| name | growth-loops |
| description | Find your growth loop or stay stuck in linear acquisition hell. Identify viral, content, network, and paid loop opportunities using Elena Verna's framework. |
Growth Loops
If you're buying all your growth, you're doing it wrong.
Most PMs think about growth as a funnel: spend money → acquire users → hope they stick. That's expensive and doesn't compound.
Growth loops are different: users create value → that value attracts more users → they create more value. It compounds.
Philosophy: "Growth isn't a funnel that leaks. It's a loop that compounds." - Elena Verna
Entry Point
When this skill is invoked, start with:
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GROWTH LOOPS ANALYSIS
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Growth that compounds beats growth you pay for every time.
What do you want to do?
1. Identify loop opportunities
→ Analyze your product for potential loops
2. Design a specific loop
→ Deep dive on viral, content, or network loop
3. Optimize loop velocity
→ Make existing loops cycle faster
4. Map current growth mechanics
→ Understand what's driving growth today
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What This Does
Identifies if your product has (or could have) compounding growth:
- Viral loops - Users invite users
- Content loops - User-generated content attracts organic traffic
- Network effects - More users = more value
- Paid loops - Revenue funds acquisition (only if efficient)
Then tells you which loop fits your product and how to build it.
Usage
/growth-loops [product/feature]
Examples:
/growth-loops - Analyze current product for loop opportunities/growth-loops "referral program" - Design loop for specific feature/growth-loops --map - Map existing user flows to loop types/growth-loops --velocity - Focus on loop speed optimization
What Happens
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Understands your product:
- What's the core value proposition?
- Who are the users?
- What's the typical user journey?
- Where does viral potential exist?
-
Identifies loop opportunities across 4 types:
- Viral loops (users invite users)
- Content loops (UGC attracts organic traffic)
- Network effects (more users = more value)
- Paid loops (revenue funds acquisition)
-
Maps the loop structure:
- Input → Action → Output → New Input
- Where does the cycle reinforce?
- What makes the loop sustainable?
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Analyzes loop velocity:
- How long does one loop cycle take?
- Faster loops compound faster
- Optimization opportunities
-
Returns growth loop design with implementation suggestions
Growth Loop Types
1. Viral Loops
Users invite users directly.
Examples:
- Dropbox referral (both get storage)
- Slack (team invites)
- Figma (share designs)
When it fits:
- Product has multi-player value
- Users naturally want to invite others
- Network size increases value
Velocity: Fast (hours to days)
2. Content Loops
User-generated content attracts organic traffic.
Examples:
- Yelp reviews (rank in Google)
- Pinterest pins (visual search)
- Stack Overflow answers (SEO)
When it fits:
- Users create public content
- Content is searchable/shareable
- Long-tail SEO opportunity
Velocity: Slow (weeks to months)
3. Network Effect Loops
More users = more value for everyone.
Examples:
- Marketplaces (more buyers → more sellers → more buyers)
- Social networks (more friends = more value)
- OpenTable (more diners → more restaurants)
When it fits:
- Multi-sided platform
- Value scales with total users
- Critical mass required
Velocity: Medium (weeks)
4. Paid Loops
Revenue funds acquisition.
Examples:
- SaaS with positive CAC/LTV
- E-commerce with repeat purchases
- Subscription products
When it fits:
- LTV > CAC (healthy unit economics)
- Reliable conversion rates
- Scalable acquisition channels
Velocity: Medium to slow (30+ days)
Loop Velocity Analysis
/growth-loops --velocity
Focuses on how fast loops cycle:
Why velocity matters:
- Faster loops compound faster
- More cycles per year = more growth
- Small velocity improvements = big compounding gains
Example:
- Loop A: 7-day cycle (52 cycles/year)
- Loop B: 2-day cycle (182 cycles/year)
- Loop B compounds 3.5x faster
Optimization strategies:
- Reduce friction in invite flow
- Automate parts of the loop
- Incentivize faster action
- Remove approval/review delays
Integration Options
With Linear
- Analyzes product/feature issues for loop potential
- Tags issues with loop type (viral, content, network, paid)
- Creates loop optimization backlog
Manual
- Describes your product and gets loop analysis
- Outputs loop diagrams in markdown
- Provides implementation checklist
Common Use Cases
Product Strategy Review
/growth-loops
Identify which loops your product should build
Feature Prioritization
/growth-loops "referral program"
Validate growth impact before building
Growth Audit
/growth-loops --map
Map all existing user flows to loop types, find gaps
Velocity Optimization
/growth-loops --velocity
Speed up existing loops for more compounding
Learn More
Full frameworks:
frameworks/growth/growth-loops.md - Elena Verna's complete frameworkframeworks/growth/four-fits.md - Brian Balfour's validation (complements loops)frameworks/growth/product-led-sales.md - Elena Verna on PLG + loops
Related commands:
/four-fits - Validate product-channel fit for viral loops/lno-prioritize - Leverage tasks often = building loops/now-next-later - Roadmap loop implementations
Framework: Growth Loops (Elena Verna)
Best for: Designing sustainable, compounding growth
Key insight: "Growth isn't a funnel that leaks. It's a loop that compounds."
Remember: Retention is the foundation. Without retention, loops won't compound. Fix retention first.
