Autofills passwords everywhere, not just on their portal.

⛅️ Wiz: Gives cloud engineers immediate security insights while they are configuring their cloud environment (yeah, we actually built a Chrome extension).

📅 Zoom: Their Chrome extension automatically adds a “Make it a Zoom meeting” button to Google Calendar. Now they own the calendar-to-meeting workflow.

See the pattern? The best products don’t make you visit them. They visit you.

Here’s why this is genius 🧠

1. ♻️ Retention hack: Your product becomes part of users' daily workflow. They can't imagine life without it.

2. 🧲 Acquisition hack: Free extension users get hooked on the convenience and then happily pay for your full product.

3. 🥏 Distribution hack: Chrome’s Web Store is a massive untapped marketing channel. Good extensions spread fast. Just get loads of 5-star reviews.

4. 🍯 Stickiness hack: Instead of fighting for attention via email/social, you're right there in their browser 24/7.

The secret to building extensions people love 🔑

Start with one (1) perfect moment.

Grammarly didn’t try to bring their entire editing platform into a Chrome extension. They focused on that one universal moment: when people are writing online.

Find your “everywhere moment” - that common action your users take across multiple websites. Then make that moment 10x better / faster / easier with a Chrome extension.

But here’s the catch: don’t ask users to change their behavior. ❌ Instead, 10x what they’re already doing. ✅

Some examples of what your Chrome extension might do to 10x your users:

1. 📊 Add valuable data to any webpage (think: prices, ratings, analytics)

2. 🔍 Save/organize/analyze content from anywhere online

3. ⚡️ Add shortcuts and quick actions to common websites

4. 🔄 Transform web content into different formats instantly

5. 🎨 Modify how websites look/work to solve specific problems

But… what if I’m not a SaaS? 🤔

This marketing idea works for ANY business.

Just build extensions that solve universal problems and fit your brand.

If you still need help, here are 24 extension ideas ↓

Content:

• 📝 Auto-format text as tweets/LinkedIn posts with your brand style

• 🎬 Quick screenshot/record with your branded overlay

• 📊 Turn any stats into shareable infographics

• 📰 Save article quotes with citation formatting

Shopping:

• 💰 Show your prices next to competitors

• 🏷️ Auto-apply your store’s coupons at checkout

• 🛍️ “Available in our store” button on competitor products

• 📦 Stock checker across multiple stores

Marketing:

• 🎨 Brand color/font detector on any website

• 📸 Quick image editor with your brand templates

• 📱 Social media preview generator

• 🔍 SEO analyzer with your agency’s metrics

Education:

• 📚 Quick-save study materials with your course structure

• ✍️ Note formatter with your own methodology

• 🧮 Industry-specific calculators (ROI, conversion rates)

• 🎯 Practice problem generator from any text

Services:

• 📋 Contract term highlighter/analyzer

• 💼 Quick proposal generator from any webpage

• 📊 Industry-specific data overlays

• 🏢 Company research dashboard

Community & events:

• 🗓️ Add-to-calendar with your event branding

• 👥 Member badge overlay on social profiles

• 💬 Quick share to your community platform

• 🎟️ Event RSVP button anywhere

Bottom line 🔥

Build a Chrome extension that enhances what users already do online. Give it away for free. Your product will become part of their daily life. ✅

See you next week ✌️

Tom

P.S. A little humble brag - I made WordStream’s list of top marketing newsletters 🏆

---

—If you enjoyed this marketing idea, please tap the Like button below ♥️ Thank you!