Sharing
What it means
Viral loops work when sharing is naturally useful to the user, not just useful to the company.
The useful version of this topic is not theoretical. It should change something visible: the customer you choose, the words on the page, the offer in the email, the onboarding step you remove, or the metric you watch every week.
A good test is whether a founder could use this page and do something before lunch. If the answer is no, the topic is still too abstract.
Actions
Start with the smallest action that creates contact with reality. For early distribution, reality usually means a buyer, a user, a search result, a conversation, or a payment.
- Identify what users already want to share.
- Make the shared artifact valuable to the recipient.
- Connect the shared experience back to signup.
Measure
Measure the signal closest to customer progress. Vanity numbers are allowed only if they predict something better later.
- Invites sent
- Share-to-signup rate
- Viral coefficient
Template
Assumption: [what we currently believe] Evidence: [what customers have said or done] Action: [one practical thing to try] Owner: [who will do it] Metric: [how we know it worked]