Product Growth Hack: from 0 to the first sale

Sales on opening day come from people who said "yes, I want this" before opening day. You can have the Pro version, the landing page, payments and every subscription plan ready, and still sell nothing, because nobody is looking yet. This flow puts every step in order, from "nobody knows it exists" to "it sells every week", and points each step to a skill in this repo.

attention  →  free value  →  email / account  →  activation  →  offer with a deadline  →  paid  →  referral
 (traffic)    (trial, lite,     (you can reach       (the "wow"      (launch day)             (first      (next
              free tool)        them again)          moment)                                  sale)       traffic)

Want the whole library as chapters instead of a route? See the Growth Map. Launching in 6 weeks with dated tasks? See Launch a Product. This file is the order of operations that sits above both: what to do first, what to do next, and when to move on.

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The answer first: everything is ready, what's step one?

You don't open sales first. You give something away first, where your buyers already hang out, and collect a way to reach them again. Then you open sales to that list with a reason to buy now.

#	Step	What it looks like	Skill
1	Pick the free hook	A free trial, a free Lite version, or one free mini-tool that solves a small piece of the problem. It must give a result in under 5 minutes	monetization-free-trial-vs-freemium · strategy-product-as-funnel
2	Gate it with an email, not a card	"Get the free version / early access" → email → download link. That email is the real asset, not the download	email-list-and-deliverability
3	Go where buyers already ask	3 places only: one subreddit, one Facebook group, X replies. Answer questions, show the result, link only when it fits the rules	research-where-users-ask → launch-reddit-posting · social-credible-posting · social-x-reply
4	Turn free users into beta testers	Invite the most active 10–30 people to a private beta: they get the Pro version free, you get feedback, quotes and screenshots	email-beta-program
5	Warm the list for 7–14 days	One email or post every few days: what you built, a 30-second demo, a tester's result. No selling yet	social-build-in-public · social-short-video
6	Open sales to the list first	"Founding member" price or bonus, for a fixed number of days. The list hears it 24–48 h before the public	monetization-pricing-strategy · email-trial-sequence
7	Then launch in public	Product Hunt, Show HN, Reddit, directories, all on the same week, with testers ready to comment	launch-post-writing · launch-product-hunt-launch · listing-free-directories

Example in one line: a Mac cleaner app gives away a free "scan only" version on r/macapps and in X replies, asks for an email to download, invites 20 heavy users to a free Pro beta, posts their before/after screenshots for 10 days, then emails the list a 3-day founding price before the Product Hunt launch.

Illustrative example. The app, channels and numbers above show the shape of the flow; they are not results.

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The full flow

flowchart TD
    P0["0 · Target<br/>$X by date → weekly funnel"] --> P1["1 · Proof of demand<br/>who asks, in what words"]
    P1 --> P2["2 · Offer & money<br/>free hook + paid plan + payments"]
    P2 --> P3["3 · Product page<br/>landing / store listing that converts"]
    P3 --> P4["4 · Pre-launch audience<br/>free hook → email list → beta"]
    P4 --> P5["5 · Launch week<br/>list first, then public"]
    P5 --> P6["6 · Traffic engine<br/>channels that keep bringing people"]
    P6 --> P7["7 · Convert & keep<br/>activation, trial emails, paywall"]
    P7 --> P8["8 · Measure & double down<br/>every Monday"]
    P8 -- "channel works" --> P6
    P8 -- "page converts badly" --> P3
    P8 -- "nobody pays" --> P2
    P8 -- "target off track" --> P0
    P8 --> P9["9 · Share results<br/>case study → more traffic"]

Each phase has a gate: the thing that must be true before you spend time on the next one. Skipping a gate is the most common reason a launch gets traffic and no sales.

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Phase 0 · Set the target

Goal	Know how many visitors, trials and buyers you need, per week
Do	Write "$X by ". Work backward to buyers → trials → visitors. Pick the one channel that can deliver most of it
Skills	strategy-revenue-target → strategy-spend-and-timing
Output	growth/revenue-target.md
Gate ✅	You can say: "I need N visitors a week at about Y% to trial" (use your own guess, mark it as a guess)

Phase 1 · Proof of demand

Goal	Know who wants it, where they ask, and the exact words they use
Do	Find 10 threads where people ask for this. Read 50 competitor reviews. Tear down 3 competitors
Skills	research-where-users-ask → research-review-mining → case-study-competitor-teardown · strategy-contrarian-marketing
Output	research/ with the top 3 pains in users' own words, a list of 10–20 places they gather
Gate ✅	You can write the headline using a phrase a real user wrote

Phase 2 · Offer and money

Goal	A free hook that pulls people in, and a paid plan that's easy to say yes to
Do	Choose trial / freemium / reverse trial. Set prices and 2–3 tiers. Get a payment provider approved and make one real test purchase
Skills	monetization-free-trial-vs-freemium → monetization-pricing-strategy → monetization-subscription-tiers → monetization-payment-setup · apps: monetization-in-app-purchase-setup → monetization-paywall-design
Output	growth/pricing.md, a founding / launch offer with an end date, a test receipt
Gate ✅	A stranger can go from "free" to "paid" without talking to you

Phase 3 · Product page that converts

Goal	Every visitor lands on a page that says what it does, for whom, and what to do next, in 5 seconds
Do	One page per product. Above the fold: headline from Phase 1, a 15–30 s demo, one button (free download / start trial), an email capture for people not ready. Tracking and UTM on every link
Skills	Web: launch-pre-launch-checklist (landing page section) · stores: listing-app-store / listing-google-play + aso-keyword-research → aso-screenshot-strategy · other niches: listing README · tracking: launch-growth-stack-setup · learn from winners: case-study-award-winning-design
Output	Live page or submitted listing, events firing (visit → click → sign-up → trial → purchase)
Gate ✅	You can see each funnel step as a number. No numbers = no launch

Phase 4 · Pre-launch audience (the step most people skip)

Goal	A list of people who already tried the free hook before you announce anything
Do	Put the free hook in the 3 places from Phase 1. Post 3–5 times a week about the build. Invite the most active users to a beta. Collect quotes and before/after screenshots
Skills	social-build-in-public · social-credible-posting · X: X Marketing kit (profile funnel, daily flow, real analytics pattern) · email-list-and-deliverability → email-beta-program · open source: launch-github-repo-seeding · B2B: email-cold-outreach
Output	Email list + beta testers + 3–5 real quotes or screenshots you're allowed to use
Gate ✅	A list big enough that your Phase 0 conversion guess gives you first buyers from the list alone

Phase 5 · Launch week

List first, public second. Run it as a calendar:

Day	Do	Skill
T-7	Posts written for every channel, Product Hunt page drafted, testers asked to be around on launch day	launch-post-writing · launch-product-hunt-launch
T-2	Email the list: founding offer opens, ends on a set date	email-trial-sequence
T-0	Public launch: Product Hunt / Show HN / Reddit / X / Facebook groups, plus Level 1 directories. Answer every comment	launch-reddit-posting · listing-free-directories
T+1 → T+7	Fast channels for the first downloads	launch-quick-download-wins
Offer end date	"Last day" email to people who started but didn't buy. Then really end it	email-trial-sequence
T+7 → T+30	Personal outreach until 100 real users	launch-get-first-100-users

Gate ✅: first paid customers, and a log of which channel brought buyers (not just visits).

Phase 6 · Traffic engine for product pages

After launch the spike drops. Build channels that keep sending people to the product page, one at a time, from fastest to slowest-but-longest-lasting:

Type	Channel	Speed	Lasts	Skill
Owned	Email list, X / Threads / Facebook profile	Days	Forever	email-segments-and-tools · social-x-growth
Owned	Email signatures on every address, cross-links between all your profiles (Reddit, GitHub, stores, landing → X)	Days	Forever, small and steady	cross-channel-funnel
Earned	Reddit, Hacker News, forums, Facebook groups	Same day	Days	launch-reddit-posting · research-where-users-ask
Listed	Directories, alternative stores, AI / plugin marketplaces	Weeks	Months	listing-free-directories · listing-ai-product · listing-dev-plugin
Store search	App Store / Google Play / Chrome Web Store search	Weeks	Months–years	Playbook: ASO Optimization
Video	TikTok, Reels, Shorts	Days	Weeks	social-short-video
Owned	Instagram profile: carousels, Reels, Stories → bio link / Story link sticker	Days	Weeks per post, forever in Highlights	Instagram kit · image flow
Side door	Free tool, free template, free repo that points to the paid product	Weeks	Years	launch-open-source-funnel · strategy-product-as-funnel
Direct	Cold email to exact buyers (B2B)	Days	While you send	email-cold-outreach

Rule: add one channel, measure 2–4 weeks, keep it or drop it. Never start three at once.

Route that ties them together: every channel points to your X profile (trust) and your landing (action), each link with its own UTM. Example: helpful Reddit answer → Reddit profile social link → X profile with pinned demo → bio link → free trial. Full route, signature template and UTM map: cross-channel-funnel.

Phase 7 · Convert and keep

Goal	More of the traffic you already have becomes paying, and stays
Do	Define the one "activation" action. Onboarding emails until people do it. Trial emails until they pay. Fix the paywall. Ask happy users for a review
Skills	email-onboarding-sequence → email-trial-sequence · monetization-paywall-design · aso-review-and-rating-strategy · email-segments-and-tools
Gate ✅	You know your visit → trial → paid rates, and which one is the weakest

Phase 8 · Measure and double down (every Monday, 30 min)

1. Fill the week: visitors, sign-ups, trials, paid, revenue, by channel.
2. Find the one weakest step (traffic? page? trial → paid?). Follow the arrow back in the diagram.
3. Put next week's time and money there. Kill what didn't bring buyers in 4 weeks.

Real example of reading the numbers (X, 28 days to 2026-10-11, the maintainer's account): 3 days of daily posts + replies took impressions from ~45 to ~850 a day, but 2K impressions gave only 7 profile visits. The weakest step was the profile, not reach, so the next fix is the bio and pinned post, not more posts. Full breakdown: x-marketing/flow/analytics-pattern.md.

Skill: strategy-spend-and-timing. Stuck on the same channels as everyone else? strategy-contrarian-marketing.

Phase 9 · Share results

Write up what worked, with real numbers. A good case study is also a launch post that brings the next wave of traffic. Skill: case-study-write-your-own · examples: case-study/.

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Checklist: ready to step into the light?

[ ] Target written: $X by <date>, as visitors → trials → buyers per week
[ ] 3 places where buyers ask, and their words for the problem
[ ] Free hook chosen (trial / Lite / free tool) that gives a result in < 5 min
[ ] Paid plan + launch offer with an end date; one real test purchase done
[ ] Product page: headline, demo, one button, email capture, tracking on every step
[ ] Email list collecting; sender domain set up (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
[ ] Beta testers invited; 3–5 quotes or screenshots you're allowed to use
[ ] Launch posts written per channel; launch-day calendar dated
[ ] Monday review booked in the calendar

Gaps: skills to add later (planned)

These steps are in the flow but don't have their own skill yet. They're planned, not available. Until then, use the nearest skill in brackets.

Planned skill	Covers	Use for now
launch-landing-page-conversion (planned)	Landing page structure, hook formulas, above-the-fold tests	launch-pre-launch-checklist · case-study-award-winning-design
launch-waitlist-and-lead-magnet (planned)	Free hook design, waitlist page, referral waitlist	strategy-product-as-funnel · email-list-and-deliverability
growth-seo-content (planned)	Blog / comparison / "alternative to X" pages for product pages	research-where-users-ask (the words people search)
growth-referral-and-affiliate (planned)	Referral rewards, affiliate programs, lifetime-deal sites	listing-digital-template (Gumroad affiliates)
social-facebook-groups (planned)	Posting in Facebook groups without getting removed	social-credible-posting
growth-paid-ads-first-test (planned)	A small first paid test after organic channels work	strategy-spend-and-timing

Want one of these sooner? Open a Skill request issue (see ROADMAP.md).

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One prompt: where am I in the flow?

You are a growth coach for small digital products. Use this 10-phase flow:
0 Target · 1 Proof of demand · 2 Offer & money · 3 Product page · 4 Pre-launch audience (free hook → email → beta) ·
5 Launch week (list first, then public) · 6 Traffic engine · 7 Convert & keep · 8 Measure every Monday · 9 Share results.
Each phase has a gate that must be true before the next one.

My product: {{what it is, who it's for, where it lives (web, App Store, Google Play, Chrome Web Store, Mac...)}}
Ready so far: {{e.g. Pro version, landing page, Stripe/Paddle, monthly + yearly plans}}
Audience today: {{email list size, followers, beta testers, or "none"}}
Numbers: {{visitors / sign-ups / trials / paid per week, or "none yet"}}
Target: {{$X by <date>, or "none yet"}}

1. Tell me which phase I'm really in (the first gate that is NOT true), in two sentences.
2. Give me the free hook I should use and the 3 places to put it first, with the reason for each.
3. Write a 14-day plan from today to the first paid customer, one line per day, each line naming the skill to open.
Don't invent facts or numbers about my product; mark unknowns as TODO and guesses as "guess".

Keep it in your repo

Save the outputs next to your code: growth/revenue-target.md, research/, growth/pricing.md, growth/LAUNCH.md, growth/weekly-numbers.md. Your AI agent reads them next session and picks up at the right phase.