“Growth Hacking” is a term that’s becoming more and more popular, particularly amongst the start up and technology world. But first, what exactly is it? Another form of marketing? A buzz word used to increase kudos amongst colleagues? Or the latest gardening method?
The phrase “growth hacker” was in fact first coined by Sean Ellis in his 2010 “Find a Growth Hacker for Your Startup” post.
In the post Sean says “A growth hacker is a person whose true north is growth”. Essentially every decision strategy, tactic and initiative, revolves around and is informed by growth in sales or exposure. This 100% focus on growth has given rise to a number of low cost innovative methods, tools, and best practices, which didn’t exist in the traditional marketing mix.
Right, now we’ve covered ‘what is growth hacking’, let’s cover where you can get all the inside scoop and tips on the subject. I have created a list of 20 top websites, resources and blogs for all things growth hackery (in no particular order).
1. Growth Hackers – @GrowthHackers_
GrowthHackers.com is probably the best known and biggest community site for sharing, learning and discussing successful growth hacking techniques.
2. Grow Hack – @GrowHack
This blog is written by marketers at “the world’s fastest growing companies” and also contains a range of case studies and eCourses on analytics, mobile marketing, and user onboarding.
3. Startup Marketing – @SeanEllis
This is the blog of Sean Ellis, the chap who first coined the “growth hacking” phrase. Here you will find his views and findings on a range of topics from customer acquisition to scalability and optimisation. Well worth following!
4. The Definitive Guide To Growth Hacking – @NeilPatel
The Neil Patel and his chum Bronson Taylor have created a 10 chapter definitive guide to Growth Hacking that is a must read for anyone looking to get into the area.
www.quicksprout.com/the-definitive-guide-to-growth-hacking/
5. Andrew Chen – @AndrewChen
Andrew’s blog features a range of posts and essays related to start-ups, growth hacking, and innovation. You will be sure to find some ideas or news that blows your mind.
6. Growth Hacker TV – @GrowthHackertv
Here you will find an awesome collection of 100+ videos there to help you learn growth hacking techniques from those who already applied them!
7. GrowthHacker.am – @GrowthHackerAM
This blog is written by the team behind leading analytics tool, Colibri. It covers a mix of relevant news, trends, and interviews with subject matter experts.
8. Sixteen Ventures – @LincolnMurphy
This blog is run by successful growth hacker Lincoln Murphy and is full of useful tips about marketing your software business.
9. Growth Hacking Pro – @JacekBlaut
This great blog, run by inbound marketer Jacek Blaut, has something for businesses at every stage of the startup lifecycle, from ground zero to mergers and acquisitions.
10. Growth Hacking 101 – @YoavVilner
In the post Tel Aviv based startup expert Yoav Vilner shares a comprehensive history of growth hacking and offers up a step-by-step guide to implement best practices at businesses of any size.
www.ranky.co/growth-hacking-101-read-become-magician/
11. How To Growth Hack Anything – @FastCompany
In this article author and productivity expert Tim Ferriss tells us how he applied innovative growth hacking tactics to a book launch. Well worth a read.
www.fastcompany.com/3016487/dialed/how-to-growth-hack-anything-lessons-from-a-bittorrent-best-seller
12. Ryan Holiday – @RyanHoliday
Best-selling author Ryan Holiday literally wrote several of the leading books on growth hacking. His articles and commentary is unfailingly sharp and cutting-edge.
He also does a very interesting video interview with Harlan Kilstein that I recommend watching: http://youtu.be/vMhAuJTtgAo
13. 21 Actionable Growth Hacking Tactics – @Yongfook
Singapore entrepreneur Jon Yongfook has developed this great set of 21 fun and practical growth hacking tactics that you can put into action.
www.yongfook.com/actionable-growth-hacking-tactics.html
14. 13 Growth Hacking Lessons – @BronsonTaylor
Bronson Taylor, co-founder of Growth Hacker TV, ha interviewed over 50 growth hacking experts and feedback his 13 top lessons in this fab post.
www.blog.kissmetrics.com/lessons-from-growth-hackers
15. How to Hire a Growth Hacker – @Aginnt
Aaron Ginn, a world leading growth hacker behind companies like Stumbleupoin, presents this step-by-step guide to hiring a growth hacker.
www.aginnt.com/post/64205739421/how-to-hire-a-growth-hacker
16. Growth Hacking Tools – @Twoodo
Here is a useful list of the most recommended growth hacking tools, with prices and deals.
www.blog.twoodo.com/14/huge-epic-list-of-growth-hacking-tools-for-non-coders
17. 5 Most Famous Growth Hacks – @TheNextWeb
This post by Jon Yongfook covers 5 of the most famous growth hacks of all time. Great for getting inspiration for your own tactics.
www.thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2014/01/26/5-famous-effective-growth-hacks-time
18. 28 Web & Mobile App Growth Hacks – @Andottto
Ashli from Autosend writes this great post containing 28 lesser known growth hack examples for web and mobile apps. Check it out!
www.autosend.io/growth-hack-examples
19. Inbound.org – @Inboundorg
Here you can find all the latest and trending growth hacking articles voted up by a community of expert readers.
www.inbound.org/hub/growth-hacking
20. How to Gather 100,000 Emails in One Week – @TFerriss
Last but not least is this post bv Tim Ferriss I stumbled across a few weeks ago. In the post Tim describes how he managed to gain 100,000 Emails in One Week for Harry’s, a new men’s grooming brand. One of the best things about the post is that Tim includes all the successful templates and code you need to try it yourself.
www.fourhourworkweek.com/2014/07/21/harrys-prelaunchr-email