gtm

GTM — Growth & Go-to-Market

Build products that spread themselves through authentic resonance, not gimmicks.

Core Framework: VIBE

• Velocity — Speed of viral cycle (signup → share → new signup)
• Identity — Emotional resonance and brand authenticity
• Boundaryless — Cross-platform, cross-community spread
• Emotions — Sharing driven by feeling, not incentives

Growth Strategy Selection

Product has network effects?
├─ Yes → Design embedded viral loop
│    ├─ Multi-party workflow? → Embedded loop (Calendly model)
│    ├─ Creates shareable output? → UGC loop (Canva model)
│    └─ Has visible usage? → Casual contact loop (Slack model)
└─ No → Evaluate referral program
     ├─ High LTV? → Two-sided incentive
     ├─ Community-driven? → Status/recognition rewards
     └─ Transactional? → Reconsider if viral is right channel

Viral Loop Metrics

K factor = users sharing × invites per share × conversion rate

Loop Type	Typical K	Example
Embedded	0.5–2.0	Calendly, DocuSign
UGC	0.3–1.0	Canva, Loom
Community	0.2–0.5	Discord, Notion

K > 1.0 = viral growth. K > 0.3 = meaningful organic boost.

Quick Audit (Run on Any Product)

1. Map sharing behavior — Where do users already share? What do they screenshot?
2. Calculate K factor — Track: shares, invites, conversions
3. Identify friction — Where do users drop off the share flow?
4. Design intervention — Remove one friction point, measure impact

Launch Playbook

Pre-Launch

• Build waitlist with specific value prop (not "coming soon")
• Seed 10-20 power users for feedback and launch-day amplification
• Prepare launch assets: demo video, thread, landing page

Launch Day

• Activate power users first (social proof before broad reach)
• Post on primary channel, cross-post hooks to secondary
• Respond to every comment for first 24 hours

Post-Launch

• Track: signups, activation rate, K factor, retention at day 7
• Double down on what's working, kill what's not
• Ship one user-requested feature within first week (builds trust)