Product-led Growth: Execution

Strategic Context

Most teams think launch is the finish line. But in product-led growth, it’s just the beginning. The moment users enter your product, you’re in a live feedback loop: either they reach value, or they bounce. Either they stay and bring others in, or they don’t.

This module helps you move from shipping to optimizing. You’ll tighten your activation funnel, reinforce growth loops, and use real usage data to make better product decisions. No more guessing. No more feature bloat. Just the compounding momentum of a product that grows because people actually use it—and keep coming back.

TL;DR:

Product-led growth doesn’t scale with features. It scales with feedback, testing, and loops. If you’re not activating, retaining, or growing from within the product, you’re not executing PLG.

One small experiment a week beats one big launch a quarter.

One clear loop beats five empty funnels.

One delighted user beats 1,000 curious ones.

Core Principles

1. Fix the First Mile First

If users don’t activate, nothing else matters. Before you build anything new, identify and fix the biggest friction in your onboarding or first-use flow.

2. Track What Moves the Needle

You don’t need 100 events—you need clarity on three things: How many users activate, how many come back, and how many bring others in. Everything else is noise.

3. Loops Outperform Funnels

Funnels convert. Loops compound. PLG winners focus on reinforcing user actions that lead to re-use, referrals, and expansion.

4. User Behavior is the Roadmap

Your usage data is telling you where the product is broken, what’s sticky, and what’s next. Your job is to listen and respond—not just ideate.

5. Test, Don’t Guess

Don’t get stuck in strategy paralysis. Run lightweight experiments weekly. Measure what works. Kill what doesn’t. Repeat.

Exercise 1: Activation Funnel Optimization

Where do users drop off and why?

What to Do:

• Map every step from entry to first meaningful action (your “aha moment”)

• Track drop-off rates between each step

• Prioritize fixes based on largest friction points

Example:

In a Stellar dApp, users connect a wallet, approve access, then must navigate a token list. If 60% drop off before swapping, the interface—not the liquidity—is the problem.

Outputs:

✓ Activation Funnel Dashboard
✓ Drop-Off Analysis

Exercise 2: Instrumentation & Core Metrics

Track what matters. Ignore vanity.

Metrics to Track:

• Activation rate – % of users reaching your core success event

• Retention – Day 1, Day 7, and Day 30 return users

• Loop triggers – % of users sharing, referring, or re-using

• Drop-offs – Friction points that break the flow

Outputs:

✓ Core Metrics Tracker
✓ Analytics Event Map

Exercise 3: Growth Loop Deployment

The product should bring in more users. On its own.

Loop Types:

• Usage loop – One action leads to more usage (e.g., yield reinvestment)

• Referral loop – Invite friend, both benefit

• Integration loop – Developers integrate, expand reach

• Content loop – Shareable outputs (e.g., mint, badge, transaction)

What Makes a Loop Work:

• Clear trigger inside the product

• Visible feedback (badge, reward, notification)

• Frictionless execution

• Embedded incentive

Outputs:

✓ Growth Loop Map

Exercise 4: Feedback Loop to Product

Your users already know what to build next, if you’re listening.

Inputs to Gather:

• Support chats, community threads, user surveys

• Discord and TG sentiment

• Interviews with power users or churned users

What to Do:

• Identify patterns of friction, confusion, or feature requests

• Map them to actual usage data

• Prioritize fast wins that remove friction or amplify value

Outputs:

✓ User Feedback Summary
✓ PLG Feature Prioritization Matrix

Exercise 5: Cohort & Segment Analysis

Retention is not an average. It’s a pattern.

What to Analyze:

• Which channels bring high-retention users?

• What actions correlate with long-term use?

• Who churns and what do they have in common?

What to Do:

• Segment users by source, wallet type, chain, device, behavior

• Compare activation and retention across cohorts

• Use insights to tighten targeting and messaging

Outputs:

✓ Cohort Retention Tracker
✓ Segment Fit Analysis

Exercise 6: Growth Experiment System

Insights are worthless without action.

How to Set It Up:

• Create a backlog of small tests (copy, flow, loop, incentive)

• Use a simple hypothesis format: “If we do X, Y will increase”

• Prioritize by effort vs. impact

• Run weekly. Measure. Repeat.

Example:

“Adding a TG invite link on the swap success screen will increase referrals by 25%.”

Outputs:

✓ Growth Experiment Tracker

Exercise 7: Retention & Re-Engagement Strategy

Get users back before they forget you exist.

What Works:

• Time-based nudges: “You started but didn’t finish…”

• Event triggers: “Gas just dropped—try again now”

• XP systems or token incentives

• Discord or TG bots for event-based pings

Outputs:

✓ Retention Campaign Planner
✓ Re-Engagement Message Library

Section 8: UX & Messaging Alignment

Good copy is a growth feature.

What to Audit:

• Are your feature names intuitive?

• Do CTAs make the benefit obvious?

• Is the onboarding text aligned to your ICP’s mental model?

What to Do:

• Run copy tests on top 3 screens (landing, onboarding, core action)

• Rewrite jargon into language tied to jobs-to-be-done

Outputs:

✓ Messaging Audit Checklist
✓ UX Copy Optimization Plan

Section 9: Success Moment Amplification

When the user wins, make it loud.

How to Amplify:

• Visual feedback (animation, badge, level-up)

• Share CTA with social card (e.g., “I just earned 12% yield on Stellar”)

• Invite loop: reward for bringing others in after first success

• Token or XP reward tied to that milestone

Outputs:

✓ Social CTA Builder

Final Execution Checklist

✓ Is your activation funnel instrumented and optimized?
✓ Are you tracking retention and loop triggers in real time?
✓ Have you deployed at least one working growth loop?
✓ Are you collecting and acting on user feedback weekly?
✓ Is there a clear experiment system running every sprint?
✓ Do you have a re-engagement strategy for dropped users?
✓ Is your messaging aligned to your ICP’s language and actions?
✓ Are user success moments being celebrated and shared?