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Who is Sean Ellis
He helped Dropbox reach $1B in revenue faster than any SaaS company in history. While others were figuring out digital marketing, Sean Ellis was inventing growth hacking. His strategies transformed Eventbrite, Lookout, and LogMeIn into billion-dollar success stories.
His bestseller “Hacking Growth” isn’t just another marketing book – it’s a global phenomenon translated into 16 languages and studied by over 750,000 professionals. Now leading growth at Bounce, Sean continues to redefine what’s possible in startup scaling.
From Harvard Business School to Oxford, Sean shapes the next generation of growth leaders. His GoPractice.io simulator and The Breakout Growth Podcast provide practical insights into the strategies that drive today’s fastest-growing companies.
Learn from the pioneer who didn’t just write the growth marketing playbook – he invented it.
Lenny’s Podcast: Product | Growth | Career
The original growth hacker reveals his secrets | Sean Ellis (author of “Hacking Growth”)
Sean Ellis is one of the earliest and most influential thinkers and operators in growth. He coined the term “growth hacking,” invented the ICE prioritization framework, was one of the earliest people to use freemium as a growth lever, and, most famously, developed the Sean Ellis Test for product-market fit (which a large percentage of founders use today to track if they’ve found PMF). Over the course of his career, Sean was head of growth at Dropbox and Eventbrite; helped companies like Microsoft and Nubank refine their growth strategy; was on the founding team of LogMeIn, which sold for over $4 billion; and is the author of one of the most popular growth books of all time, Hacking Growth, which has sold over 750,000 copies. In our conversation, he shares:
• The proper use of the Sean Ellis Test for measuring product-market fit
• How to increase your activation and retention rates
• How to select the right North Star metric for your business
• Case studies from his work growing Dropbox and other products
• How growth strategy has changed over the past decade
• How AI is impacting growth efforts
• Much more
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Find the transcript and show notes at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-original-growth-hacker-sean-ellis
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Where to find Sean Ellis:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanellis/
• Website: https://www.seanellis.me/
• Substack: https://substack.com/@seanellis
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Sean’s background
(02:18) The Sean Ellis test explained
(06:28) The 40% rule
(08:06) Case study: improving product-market fit
(12:34) Understanding and leveraging customer feedback
(16:50) Challenges and nuances of product-market fit
(22:22) When to use the Sean Ellis Test
(23:46) When not to use the Sean Ellis Test and other caveats
(27:13) Defining your own threshold and how the Sean Ellis Test came about
(36:13) Tools for implementing the survey
(37:30) Transitioning from surveys to retention cohorts
(39:13) Nubank’s approach
(40:18) Case study: Superhuman’s strategy for increasing product-market fit
(45:18) Coining the term “growth hacking”
(48:24) How to approach growth
(57:25) Improving activation and onboarding
(01:05:17) Identifying effective growth channels
(01:10:28) The power of customer conversations
(01:12:43) Developing the Dropbox referral program
(01:14:47) The importance of word of mouth
(01:15:23) Freemium models and engagement
(01:19:21) Picking a North Star metric
(01:24:30) The evolution of growth strategies
(01:27:12) The ICE and RICE frameworks
(01:30:11) AI’s role in growth and experimentation
(01:32:52) Final thoughts and lightning round
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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny’s Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe
The Breakout Growth Podcast
Lessons from a Global Growth Adventure: Sean Ellis on 100 Days Around the World
Listen now on Apple, Spotify and YouTube
Episode Overview:
The Breakout Growth Podcast took a break while Sean Ellis was on an epic three-month world tour, where he connected with startups and growth teams across the globe. So, to kick things back into gear, Ethan Garr takes the interviewer’s microphone in this episode to find out what Sean discovered, shared, and learned on his journey.
From the bustling streets of São Paulo to the tech hubs of Singapore, Sean shares the insights, challenges, and surprises he encountered along the way. Whether you’re curious about global growth strategies, fascinated by cultural impacts on business, or just love a good travel story, this episode has something for you.
What You’ll Learn:
* The Spark Behind the Tour: Discover the unexpected catalyst that led Sean to embark on his global journey and how a surprising report from China inspired a push toward a million sales of Hacking Growth, the book Sean Ellis co-authored with Morgan Brown.
* Cultural Insights: Hear about the unique growth challenges and opportunities in markets like Brazil, Japan, and India. Sean breaks down how cultural differences shape the way companies approach growth and innovation.
* The Workshop Advantage: Sean explains why his workshops have become a pivotal tool for companies looking to align their teams and supercharge growth. Learn how this hands-on approach is making a real impact for companies worldwide.
* On-the-Road Realities: Get a candid look at the highs and lows of Sean’s journey, including near-burnout moments, unexpected successes, and a crazy story form one of his many flights.
Key Takeaways:
* “Workshops are the missing link that help companies go from knowledge to execution.” — Sean Ellis
* “I’ve learned more about what makes a good partner and how to effectively run workshops in diverse markets.” — Sean Ellis
Timestamps:
* [00:00] – Intro: Ethan Garr kicks off the episode, explaining the hiatus and Sean’s world tour.
* [04:10] – Why the Tour? Sean discusses the unexpected book sales report from China that motivated the tour.
* [12:02] – The Power of Workshops: Sean dives into why workshops are crucial for companies looking to implement effective growth strategies.
* [19:02] – Cultural Surprises: Sean shares insights from different markets, including the impact of cultural nuances on growth.
* [31:04] – Challenges on the Road: Sean recounts the realities of managing a global tour, from exhaustion to logistical challenges.
* [39:02] – Funny Anecdote: Sean shares a humorous and crazy air travel story.
Why Listen: If you’re looking to understand how growth strategies play out across different cultures, this episode offers a firsthand look from one of the industry’s top experts. Plus, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to travel the world while spreading growth hacking’s best practices, Sean’s stories are not to be missed.
Links & Resources:
* Follow Sean on LinkedIn
* Check out Sean’s book, Hacking Growth, here
* Subscribe to the podcast here
Join the Conversation: If you enjoyed this episode, share your thoughts on social media and tag us! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps more people find the show.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit seanellis.substack.com
A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders
Sean Ellis led growth at Dropbox—& invented growth hacking. Here’s his step-by-step growth guide. | Sean Ellis, creator of the PMF test & best-selling author of Hacking Growth.
Sean Ellis created THE test for PMF. He led growth teams at Dropbox, Eventbrite and LogMeIn, which sold for $4.3B. He coined the term Growth Hacking and wrote the best-selling book Hacking Growth.
Today we go deep and tactical with him. He takes us through how to use the Sean Ellis test to perfectly measure and understand product market fit.
He takes us to case studies of things that he did at LogMeIn and Dropbox to dramatically increase growth. And he shares exactly what you can do to drive more referrals for your startup.
Why you should listen:
- Why the Sean Ellis test is THE product-market fit test every founder should use. How to implement it today and use it to get closer to PMF.
- Why a great first-time user experience is the key for growth and referrals.
- How to optimize each growth levers, such as acquisition, activation, engagement, retention, and referrals.
- How to build a data-driven culture that is focused on measuring and improving PMF.
Keywords
product-market fit, Sean Ellis test, growth hacking, referrals, first-time user experience, optimization
Timestamps:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:1:55) The Origin of the Sean Ellis Test
(00:13:13) Finding Product Market Fit Using the Test
(00:18:21) Focus on “Must Have” Users
(00:21:38) Growth Vs Marketing
(00:25:38) Old School vs New School Marketing
(00:30:17) 4 steps to growth
(00:36:24) Improving Sign ups to Usage
(00:41:37) The impact of Referrals
(0045:31) One Piece of Advice
