How to build a scalable growth process for your startup. Most startups are searching for growth hacks. In this talk, I'll share why you should ditch the search for hacks and instead embrace a process of rapid experimentation. My talk at Traction Conference, October 8, 2015 in San Francisco.

1. morganbrown.co // @morganb
High Tempo Testing
Building a scalable growth process

2. “The founders acknowledge they made
mistakes along the way. They spent too
much time on the product and not enough
time on growth and distribution.”
—TheVerge.com

3. Buzzfeed Content ViewsReported by Jonah Peretti on Re/Code Decode Aug 2015
Sites & Apps 23%
YouTube 14%
Google 2%
Facebook Traffic 6%
Facebook Video 27%
Snapchat 21%
Facebook Images 4%
Pinterest/Twitter 4%
*Adds up to more than 100%
morganbrown.co // @morganb

4. How Do They Do It?
Punchline:
Rapid experimentation is the
key to driving fast growth
morganbrown.co // @morganb

5. Testing Drives Growth
Satya Patel, 2014 Agile Marketing Meetup
Twitter Growth 2010 - 2012
Users(MM)
0
50
100
150
200
Q1 '10 Q2 '10 Q3 '10 Q4 '10 Q1 '11 Q2 '11 Q3 '11 Q4 '11 Q1 '12 Q2 '12 Q3 '12 Q4 '12
0.5 tests/week 10 tests/week

6. Faster Tempo = More Learning
More Learning = More Growth
http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/01/baylor-10th-overall-in-espns-way-too-early-top-25-college-football-rankings.html/

7. The Growth Team
• PM Growth
• Analyst
• Growth Engineer
• Digital marketers
• Specialist(s)
Zuckerberg poses with some of his deputies at Antonio’s Nut House in Palo Alto, a popular staff hangout:
Chamath Palihapitya, vice president for growth, mobile and international; Zuckerberg; Mike Schroepfer,
vice president of engineering; Jonathan Heiliger, vice president of technical operations; Chris Cox,
vice president of product.
morganbrown.co // @morganbhttp://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=98962

8. Growth Process
Ideate
Prioritize
Test
Analyze
Unbridled
Ideation
Focus
Prioritization
Rapid Testing of
Promising Ideas
Analysis
Learning
morganbrown.co // @morganb

9. Ideas = Fuel for Growth
• Full team participation
(engineering, marketing,
ops, etc.)
• All funnel elements
(AARRRR)
• Ideas written as hypotheses
morganbrown.co // @morganb

10. Focus & Prioritization
• Growth lead owns focus
(North Star, OKR, etc.)
• Hypotheses are scored and
sized
• Growth team nominates
experiments for testing
morganbrown.co // @morganb

11. Disciplined Tempo
• Commit to weekly testing
velocity (start small)
• Weekly growth meeting to
plan and launch ‘sprints’
• Right-size tests to hit
desired tempo
morganbrown.co // @morganbhttp://www.engadget.com/2015/05/31/spotify-is-my-new-running-mate/

12. Must learn something from every test.
Learning must be accessible.

13. Process in Action
Moved Email collector
from bottom to top
Result: 700% Increase
in collected emails
It’s hard to predict test quality
morganbrown.co // @morganb

14. Process in ActionRun double-down tests
+22.1% sign ups +44.5% sign ups
morganbrown.co // @morganb

15. High Tempo Drives Growth
Started high
tempo testing
morganbrown.co // @morganb

16. @morganb
morganbrown.co
canvas.growthhackers.com
Thank you.
morganbrown.co // @morganb