What is growth hacking?

Growth hacking: definition

Growth hacking is, by definition, hacking growth. It is mastery of academic marketing techniques, joined to an unconventional mindset, that lets a team reach strong growth as fast as possible at low cost.

Startups often use growth hacking techniques so they can grow quickly on limited budgets.

Growth hacking is not one specific skill. It is a set of marketing skills and, above all, a mindset that starts from a simple idea: growth is not a natural event, it is the result of systematic, methodical work. Growth hacking needs a real grasp of data, a willingness to learn and experiment, and knowledge that is constantly renewed.

Origin of the term growth hacking

Sean Ellis, who coined the term, defined the growth hacker in 2010 this way: “a growth hacker’s true north is growth. Every strategy they employ is scrutinized by its potential impact on scalable growth.” What sets them apart from a classic marketer is creativity and inventiveness.

The first growth hack

The first well-known growth hack is Hotmail’s. In 1995, Hotmail had just launched and was struggling to attract more customers through a classic ad campaign on billboards and radio. They decided to add a signature to every email: “PS: I Love You. Get Your Free Email at Hotmail.” The virality of that one line let them acquire 12 million users in 18 months (out of 70 million internet users at the time!).

Difference between growth hacking and inbound marketing

The main difference between inbound marketing and growth hacking is that inbound marketing is a long-term customer-acquisition strategy, while growth hacking borrows those methods and the rest of the marketing toolkit to generate as many leads as possible in the short term.