The Science of Growth with Sean Ellis

Product growth is simple. But it’s often misunderstood and poorly applied. Sam’s high-velocity test/learn process has accelerated growth at companies like Facebook, Airbnb, and Dropbox.

3 min readDec 3, 2023

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Product growth is simple. But it’s often misunderstood and poorly applied.

That’s why I’m excited to share my interview with Sean Ellis, the author of the international bestseller Hacking Growth.

His high-velocity test/learn process has accelerated growth at companies like Facebook, Airbnb, and Dropbox.

Sean coined growth hacking, invented the ICE prioritization, and popularized the North Star Framework.

Growth hacking is not about testing random ideas. It’s a systematic process of testing and analyzing data to unlock growth.
It involves not just acquisition but also activation, engagement, retention, and revenue levers.
You need to understand customer needs and how the product meets them.
Product-market fit is essential. In the episode, Sean explains how to measure it easily and why you should also understand the “Why” behind it.
Align messaging with the reasons customers love the product. And bringing the right customers to the right experience quickly.
Your goal should be to ensure long-term sustainable growth, not just quick, short-term gains.
Without cross-functional alignment and a shared understanding of the North Star Metric, everything falls apart. Sean explains how to build this alignment.
In many companies, opinions are stated as facts. Instead, state them as hypotheses, develop and maintain testing habits, and reinforce a data-driven approach.
The same scientific process and principles can be applied to B2B products. Understanding the end users’ value is critical.

In this episode, we discuss:

(01:29) What is Growth Hacking?
(02:41) The required skill set.
(04:48) What’s required to start thinking about product growth?
(06:17) How can we measure product-market fit?
(08:48) How can we accelerate growth? Understanding growth.
(12:10) Refining value proposition. The right customer. The right experience.
(18:08) The science of growth. Growth process. ICE scoring.
(22:24) The power of experimenting.
(23:58) Creating value vs. capturing value. How everything is connected.
(26:28) What can go wrong? Building alignment. Becoming a growth leader.
(32:56) Building the right culture. The testing habit.
(36:25) North Star Metric and the physics of growth.
(41:19) B2B vs. B2C product growth.

Where to find Sean Ellis?