Business Metrics
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Growth Hacking
A discipline of fast experiments across product and marketing to find growth. It is systematic testing, not a bag of tricks.
Detailed explanation
Unlike a classic brand campaign, it places small bets: onboarding changes, viral loops, or pricing tests in one backlog.
“Hacking” should not mean breaking ethics or platform rules. Black-hat tactics close accounts.
Mature teams just call it growth: a north-star metric, cohorts, and an experiment log. Waiting for one viral stunt is not a strategy.
Frequently asked questions
- Is growth hacking legal?
- The experiment discipline is. Spam, fake scarcity, or exploiting platform bugs is both unethical and risky.
- Can a small team do it?
- Yes. One clear hypothesis, one metric, and a learning note each week is enough. A huge budget is not required.
Related terms
Internal links for the topic cluster — read these concepts together.
- AARRRPirate Metrics: Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, Revenue. A five-rung growth frame that stops teams staring at one vanity number.
- North Star MetricA North Star Metric is the single, top-priority performance indicator that best reflects a company's long-term success and the core value it delivers to customers.
- A/B TestAn A/B Test is an experiment method that shows two (or more) variants at the same time and compares which performs better using statistical evidence.
- ActivationThe moment a new user first gets real value—the “aha”. Signing up is not activation; the first meaningful action is.
- Referral ProgramA growth mechanic that rewards existing users for bringing new customers. Unlike paid media, it transfers trust.