3. User Acquisition
Campaign Experiments
Test, iterate, and unlock compounding growth.
Table Of Content
Strategic Context Core Concepts and Principles Actionable Framework: The Experiment Loop Experiment Types by Strategy Real-World Examples Action Steps and Worksheets Final Checklist: Is Your Experiment Growth-Ready?
Strategic Context
The post-launch phase is where your GTM strategy either compounds or stalls. At this point, you’ve shipped your product, built a community and made some noise, but sustainable growth depends on what you do next.
Campaign experiments are how great teams turn potential into traction. But this isn’t just about launching ads or promotions, it’s about building a product and ecosystem where growth is built in.
The best growth hackers don’t market in the traditional sense. They create feedback loops, Trojan horses, and compounding mechanics inside the product and community itself. They don’t aim for a blockbuster opening, they aim for a strong start that builds.
This module is a blueprint for that mindset: how to test, iterate, and scale the campaigns that unlock growth in the wild.
Key Benefits of Mastering This
Faster feedback loops that improve GTM decision-making
More efficient use of resources, focused on what works
Deeper product-market insight through campaign data
Compounding growth via loops, not one-off wins
A self-propagating ecosystem where your users become your best marketers
Core Concepts and Principles
1. Growth Is Built In, Not Bolted On
Traditional marketing treats growth as something you add after launch. Growth hackers embed growth into the product, into user flows, into incentives. Every experiment is a chance to increase the odds of users inviting others, creating content, or compounding value.
2. No Big Launches, Just Strong Starts
Most campaigns don’t need to "go viral." They need to work for a very specific tribe of early adopters. You don’t need millions. You need a few hundred people who care, who convert, and who bring others with them.
3. Experiments Are the Strategy
A growth hacker doesn’t guess what works. They test it. Experiments are not side quests. They are the strategy. Every campaign should validate a risky assumption and feed the next one.
4. Speed of Learning > Perfection
The faster you launch, measure, and iterate, the faster you grow. Don’t wait for perfect creative or consensus. Test what matters, learn fast, and double down on what works.
Actionable Framework: The Experiment Loop
Use this loop to turn ideas into action.
Step | What It Means |
|---|---|
Hypothesize | What’s the assumption you're testing? Why does it matter to growth? |
Design | What’s the core mechanic, message, and audience? What’s the success signal? |
Launch | Deploy the campaign across the chosen channels. Keep it tight, ship fast. |
Measure | Track leading and lagging indicators. Quant + qual. Did it work? |
Learn | What did the data and reactions reveal? Was the assumption validated or busted? |
Decide | Scale, tweak, or kill. Every outcome is useful if you move fast. |
Use the RICES framework to help you decide
Success Metrics by Goal
Goal | Primary Metrics |
|---|---|
Acquisition | Signups, wallet connects, transactions, referrals |
Activation | Time to action, swap/stake, quests completed |
Retention | Returning users, daily actives, XP progression |
Community Growth | Discord joins, forum posts, meme bounties submitted |
Ecosystem Impact | Staking, proposals submitted, partner usage |
Experiment Types by Strategy
Web3-Native Growth
Type | Tactics |
|---|---|
Token Incentives | XP systems, liquidity mining, staking quests |
Airdrops & Testnets | Retroactive rewards, incentivized usage, quest-based claim systems |
Referral Programs | NFT-gated invites, viral leaderboards, co-pilot rewards |
Gamified Engagement | Badge hunts, questboards, onchain missions |
Community-Led Momentum
Type | Tactics |
|---|---|
Ambassador Programs | Tiered roles, merch drops, early access calls |
UGC + Memes | Meme bounties, tweet-to-mint, tutorial contests |
Governance Activation | Snapshot polls, meme proposal battles, community strategy jams |
Growth Hacking + Publicity
Type | Tactics |
|---|---|
Guerrilla Campaigns | Tokenized stickers at IRL events, meme floods, QR treasure hunts |
Publicity Stunts | DAO takeovers, themed metaverse raves, massive token burn livestream |
Traditional Performance Tactics
Type | Tactics |
|---|---|
Paid Ads | X Ads with retargeting, channel A/B tests |
KOL Campaigns | Sponsored AMAs, cross-posts, token-boosted threads |
Ecosystem Partnerships | Partner quests, cross-promos, dApp integrations |
Developer-Led Growth
Type | Tactics |
|---|---|
Grants Programs | Microgrants, milestone-based bounties, ecosystem-specific RFPs |
DevRel Activations | Sample repos, starter templates, Discord support blitz, hackathon prep |
Hackathons & Buildathons | “Launch on Soroban” themed tracks, IRL or online hackathons |
Technical Bounties | Open issue bounties, “build this” threads, onchain RFP bounty boards |
✓ Complete DevRel: Secret Growth Hack module
Real-World Examples
Uniswap: Retroactive Airdrop
A surprise drop of 400 UNI per wallet to early users.
→ Result: Massive brand loyalty, user education on governance, industry benchmark moment.
Chainlink: Guerrilla Meme Warfare
Saturation of crypto conferences with meme stickers, shirts, and posters.
→ Result: Top-of-mind awareness, memetic culture, and a sticky brand identity.
Rarible: NFT Vending Machine @ NFT NYC
Let users mint NFTs in-person via a physical machine.
→ Result: Viral buzz, real-world onboarding, and physical-digital hybrid traction.
Stellar’s Soroban Mission Grants
Stellar provides targeted funding to developers building Soroban-based tools, infrastructure, and use cases.
→ Result: Focused grants + ecosystem-aligned prompts = higher ROI than generic open-ended funding.
Optimism’s RetroPGF
Optimism distributes funding based on impact, not speculation—retroactively rewarding contributors who meaningfully improved the ecosystem.
→ Result: You can fund talent after value is delivered to avoid waste and maximize alignment.
Action Steps and Worksheets
Step-by-Step: Run Your First Campaign Experiment
Identify Your Assumption → What must be true for your growth strategy to work?
Choose a Campaign Type → Pick one category above (e.g., Token Incentives + Referral)
Write Your Hypothesis → If we [do X], then [Y users] will [take action Z] because [motivation].
Define Success Metrics → What signal defines success? What baseline will you compare to?
Deploy & Monitor → Track performance daily. Capture both data and qualitative insights.
Debrief & Scale → Use a 15-minute retro template to answer: What did we learn? What next?
Final Checklist: Is Your Experiment Growth-Ready?
✓ Assumption Clarity
Have you clearly stated one core growth assumption you're testing (e.g. “Base chain users respond better to meme-led CTAs”)?
✓ Right-Sized Scope
Can you run this within 1–2 weeks, using <$1K or limited internal resources?
✓ Clear Success Criteria
Have you defined specific metrics for success and failure (e.g. 10%+ quest completion, 2x swap volume)?
✓ Actionable Next Step
Will this test inform a go/no-go, iteration, or scale-up decision for your next GTM action?
✓ Compounding Potential
If this works, could it generate flywheel effects (retention, virality, referrals, builder reuse, community UGC)?
✓ Audience Specificity
Have you identified one clear tribe or early adopter group you’re targeting, and why they’ll care?
✓ Trojan Horse Defined
What’s your hook? (e.g. meme angle, reward design, unexpected utility)
✓ Time to Signal
Can you start learning within 48–72 hours of launch?
