Why Most of the Content You Read About Growth Is Wrong
As growth becomes a hot topic, more content is being produced, offering advice, frameworks, and case studies. While this can be great for inspiration, much of it leads readers down incorrect paths by prescribing “proven” tactics without considering context. Here’s why you should approach such advice with caution—and how to make it work for you.
The Problem: One-Size-Fits-All Advice
Take the example of the minimal homepage. Numerous articles claim minimal homepages (e.g., Facebook, Dropbox) always convert better. However:
— Counterexamples exist:
For instance, a Crazy Egg case study showed long-form pages outperforming minimal ones.
— It’s situational.
In some cases, minimal designs fail to provide enough information for the user to take action. In others, they succeed.
The takeaway? Growth tactics aren’t universal. Prescriptive advice often ignores the unique variables that influence success, such as:
— Your audience.
—Your business model.
— Your decision-making funnel.
Key Point: Inspiration, Not Prescription
When consuming growth content, use it as inspiration rather than a rulebook. Here’s why:
— Your product, customer journey, and channels are unique.
— There’s no “right” way to grow.
— Successful growth strategies emerge from experimentation, not replication.
This doesn’t mean growth content is useless—it’s a fantastic way to generate ideas. But these ideas must be tailored to your business and validated through experimentation.
How to Get the Most Out of Growth Content
Follow these four steps to make the most of the growth advice you read:
1. Understand the Context
Break down the building blocks of the tactic being discussed. Ask questions like:
— Who is the target audience?
— What’s the business model?
— What kind of decision process do customers go through?
— What channels were used?
— What existing assets or advantages did the company leverage?
— What stage of growth is the company in (traction, transition, or scaling)?
Why it matters:
The success of a tactic often depends on its context. By understanding the building blocks, you can identify what might work for you—and what might not.
2. Compare to Your Business
Ask yourself:
— How is my business different or similar?
— What assumptions am I making about why this might work for me?
— What’s the probability of success if I try this tactic?
Why it matters:
Comparing contexts helps you assess the likelihood of success and whether it’s worth prioritizing.
3. Align With Your Priorities
Avoid knee-jerk reactions. Instead:
— Add the idea to your backlog if it doesn’t align with your current focus.
— Prioritize only if it fits your goals or is a time-sensitive opportunity.
Why it matters:
Chasing every new tactic derails focus. Align experiments with your long-term strategy unless there’s an urgent, high-ROI opportunity.
4. Test Against a Control
Always test new tactics against a control group.
— Define clear metrics for success.
— Be brutally honest in evaluating results—success elsewhere doesn’t guarantee success for you.
Why it matters:
Only testing will reveal whether a tactic truly works for your audience, product, and goals.
Conclusion
Growth is not about copying what worked for others. It’s about:
— Generating ideas from diverse sources.
— Evaluating those ideas critically.
— Testing them methodically.
The next time you read about “the one hack that doubled conversions,” pause. Treat it as inspiration—then adapt, test, and iterate to find what works for your unique business.
As growth becomes a hot topic, more content is being produced, offering advice, frameworks, and case studies. While this can be great for inspiration, much of it leads readers down incorrect paths by prescribing “proven” tactics without considering context. Here’s why you should approach such advice with caution—and how to make it work for you.
The Problem: One-Size-Fits-All Advice
Take the example of the minimal homepage. Numerous articles claim minimal homepages (e.g., Facebook, Dropbox) always convert better. However:
— Counterexamples exist:
For instance, a Crazy Egg case study showed long-form pages outperforming minimal ones.
— It’s situational.
In some cases, minimal designs fail to provide enough information for the user to take action. In others, they succeed.
The takeaway? Growth tactics aren’t universal. Prescriptive advice often ignores the unique variables that influence success, such as:
— Your audience.
—Your business model.
— Your decision-making funnel.
Key Point: Inspiration, Not Prescription
When consuming growth content, use it as inspiration rather than a rulebook. Here’s why:
— Your product, customer journey, and channels are unique.
— There’s no “right” way to grow.
— Successful growth strategies emerge from experimentation, not replication.
This doesn’t mean growth content is useless—it’s a fantastic way to generate ideas. But these ideas must be tailored to your business and validated through experimentation.
How to Get the Most Out of Growth Content
Follow these four steps to make the most of the growth advice you read:
1. Understand the Context
Break down the building blocks of the tactic being discussed. Ask questions like:
— Who is the target audience?
— What’s the business model?
— What kind of decision process do customers go through?
— What channels were used?
— What existing assets or advantages did the company leverage?
— What stage of growth is the company in (traction, transition, or scaling)?
Why it matters:
The success of a tactic often depends on its context. By understanding the building blocks, you can identify what might work for you—and what might not.
2. Compare to Your Business
Ask yourself:
— How is my business different or similar?
— What assumptions am I making about why this might work for me?
— What’s the probability of success if I try this tactic?
Why it matters:
Comparing contexts helps you assess the likelihood of success and whether it’s worth prioritizing.
3. Align With Your Priorities
Avoid knee-jerk reactions. Instead:
— Add the idea to your backlog if it doesn’t align with your current focus.
— Prioritize only if it fits your goals or is a time-sensitive opportunity.
Why it matters:
Chasing every new tactic derails focus. Align experiments with your long-term strategy unless there’s an urgent, high-ROI opportunity.
4. Test Against a Control
Always test new tactics against a control group.
— Define clear metrics for success.
— Be brutally honest in evaluating results—success elsewhere doesn’t guarantee success for you.
Why it matters:
Only testing will reveal whether a tactic truly works for your audience, product, and goals.
Conclusion
Growth is not about copying what worked for others. It’s about:
— Generating ideas from diverse sources.
— Evaluating those ideas critically.
— Testing them methodically.
The next time you read about “the one hack that doubled conversions,” pause. Treat it as inspiration—then adapt, test, and iterate to find what works for your unique business.