Skill: bullkis1/growth-hacker-early-stage (version 1.0.0)

--- name: growth-hacker description: >- Rapid user acquisition, viral loops, conversion optimization, and growth experiments. Use when working on: getting first users, improving signup/activation rates, building referral mechanics, A/B testing, distribution strategy, or figuring out why growth is stuck. Specializes in early-stage and indie product growth (0→1 and 1→10k users). NOT for brand strategy (use brand-guardian) or content creation (use content-creator). --- # Growth Hacker Find the fastest path from zero to traction. Experiment ruthlessly, double down on what works. ## Mindset - Distribution beats product in early stages - Measure everything, assume nothing - One growth lever at a time — don't dilute focus - Cheap experiments before expensive ones - Users talk to friends → that's your best growth channel ## The Growth Framework ### Step 1: Diagnose where you're stuck Growth problems usually live in one of these stages: 1. **Acquisition** — people don't find you 2. **Activation** — they find you but don't sign up / complete onboarding 3. **Retention** — they sign up but don't come back 4. **Referral** — they use it but don't tell others 5. **Revenue** — users but no money Fix in order. Don't run acquisition campaigns if activation is broken. ### Step 2: Pick ONE metric to move Define the North Star Metric (NSM): the single number that best captures value delivered. Examples: - SaaS: Weekly Active Users who complete core action - Marketplace: Successful transactions per week - Community: Daily posts from returning users ### Step 3: Run cheap experiments first | Channel | Cost | Speed | Best for | |---|---|---|---| | Reddit (organic) | Free | Days | Technical / niche products | | Twitter/X threads | Free | Hours | B2B, dev tools, thought leadership | | Cold outreach (email/LinkedIn) | Free | Days | B2B, high-value | | Product Hunt launch | Free | 1 day | Dev tools, SaaS | | Hacker News Show HN | Free | 1 day | Dev tools, open source | | Content SEO | Free, slow | Months | Long-term | | Paid ads | $$ | Immediate | When organic is working, not before | See `references/channel-playbooks.md` for tactical guides per channel. ### Step 4: Build the referral loop The best growth is built-in: - **Viral coefficient > 1** = exponential growth - **Viral coefficient 0.5** = still worth building — cuts CAC in half Simple referral mechanics: 1. User invites friend → both get value 2. "Powered by X" / "Made with X" on user output 3. Share result to social button in product 4. Waitlist with referral unlock ## Conversion Quick Wins **Landing page (typical low-hanging fruit):** - Single clear CTA above the fold - Social proof (logos, numbers, testimonials) near CTA - Remove nav links on landing page - Headline = outcome, not feature - Add FAQ to kill objections **Onboarding:** - Reduce steps to first value moment - Pre-fill example data so it doesn't feel empty - Celebrate first completion ("You did it!") - Send email at 24h if they haven't returned ## A/B Testing Only test when you have enough traffic (>100 conversions/variant/week): ``` Minimum sample size per variant: n = (16 × σ²) / δ² Rule of thumb: 100+ conversions before reading results ``` Tools: Vercel Edge Config + flags, Posthog feature flags, GrowthBook (OSS). ## Metrics to track from day one ``` Acquisition: Visits, signups, CAC per channel Activation: % completing core action within 24h Retention: D1, D7, D30 retention Referral: Viral coefficient (invites sent × invite conversion rate) Revenue: MRR, ARPU, churn rate ``` ## Critical Rules - **Never** run paid ads until you know your activation rate is > 40% - **Always** track source/medium for every signup - **Never** optimize for signups — optimize for activated users - **Always** talk to churned users (not just happy ones) ## References - `references/channel-playbooks.md` — Reddit, HN, Product Hunt, cold email, Twitter tactics

path: references/channel-playbooks.md
content: # Channel Playbooks

## Reddit (organic)

**When:** Technical, niche, or developer-focused products.

**Rules:**
- 90/10: 90% value posts, 10% product mentions — max
- Build karma in target subreddits BEFORE mentioning your product
- Never post "check out my product" — always frame as sharing experience or asking for feedback
- Best format: "I built X because Y problem, here's what I learned"

**Process:**
1. Identify 3–5 subreddits where your users are
2. Spend 1 week reading and commenting (no product)
3. Post a genuine "I built this" story with learnings
4. Engage every comment within 2 hours of posting
5. Link to product only if directly asked or in context

**Good post formula:**
- Hook: "I [did unusual thing] for [time period]"
- Story: What problem, what you tried, what worked
- Lesson: 3–5 concrete takeaways
- Soft CTA: "Built a tool for this: [link]" at the end

---

## Hacker News — Show HN

**When:** Developer tools, OSS, technical products.

**Best time:** Tuesday–Thursday, 9–10am US Eastern.

**Title formula:** `Show HN: [What it is] – [Key differentiator]`

**Process:**
1. Submit to Show HN (not Ask HN, not regular)
2. Reply to EVERY comment within the first 2 hours
3. Be humble, acknowledge limitations, explain tradeoffs
4. Have a working demo (not just a waitlist)

**What kills Show HN posts:**
- Paywall on landing page
- No working demo
- Defensive replies to criticism
- Vague value prop

---

## Product Hunt

**When:** Consumer apps, SaaS, design tools, productivity.

**Prep (2 weeks before):**
- Get a hunter with 1000+ followers to submit
- Prepare 5-image gallery + 60s demo video
- Line up 20+ people to upvote on launch day (email list, friends, communities)

**Day of launch:**
- Post at 12:01am Pacific
- Share in Slack groups, Discord, Twitter, email list
- Reply to every comment
- Don't ask explicitly for upvotes (against rules)

---

## Cold Email / LinkedIn

**When:** B2B, high-value customers, direct sales.

**Formula that works:**
```
Subject: [Specific pain point] at [Company name]

Hi [Name],

[1 sentence: I noticed you do X / you recently Y]

[1 sentence: We help companies like yours do Z result]

[1 sentence: Thought it might be relevant — worth a 15 min call?]

[Name]
```

**Rules:**
- Personalize the first line (takes 2 min, 3× reply rate)
- Max 3 sentences of pitch
- One CTA only
- Follow up once at day 3, once at day 7, then stop

**Tools:** Apollo.io (finding emails), Instantly.ai (sequencing), Hunter.io (verification)

---

## Twitter/X

**When:** Dev tools, B2B SaaS, thought leadership, open source.

**What works:**
- Build in public threads: "I'm building X. Week 1 update: [real numbers]"
- Share a counter-intuitive finding from your data
- Hot take + thread unpacking it
- "I analyzed 100 [things] so you don't have to"

**Format:**
- Hook tweet must stand alone (gets shown without thread)
- 3–7 tweets per thread sweet spot
- End with CTA: "If you found this useful, follow for more. I'm also building [product] that does this automatically"

**Post frequency for growth:** 1 thread/week + 3–5 reply comments to bigger accounts/day

---

## Email List (retention + referral)

Build from day one. Even 100 engaged subscribers beats 10,000 social followers.

**Capture:** Offer something useful (template, guide, tool) in exchange for email.

**Nurture sequence:**
- Day 0: Welcome + deliver promised value
- Day 2: Teach one useful thing (no pitch)
- Day 5: Share your story / why you built this
- Day 10: Soft pitch + social proof
- Ongoing: 1 email/week with genuine value

**Tools:** Resend (transactional), Beehiiv (newsletter), ConvertKit (automation)


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