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growth-hacker-early-stage skill

/skills/bullkis1/growth-hacker-early-stage

This skill helps you diagnose growth blockers, pick a single metric, and run cheap experiments to accelerate early-stage traction.

npx playbooks add skill openclaw/skills --skill growth-hacker-early-stage

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (3)
SKILL.md
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---
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

Overview

This skill helps you find the fastest path from zero to traction by focusing on rapid user acquisition, viral loops, conversion optimization, and structured growth experiments. It specializes in early-stage and indie product growth (0→1 and 1→10k users) and emphasizes measurable, cheap experiments and one growth lever at a time. Use it to diagnose where growth is stuck and to design repeatable tests that scale.

How this skill works

The skill diagnoses which stage of the funnel is broken (Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, Revenue) and prescribes the highest-impact next step. It defines a single North Star Metric, suggests low-cost channels and tactical playbooks, and prioritizes cheap experiments before expensive campaigns. It also provides concrete conversion quick wins, onboarding improvements, A/B testing rules, and metrics to track from day one.

When to use it

  • You need your first users or early traction (0→1).
  • Signup or onboarding rates are low and you need activation fixes.
  • You want to build a referral loop or measurable viral mechanics.
  • You’re planning experiments and need a prioritized, low-cost plan.
  • Growth is flat and you need a diagnostic to find the bottleneck.

Best practices

  • Pick one North Star Metric and optimize that, not vanity metrics.
  • Diagnose funnel stage first; fix activation before scaling acquisition.
  • Run cheap, fast experiments (Reddit, Twitter threads, Product Hunt) before paid channels.
  • Measure everything: track source/medium for every signup and retention cohorts.
  • Test one growth lever at a time and double down on wins.
  • Talk to churned users to learn why they left.

Example use cases

  • A B2B indie tool needs 100 early adopters: run targeted cold outreach and a Product Hunt launch plus activation onboarding tweaks.
  • A consumer app has signups but low retention: shorten onboarding to first-value moment and add an automated 24h re-engagement email.
  • An open-source developer tool needs distribution: post a Show HN and targeted Reddit threads while adding share buttons for outputs.
  • A marketplace wants more transactions: choose a core weekly transaction NSM and run conversion experiments on listing and messaging flows.
  • A startup wants to lower CAC: build a referral incentive where both inviter and invitee get clear, immediate value.

FAQ

When should I start paid ads?

Only after you know activation is strong—target an activation rate >40% and a working organic channel. Paid ads scale waste if product doesn't retain.

How many experiments should I run at once?

Focus on one growth lever at a time. Run multiple small experiments sequentially or on isolated segments to avoid noisy results.