# Growth Hacking

> Growth strategies, viral loops, acquisition funnels, AARRR framework, and rapid experimentation.

- Skill: `nguyenphp/growth-hacking` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add nguyenphp/growth-hacking`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/nguyenphp/growth-hacking/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Marketing & Growth
- Author: nguyenphp (https://skillmd.com/u/nguyenphp)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/nguyenphp/growth-hacking

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# Growth Hacking

> Systematic approaches to rapid, scalable growth.

---

## 1. AARRR Pirate Metrics Framework

| Stage | Focus | Key Metric |
|-------|-------|------------|
| **Acquisition** | Get users | CAC, traffic sources |
| **Activation** | First value | Activation rate |
| **Retention** | Keep users | Churn, DAU/MAU |
| **Revenue** | Make money | ARPU, LTV |
| **Referral** | Spread word | Viral coefficient |

---

## 2. Acquisition Strategies

### Channel Categories

| Channel | Type | Speed | Cost |
|---------|------|-------|------|
| **SEO** | Organic | Slow | Low |
| **Content** | Organic | Medium | Medium |
| **Social** | Organic/Paid | Fast | Variable |
| **Paid ads** | Paid | Fast | High |
| **Referral** | Viral | Medium | Low |
| **Partnerships** | Leverage | Medium | Medium |

### Channel Prioritization (ICE Score)

| Factor | Score 1-10 |
|--------|------------|
| **Impact** | Potential effect |
| **Confidence** | Likelihood of success |
| **Ease** | Resources needed |

---

## 3. Activation Tactics

### Onboarding Best Practices

| Tactic | Purpose |
|--------|---------|
| **Progress bar** | Show completion % |
| **Quick wins** | Early success |
| **Personalization** | Relevance |
| **Tooltips** | Guidance |
| **Checklist** | Clear next steps |

### Activation Metrics

| Metric | Calculation |
|--------|-------------|
| **Activation rate** | Users who complete key action / Total signups |
| **Time to value** | Time from signup to first value |
| **Setup completion** | % completing onboarding |

---

## 4. Retention Strategies

### Retention Types

| Type | Timeframe | Focus |
|------|-----------|-------|
| **Day 1** | 24 hours | First impression |
| **Week 1** | 7 days | Habit formation |
| **Month 1** | 30 days | Core value |
| **Long-term** | 90+ days | Loyalty |

### Retention Tactics

| Tactic | How |
|--------|-----|
| **Email sequences** | Drip campaigns |
| **Push notifications** | Timely reminders |
| **In-app messages** | Contextual help |
| **Feature education** | Show unused features |
| **Rewards** | Gamification |
| **Community** | Build connections |

### Retention Metrics

| Metric | Formula |
|--------|---------|
| **Day N retention** | Active on day N / Total signups day 0 |
| **Cohort retention** | Users still active / Users in cohort |
| **Churn rate** | Lost customers / Total customers |
| **DAU/MAU** | Daily active / Monthly active |

---

## 5. Viral Loops

### Types of Viral Loops

| Type | Example | K-factor potential |
|------|---------|-------------------|
| **Inherent** | Invite to collaborate | High |
| **Word of mouth** | Product so good | Medium |
| **Incentivized** | Referral rewards | High |
| **Social sharing** | Share content | Medium |
| **Embedded** | "Made with X" | Low-Medium |

### Viral Coefficient (K-factor)

```
K = i × c

Where:
i = invites sent per user
c = conversion rate of invites
```

| K-factor | Result |
|----------|--------|
| K > 1 | Exponential growth |
| K = 1 | Linear growth |
| K < 1 | Declining growth |

### Referral Program Structure

| Element | Best Practice |
|---------|---------------|
| **Incentive** | Two-sided rewards |
| **Friction** | One-click sharing |
| **Visibility** | In-product placement |
| **Tracking** | Unique referral codes |

---

## 6. Growth Experiments

### Hypothesis Template

```
If we [make this change]
Then [this metric] will [increase/decrease]
Because [reasoning]
```

### Experiment Process

| Phase | Activities |
|-------|------------|
| **Ideation** | Brainstorm, prioritize (ICE) |
| **Design** | Hypothesis, success metrics |
| **Build** | MVP implementation |
| **Measure** | Track results |
| **Learn** | Document, iterate |

### Sample Size Calculator

| Baseline | Lift | Sample needed |
|----------|------|---------------|
| 2% | 10% | ~78,000 per variant |
| 2% | 25% | ~12,500 per variant |
| 5% | 10% | ~31,000 per variant |
| 5% | 25% | ~5,000 per variant |

---

## 7. Product-Led Growth (PLG)

### PLG Principles

| Principle | Implementation |
|-----------|----------------|
| **Free tier** | Generous freemium |
| **Self-serve** | No sales needed |
| **Bottom-up** | Individual users first |
| **Virality** | Built-in sharing |
| **Data-driven** | Usage triggers upgrade |

### PLG Metrics

| Metric | Target |
|--------|--------|
| **Free to paid** | 2-5% |
| **Time to paid** | < 30 days |
| **PQL conversion** | 10-20% |
| **Expansion revenue** | > 30% of new revenue |

---

## 8. Growth Levers

### North Star Metric

| Business Type | North Star |
|---------------|------------|
| **SaaS** | Weekly active users |
| **E-commerce** | Weekly purchases |
| **Marketplace** | Weekly transactions |
| **Media** | Daily active readers |
| **Consumer app** | DAU/MAU ratio |

### Input Metrics

| North Star | Input Metrics |
|------------|---------------|
| **Active users** | Signups, activation, retention |
| **Revenue** | Customers, ARPU, frequency |
| **Engagement** | Sessions, actions, time spent |

---

## 9. Growth Stack

### Analytics Tools

| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| **Mixpanel/Amplitude** | Product analytics |
| **Google Analytics** | Web traffic |
| **Heap** | Auto-tracked events |
| **Segment** | Data pipeline |

### Experimentation Tools

| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| **Optimizely** | A/B testing |
| **LaunchDarkly** | Feature flags |
| **Statsig** | Experimentation |

### Engagement Tools

| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| **Intercom** | In-app messaging |
| **Customer.io** | Email automation |
| **Appcues** | User onboarding |

---

## 10. Growth Team Structure

### Roles

| Role | Responsibility |
|------|----------------|
| **Growth Lead** | Strategy, prioritization |
| **Growth PM** | Experiments, roadmap |
| **Growth Engineer** | Implementation |
| **Data Analyst** | Insights, measurement |
| **Growth Marketer** | Acquisition, content |

### Process

| Cadence | Activity |
|---------|----------|
| **Weekly** | Experiment review |
| **Bi-weekly** | Sprint planning |
| **Monthly** | Metric deep-dive |
| **Quarterly** | Strategy review |

---

> **Remember:** Growth is about finding leverage points through rapid experimentation. Test fast, learn faster, scale what works.