If by Growth Hacking…

My friends, I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about growth hacking. Alright, here is how I feel about growth hacking:

If when you say growth hacking you mean a shameless enslavement to ephemeral metrics, the tackiest exploitations of the shallowest acquisition tactics, an ill-advised grab bag of slash-and-burn strategies, and the fruitless pursuit of local maxima over long-term potential; if you mean that low-road hijacking of what good marketing has always been, that short-term fad of self-promotion, that bandwagon buzzword providing cheap appeal to the least-qualified hucksters, which encourages the most cowardly of tweaks & most mindless of micro-optimizations, and leads to an aimless, heartless addiction to data at the expense of the soul, then certainly I am against it.

But, if when you say growth hacking you mean a genuine investment in full-funnel engagement, an honest attempt at scaling sustainably, the earnest improvement of the product’s entire experience; if you mean a dedication to discovering what’s causing adoption, the excitement of innovating on blue ocean channels, the preference for investing in several experiments over a single big reveal; if you mean the commitment to transitioning signups to superusers, the choice to out-serve the market rather than out-spend the competition; if you mean comprehensively approaching reliable viability with an open mind and a cross-functional skill set; if you mean not only shaping acquisition around the product, but shaping the product around acquisition; if you mean going beyond communicating the value you offer and actually being beholden to delivering it, then certainly I am for it.

This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise.

My name is Samuel Hulick and I wrote this.
I also run the site UserOnboard, which I think you will like.