Growth Hacking

At this stage, you are newly interested in growth hacking and starting to learn the fundamentals. You can understand what each stage of the AAARRR funnel means and identify key growth metrics. You cannot yet design or run experiments independently, but you can read and interpret existing data at a basic level.

• Can list the 6 stages of the AAARRR funnel and explain the purpose of each stage
• Can identify at least 3 key growth metrics (e.g., DAU, conversion rate, churn rate) for your product
• Can query a specific metric's trend in an analytics tool and describe the change in one sentence
• Can explain at least 2 differences between growth hacking and traditional marketing approaches
• Can create a mapping table showing which metrics to track for each funnel stage
• Can read at least 1 growth case study and summarize the key strategy used

You can design A/B tests targeting a single variable and interpret the results. You track and compare performance data across major acquisition channels and set up event tracking to collect user behavior data. You can repeat simple experiments without guidance, but systematic prioritization of experiments is still challenging.

• Can independently design an A/B test that changes a single variable (e.g., CTA copy, button color)
• Can determine statistical significance from A/B test results and decide the winner
• Can compare performance across 3 or more acquisition channels and identify the most cost-effective one
• Can set up custom events in an analytics tool to track specific user behaviors
• Can compile experiment results into a written report for the team
• Can measure conversion rate changes on a landing page and propose improvement points

You systematically evaluate and prioritize experiment ideas for independent execution. You manage an experiment backlog using ICE (Impact, Confidence, Ease) scoring and plan, execute, and review experiments on a weekly cadence. You perform conversion rate optimization on specific funnel stages and produce consistent experiment outputs.

• Can apply ICE scoring to prioritize 10 or more experiment ideas
• Can plan, execute, and analyze at least 1 experiment per week
• Can analyze conversion rates at a specific funnel stage and identify bottleneck areas
• Can analyze an onboarding flow and pinpoint drop-off points using data
• Can document experiment results and accumulate learnings in a team repository
• Can perform cohort analysis to compare behavioral differences across user groups
• Can maintain an experiment backlog of 20 or more ideas with continuous updates

You understand and manage the funnel as an integrated whole rather than individual stages. You analyze retention curves to build long-term retention strategies and connect data across multiple channels to design optimal channel mixes. You make data-driven decisions in complex situations and report experiment impact in terms of revenue and LTV.

• Can build a dashboard covering key metrics across all AAARRR funnel stages and monitor it weekly
• Can analyze a retention curve to explain plateau zones and churn patterns
• Can calculate user lifetime value (LTV) and evaluate profitability against customer acquisition cost (CAC)
• Can design a cross-channel campaign combining 3 or more channels and compare their performance
• Can design a referral program and measure the viral coefficient
• Can translate experiment results into revenue or LTV impact for executive reporting
• Can develop and execute segment-specific retention strategies (email, push, in-app messages)

You lead the composition, goal-setting, and experimentation processes of a growth team. You collaborate with other departments to establish experiment-based decision-making culture across the organization. Beyond individual experiments, you design scalable growth loops and mentor junior growth practitioners. You build systems that manage both experiment velocity and quality.

• Can mentor 3 or more growth team members on experiment design and analysis methods
• Can design and run weekly growth meetings with at least 4 experiment reviews per month
• Can design and operate at least 1 growth loop (viral loop, paid loop, or content loop)
• Can lead cross-functional growth projects spanning product, marketing, and data teams
• Can establish quarterly growth OKRs and align the experiment portfolio to those objectives
• Can build a dashboard that tracks both experiment velocity (experiments per week) and learning quality
• Can operate a process that extracts structural learnings from failed experiments and accumulates them as organizational knowledge
• Can diagnose the side effects of experimentation culture on the organization (experiment fatigue, short-term metric fixation, long-term investment avoidance), and design operating principles that maintain a healthy balance of experimentation culture

You design the overall growth strategy and experimentation governance for the entire organization. You establish product-led growth strategies where the product itself drives growth, share results at industry conferences, and set benchmarks. You coordinate multiple growth teams and establish organization-wide standards for data infrastructure and experimentation platforms.

• Can establish the organization's growth model (growth equation) and report at the board level
• Can design a PLG strategy that builds self-serve conversion and expansion revenue structures within the product
• Can present growth strategy results at industry conferences or in professional media
• Can design a growth strategy roadmap for new businesses or market entries
• Can diagnose the organization's experimentation maturity and create a phased improvement plan
• Can identify points where short-term growth hacks conflict with long-term brand value, and make the judgment to intentionally moderate growth velocity
• Can detect patterns where growth metrics are intentionally or unintentionally manipulated (vanity metrics, cohort cherry-picking, baseline manipulation) and correct them

You go beyond existing growth hacking methodologies to propose new frameworks or growth paradigms. Through books, lectures, and open-source tools, you influence the broader industry. You execute growth strategies that create entirely new markets or redefine existing categories. You cultivate the next generation of growth leaders.

• Can create a growth methodology, framework, or model that is widely cited across the industry
• Can contribute to the body of knowledge in growth hacking through books, papers, or public lectures
• Can execute a growth strategy that creates a new market category or redefines an existing one
• Can develop 10 or more growth leaders who independently drive organizational growth
• Can establish and continuously operate a growth hacking community or educational program
• Can verify that a methodology you created has been independently adopted and operated by 3 or more organizations
• Can recognize the saturation point where the marginal utility of experiments decreases in a specific product or market, and judge the transition timing from experiment-based growth to alternative growth paradigms