7. Product-led Growth
Product-Led Growth: Readiness
Build a product that grows itself, starting before you launch.
Table Of Content
Strategic Context Core Concepts Key Focus Areas Action Steps & Templates Final Checklist
Strategic Context
Product-Led Growth (PLG) doesn’t start post-launch. It starts with how you design your product, define your user, and structure the first interaction. In crypto, where users expect self-serve access, instant value, and seamless interoperability, PLG readiness is the difference between a product that spreads and one that stalls.
This module helps you lay the foundation, so your product can earn growth on its own.
✶ Pro Tip: PLG in crypto ≠ Web2 SaaS
In crypto, self-serve access isn’t optional, it’s the norm. Wallets, tokens, gas, and composability introduce both friction and opportunity. Don’t just borrow from SaaS, design for the crypto-native user from the start.
Start with one product. One user. One loop. Then grow.
Core Concepts
1. Time-to-Value (TTV) Is Your First KPI
Users don’t wait around. If they don’t get value fast, they churn. Your first job is to define and shorten the time it takes for a new user to “get it.”
Example: For a Stellar-native swap interface, TTV isn’t “user connects wallet.” It’s “user completes first swap.”
2. Your ICP Is a Sharp Knife, Not a Blunt One
The most common PLG mistake? Targeting “crypto users.” That’s not an ICP. Focus on a specific job-to-be-done, for a specific tribe, in a specific context. Build for them, then expand.
Example: Zebec didn’t target “DeFi users.” They targeted builders managing streaming payroll in stablecoins.
3. Friction-Free Onboarding Is Not a Nice-to-Have
Onboarding is part of the product, not the marketing. If you can’t deliver value in 3 clicks or less, you’re not ready for PLG.
Checklist:
✓ Can they try the product without committing?
✓ Can they win early?
✓ Can they restart if they get stuck?
4. Growth Loops > Growth Hacks
You’re not chasing virality. You’re designing loops that reinforce value and bring others in. A user does X, which creates Y, which brings in new users who also do X.
Example: A Stellar lending protocol that gives users an NFT badge for completing 3 loans, then lets them refer others for XP or gas rebates, has a loop.
Key Focus Areas
Area | What to Get Right |
|---|---|
ICP & JTBD | Define your early user like a sniper, not a shotgun. Who exactly will succeed with your product and why? |
Activation & Aha Moment | Map the path to the first win. Make it fast. Make it clear. |
Onboarding & UX | Guide without overwhelming. Defaults matter. Remove choices. |
Instrumentation | Track the 3–5 moments that indicate success or failure. Use real data to make onboarding better. |
Loop Design | Design your product surface area to create shareability, stickiness, or expansion. |
Action Steps & Templates
These are the critical exercises you should complete before launching a Product-Led Growth product in Stellar:
1. ICP & JTBD One-Pager
Who’s your user?
What problem are they solving?
Where are they today, and where are they going?
Action:
Use the worksheet to define:
Role + context
Motivation
Success signal
Complete the
2. Activation Funnel Map
Define the minimum viable path from first interaction to “aha.”
Action:
Start with entry point (landing page, dApp, SDK, etc.)
Map the 3–5 steps that lead to the first value moment
Identify friction points
3. Growth Hypotheses Log
Make your assumptions explicit. Then test them.
Action:
Log your top 3–5 hypotheses:
“Users who connect wallet will complete first swap within 2 mins”
“Adding a Stellar referral badge increases invites by 30%”
✶ Tip: Set up a Hypothesis Tracker (Notion/Sheet)
4. Loop Design Board
Pick one: usage loop, referral loop, content loop, integration loop.
Map how the user action creates growth.
Action:
X → Y → Z diagram (e.g., swap → badge → referral → new user)
Highlight trigger points and drop-offs
5. Tracking Plan Builder
If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
Action:
Define success events (e.g., swap complete, contract deployed, user referred)
Choose tooling (Posthog, Mixpanel, custom logging)
Set up a dashboard to monitor funnel health
✶ Tip: Set up a Tracking Plan + Metrics Dashboard
Final Readiness Checklist
✓ Have you defined a specific ICP + JTBD?
✓ Can users reach the “aha” moment in <5 steps?
✓ Have you removed all non-essential friction in onboarding?
✓ Have you mapped your activation funnel and instrumented key events?
✓ Have you designed at least one growth loop?
✓ Do you have a plan to test, track, and improve PLG metrics?
