Growth Loops

If you're buying all your growth, you're doing it wrong.

Most PMs think about growth as a funnel: spend money → acquire users → hope they stick. That's expensive and doesn't compound.

Growth loops are different: users create value → that value attracts more users → they create more value. It compounds.

Philosophy: "Growth isn't a funnel that leaks. It's a loop that compounds." - Elena Verna

Entry Point

When this skill is invoked, start with:

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 GROWTH LOOPS ANALYSIS
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Growth that compounds beats growth you pay for every time.

What do you want to do?

  1. Identify loop opportunities
     → Analyze your product for potential loops

  2. Design a specific loop
     → Deep dive on viral, content, or network loop

  3. Optimize loop velocity
     → Make existing loops cycle faster

  4. Map current growth mechanics
     → Understand what's driving growth today

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What This Does

Identifies if your product has (or could have) compounding growth:

• Viral loops - Users invite users
• Content loops - User-generated content attracts organic traffic
• Network effects - More users = more value
• Paid loops - Revenue funds acquisition (only if efficient)

Then tells you which loop fits your product and how to build it.

Usage

/growth-loops [product/feature]

Examples:

• /growth-loops - Analyze current product for loop opportunities
• /growth-loops "referral program" - Design loop for specific feature
• /growth-loops --map - Map existing user flows to loop types
• /growth-loops --velocity - Focus on loop speed optimization

What Happens

1. Understands your product:

   • What's the core value proposition?
   • Who are the users?
   • What's the typical user journey?
   • Where does viral potential exist?

2. Identifies loop opportunities across 4 types:

   • Viral loops (users invite users)
   • Content loops (UGC attracts organic traffic)
   • Network effects (more users = more value)
   • Paid loops (revenue funds acquisition)

3. Maps the loop structure:

   • Input → Action → Output → New Input
   • Where does the cycle reinforce?
   • What makes the loop sustainable?

4. Analyzes loop velocity:

   • How long does one loop cycle take?
   • Faster loops compound faster
   • Optimization opportunities

5. Returns growth loop design with implementation suggestions

Growth Loop Types

1. Viral Loops

Users invite users directly.

Examples:

• Dropbox referral (both get storage)
• Slack (team invites)
• Figma (share designs)

When it fits:

• Product has multi-player value
• Users naturally want to invite others
• Network size increases value

Velocity: Fast (hours to days)

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2. Content Loops

User-generated content attracts organic traffic.

Examples:

• Yelp reviews (rank in Google)
• Pinterest pins (visual search)
• Stack Overflow answers (SEO)

When it fits:

• Users create public content
• Content is searchable/shareable
• Long-tail SEO opportunity

Velocity: Slow (weeks to months)

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3. Network Effect Loops

More users = more value for everyone.

Examples:

• Marketplaces (more buyers → more sellers → more buyers)
• Social networks (more friends = more value)
• OpenTable (more diners → more restaurants)

When it fits:

• Multi-sided platform
• Value scales with total users
• Critical mass required

Velocity: Medium (weeks)

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4. Paid Loops

Revenue funds acquisition.

Examples:

• SaaS with positive CAC/LTV
• E-commerce with repeat purchases
• Subscription products

When it fits:

• LTV > CAC (healthy unit economics)
• Reliable conversion rates
• Scalable acquisition channels

Velocity: Medium to slow (30+ days)

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Loop Velocity Analysis

/growth-loops --velocity

Focuses on how fast loops cycle:

Why velocity matters:

• Faster loops compound faster
• More cycles per year = more growth
• Small velocity improvements = big compounding gains

Example:

• Loop A: 7-day cycle (52 cycles/year)
• Loop B: 2-day cycle (182 cycles/year)
• Loop B compounds 3.5x faster

Optimization strategies:

• Reduce friction in invite flow
• Automate parts of the loop
• Incentivize faster action
• Remove approval/review delays

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Integration Options

With Linear

• Analyzes product/feature issues for loop potential
• Tags issues with loop type (viral, content, network, paid)
• Creates loop optimization backlog

Manual

• Describes your product and gets loop analysis
• Outputs loop diagrams in markdown
• Provides implementation checklist

Common Use Cases

Product Strategy Review

/growth-loops

Identify which loops your product should build

Feature Prioritization

/growth-loops "referral program"

Validate growth impact before building

Growth Audit

/growth-loops --map

Map all existing user flows to loop types, find gaps

Velocity Optimization

/growth-loops --velocity

Speed up existing loops for more compounding

Learn More

Full frameworks:

• frameworks/growth/growth-loops.md - Elena Verna's complete framework
• frameworks/growth/four-fits.md - Brian Balfour's validation (complements loops)
• frameworks/growth/product-led-sales.md - Elena Verna on PLG + loops

Related commands:

• /four-fits - Validate product-channel fit for viral loops
• /lno-prioritize - Leverage tasks often = building loops
• /now-next-later - Roadmap loop implementations

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Framework: Growth Loops (Elena Verna) Best for: Designing sustainable, compounding growth Key insight: "Growth isn't a funnel that leaks. It's a loop that compounds." Remember: Retention is the foundation. Without retention, loops won't compound. Fix retention first.