New PRAPI research — the channels operators built to $1M ARR, and the ones they killed

The road to $1M ARR: the channels operators built, the ones they killed — and the one variable that decided which won just shipped.

We asked 38 founders and operators a blunt question: which distribution channels actually drove revenue on the way to $1M ARR, and which did you try and drop?

The clearest finding isn't a winning channel — it's that there isn't one. The same channel that printed money for one operator was a money-pit for another. SEO carried 80–90% of customers for some and converted under 0.3% for others, who dropped it. A crypto-tax tool won on deadline-panic search; a fulfillment operator got zero customers from 40 published articles. What decided the outcome wasn't the channel — it was the
match between channel and buyer: intent, model, and sales-cycle length.

Inside: a four-pattern field guide — high-intent search, complex/novel B2B, relationship & local services, and DTC creator-led — with the mechanics operators actually used and the kill-decisions behind what they cut.

Read the full report on prapi.dev → (https://prapi.dev/research/road-to-1m-arr-distribution-channels-2026)