Designing Growth Loops

Scope

Covers

Turning a growth goal into a loop-based growth model (micro loops + macro loops)
Designing and documenting loops: viral/referral, content/UGC, SEO, partner/integration, sales-assisted, and paid acquisition loops
Choosing channels using a Customer × Business × Medium fit check
Validating paid loops with unit economics (LTV, CAC, payback) gating
Producing an actionable loop plan: loop map → scorecard → experiments → measurement

When to use

“Design a growth loop / viral loop / referral loop”
“Create a growth flywheel for <product>”
“Map our micro + macro growth loops and prioritize which to build”
“We need new growth loops (not just optimize ads/onboarding)”
“Decide whether a paid acquisition loop is viable”

When NOT to use

You haven’t clarified the ICP/problem or value proposition (use
```
problem-definition
```
).
You’re still establishing PMF and need a PMF signal set (use
```
measuring-product-market-fit
```
).
You only need an experiment list/prioritization, not loop design (use
```
prioritizing-roadmap
```
).
You’re making a one-way-door launch decision (use
```
shipping-products
```
/
```
running-decision-processes
```
).

Inputs

Minimum required

Product + target user/ICP (and 1–2 key segments)
Current stage (pre-PMF / early PMF / growth / mature) and current primary growth channel(s)
The core value moment (what users do when they “get value”)
A baseline snapshot of the growth system (best available): acquisition sources, conversion funnel, retention/engagement, referrals/sharing
Constraints: budget, timebox, brand/safety, platform policy, legal/privacy, engineering capacity
For paid loops: rough unit economics (LTV, gross margin, CAC/payback targets) or a proxy

Missing-info strategy

Ask up to 5 questions from references/INTAKE.md, then proceed.
If data is missing, proceed with explicit assumptions and label confidence.
Do not request secrets or PII; prefer aggregated metrics or redacted excerpts.

Outputs (deliverables)

Produce a Growth Loop Design Pack (Markdown in-chat; or as files if requested) containing:

Context snapshot (goal, ICP/segments, constraints, timebox)
Loop inventory + baseline (current loops and where the system currently gets growth)
Loop map (qualitative model) (micro loops + macro loop; how loops connect)
Loop candidates + mechanism library (platform/channel mechanisms; ethical/policy-compliant)
Loop scorecard + selection (top 1–2 loops to build/scale; optimize vs innovate recommendation)
Measurement plan (loop KPIs, leading indicators, required instrumentation)
Experiment backlog + 30/60/90 plan (tests, sequencing, dependencies, owners if known)
Risks / Open questions / Next steps (always included)

Templates and checklists:

references/TEMPLATES.md
references/CHECKLISTS.md
references/RUBRIC.md
Expanded guidance: references/WORKFLOW.md

Workflow (7 steps)

1) Intake + growth goal framing

Inputs: User context; references/INTAKE.md.
Actions: Clarify the growth goal (what metric, by when), the target segment(s), and constraints (budget, brand, platform rules, capacity). Decide whether the priority is innovation (new loop) vs optimization (existing loop).
Outputs: Context snapshot + “decision this work informs.”
Checks: A stakeholder can answer: “Which metric changes by when, and what will we do differently if it doesn’t?”

2) Baseline the current growth system (loops + funnel)

Inputs: Current acquisition sources, funnel, retention, referral/share, unit economics (if any).
Actions: Inventory existing loops (even if weak). Identify the core value moment and the “loop output” that could feed back (invites, content, word-of-mouth, spend, integrations).
Outputs: Loop inventory + baseline table.
Checks: Baseline includes at least one number for each: acquisition volume, activation rate, retention/engagement proxy.

3) Generate loop candidates (micro + macro)

Inputs: Baseline + constraints.
Actions: Create 6–10 loop hypotheses across categories (viral/referral, content/UGC, SEO, partner/integration, sales, paid). For each, specify: input → action → output → feedback. Include at least one “bigger bet” loop if in a fast-moving category.
Outputs: Loop candidates list + draft mechanism library.
Checks: Each candidate has a plausible “self-reinforcing” feedback path and a likely cycle time.

4) Model loops qualitatively (shared understanding)

Inputs: Loop candidates; stakeholder context.
Actions: Produce a qualitative loop map: micro loops connected into a macro loop. Document assumptions, bottlenecks, and where you expect compounding.
Outputs: Loop map (diagram or table) + bottleneck hypotheses.
Checks: Someone unfamiliar with the product can explain “how we grow” in 60 seconds using the map.

5) Quantify + prioritize (scorecard + gates)

Inputs: Qual loop map; best-available metrics.
Actions: Estimate loop throughput with simple math (conversion × frequency × invites/content × acceptance). Score loops using a scorecard (impact, confidence, effort, cycle time). Apply gates:
- Paid loops: only proceed if LTV/margin supports CAC/payback targets.
- Channel fit: ensure Customer × Business × Medium alignment.
Outputs: Loop scorecard + top 1–2 loop picks + innovate/optimize split recommendation.
Checks: Each chosen loop has (a) a measurable KPI, (b) a first experiment, and (c) a reason it wins vs alternatives.

6) Design the measurement plan (metrics + instrumentation)

Inputs: Selected loop(s).
Actions: Define loop KPIs and leading indicators; specify required events/properties and dashboards. Identify instrumentation gaps and the minimum tracking needed to learn.
Outputs: Measurement + instrumentation plan.
Checks: Every experiment metric is traceable to an event definition and a data source.

7) Build the experiment plan + quality gate

Inputs: Draft pack; references/CHECKLISTS.md and references/RUBRIC.md.
Actions: Create an experiment backlog and 30/60/90 plan (sequencing, dependencies, owners if known). Run the checklist and score with the rubric. Always include Risks / Open questions / Next steps.
Outputs: Final Growth Loop Design Pack.
Checks: Next 2 weeks of work are unblocked and measurable; risks include policy/ethics considerations.

Quality gate (required)

Use references/CHECKLISTS.md and references/RUBRIC.md.
Always include: Risks, Open questions, Next steps.

Examples

Example 1 (B2B SaaS, partner/integration loop):
“Use

designing-growth-loops

. Product: AI onboarding assistant for mid-market HR teams. Goal: +30% WAU in 90 days. Channels today: outbound + partnerships. Output: a Growth Loop Design Pack with an integration/partner loop and a referral loop, including metrics and a 30/60/90 experiment plan.”

Example 2 (B2C, viral/content loop):
“We’re building a mobile photo editor for creators. Goal: grow from 20k to 60k MAU in 8 weeks. Output a loop map, a mechanism library for Instagram/TikTok sharing, and a prioritized experiment backlog.”

Boundary example (not a loop problem):
“Write copy for our landing page headline.”
Response: this is primarily copywriting/positioning, not loop design; clarify the goal and use

copywriting

or a messaging skill instead.

designing-growth-loops

NPX Install

SKILL.md Content