The T-Model
A framework for understanding audience engagement depth — from T0 (Outsider) to T4 (Builder).
Not every user is the same. Segmenting by age, job title, or income ignores the most important dimension: how deeply someone engages with a category.
The T-Model maps audiences across five levels — from T0 (Outsider) to T4 (Builder). It applies to AI adoption, tool usage, market readiness, and any domain where users exist on a spectrum from disengaged to expert.
Typical distribution across SaaS markets
The Five Levels
Outsider
Never engaged. Doesn't understand the category.
Needs results, not features. Products for T0 should never mention the category name if it means nothing to them.
Trier
Has tried but not adopted. Curious but hasn't found a reason to stay.
The most fragile segment. Free trials, single-use tools, and "see it work in 10 seconds" approaches win here.
Free User
Uses regularly but free-tier only.
The largest growth opportunity. They need a "worth paying for" moment. Identify the friction in the free experience that makes paid feel like a relief.
Power User
Daily/weekly active, subscribed.
The revenue base. Pricing anchor: if the tool saves one hour per week, the monthly fee is trivial.
Builder
Builds their own tools. Highest ARPU, strongest influence.
The leverage layer. Only ~4% of users, but they shape how the other 96% think. Give T4 free access — they are your distribution channel.
How We Use It
We apply the T-Model to every industry we research. When we analyze a market, we start by asking: what does the T-distribution look like here?
It shapes our product strategy (which tier to build for), our pricing (what each tier will pay), and our content approach (GEO for T2-T3, traditional SEO for T0-T1).