Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur looking to turbocharge your company’s growth or a newcomer eager to learn growth-hacking principles, this article is tailored for you.
We’ve curated a handpicked selection of the 25 best growth hacking resources to elevate your game.
From insightful blogs and comprehensive ebooks to engaging videos and cutting-edge tools, this is the cream of the crop list of growth hacker resources and will provide you with the most authoritative and practical insights straight from the trenches of growth hacking.
Most of these resources include growth hacking strategies aimed at achieving substantial business growth through innovative techniques.
Read on to learn more about growth hacking and growth marketing, or skip right down to the list of resources and get started.
What is growth hacking?
Growth hacking is a new approach to the old process of growing a business.
Many startups are taking lessons from hackers on how to disrupt markets, ruffle the feathers of competition, and boost their business with rapid growth.
Growth hacking takes some of the ‘beat the system’ mentality of hacking, plus the resources of marketing, and a dash of a methodology known as a lean startup.
When you put them all together, it truly is a new role and a new approach to marketing and doing business online.
Growth hackers and the growth hacking movement have one goal: rapidly growing a business.
Sean Ellis, who coined the term “growth hacker” defined the role simply as “A growth hacker is a person whose true north is growth.”
Yes, growth hackers are marketers, but they’re driven by the bottom line of the business. Yes, they apply the principles of lean startup, but they know when to go all-in on something.
Understanding how growth hacking works is crucial for applying its principles effectively. The most important part of growth hacking to remember is that it’s highly driven by results and data, focusing on experimental strategies aimed at achieving exponential growth in a short time frame.
Growth hacking definitions
Want to read more about the definition of growth hacking? Check out these resources.
1. Quicksprout
Quicksprout has a great guide written by Neil Patel and Bronson Taylor on what growth hacking is and how the term originated from Sean Ellis’ recruitment search for a replacement:
The Growth Hacking Starter Guide – Real Examples
2. Quora
A lot of experienced growth hackers have added their definitions with some explanation on Quora. It’s interesting to note that the most voted answer says that the term “growth hacking” is often misunderstood.
3. Neil Patel’s Twitter feed
Neil Patel is one of the most well-known faces of growth hacking and his Twitter feed is also a great source of information. Looking at the links should also help you get an idea of what it is to be a growth hacker…looks like fun!
Grow hacking blogs
One of the secrets to growth hacking is reading all the resources to find the best information. The only thing better is finding a good source.
Check out these blogs to read up and learn more about being a growth hacker.
Subscribe to a growth hacking blog from the list below for the latest growth hacking insights and to learn from those who claim to have published more content on the subject than anyone else on the planet.
4. Growth Hack
The team at Growth Hack has a great blog that includes some of the best growth hackers in the industry. They also offer a free eBook to download when you sign up with your email, one of the oldest growth hacking tricks in the book, it still works!
5. Growth Hackers
The aptly named Growth Hackers has a great thread of resources gathered from many different blogs. It’s really a one-stop shop for current information on growth hacking.
6. Colibri.IO
Colibri.IO’s blog has a steady stream of content on growth hacking and startups on their blog. They are a reliable place to go when you want to learn more about being a growth hacker (from SEO to CRO).
Growth hacking tools
OptiMonk is a digital marketing tool that is a great example of how growth hacking is changing the way technology is used to interact with audiences.
To be a successful growth hacker you have to constantly stay up to date with the latest tools.
These tools can help to optimize landing pages or customize landing pages for different distribution channels.
Running A/B tests on these pages is crucial for capturing leads effectively and optimizing conversions, making A/B testing an indispensable part of a growth hacker’s toolkit.
Here are some resources and tools like OptiMonk that you can use to become a growth hacker.
7. Google Analytics
The tried and true Google Analytics is one of the most used tools by growth hackers. You can learn a lot about your site, it’s free, and there are dashboards and upgrades you can add to integrate with other platforms and make the most of the system.
It’s really a basic must-have for any growth hacker.
http://www.google.com/analytics/
8. KISSMetrics
When you’re ready to take analytics a step further, check out KISSmetrics. Founded by Neil Patel and Hiten Shah, KISSMetrics is a growth hacking tool made by growth hackers.
9. Session Cam
KISSmetrics tells you what actions visitors take on your site and a lot of growth hacking is learning more about how people interact with your product or service.
For web businesses, especially ecommerce, Session Cam offers a unique tool that lets you watch visitors on your site.
Growth hacker courses
Perhaps you want to take it a step further and really put some time into learning the tools and processes that growth hackers use. Perhaps you’d like to someday say, “I’m a growth hacker”!
Here are some online courses to start you on your path.
10. OneMonth
Mattan Griffel has a series of video lessons on growth hacking at his site OneMonth:
11. Lynda.com
The well-known Lynda.com offers a course on Growth Hacking Fundamentals. This is a great way to get started with some basic techniques. As with anything, it’s a good idea to get a hold of the basics before moving onto to more advanced techniques.
http://www.lynda.com/Marketing-B2C-Marketing-tutorials/Growth-Hacking-Fundamentals/191493-2.html
12. Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday, who is known for influencing the marketing techniques of Google and Twitter, has a course on growth hacking that gives you a primer on the basics to get you started on your path to becoming a growth hacker.
Growth hacking ebooks
This wouldn’t be an article on growth hacking if we didn’t go deep to give you more resources to look over. A big part of growth hacking is all the micro wins that add up to winning big.
Growth hacking ebooks can be an effective tool to generate leads by offering valuable insights in exchange for contact information, leveraging the old ‘sign up for an eBook’ method to maximize lead generation on a budget.
When you’re ready to start scraping for every little bit to push the needle of growth further, here’s some great places to dig in.
The old ‘sign up for an eBook’ growth hacking method will get you access to a bunch of great eBooks with useful tidbits on how to be a growth hacker.
13. The Ultimate Growth Hacking Sourcebook
Tiger Tiger Digital Agency features their Ultimate Growth Hacking Sourcebook right on their website!
http://tigertiger.co/blog/ultimate-growth-hacking-sourcebook/#Scientific_Blogging
14. Growth Hacking Handbook
Yong Fook’s set of actionable Growth Hacking Tactics gathered in the simply named Growth Hacking Handbook.
15. Clarity’s Straight Up Startup Advice eBook
In this growth hacking ebook, you can dive into a treasure trove of no-BS advice straight from the trenches of entrepreneurship.
Within these digital pages, you can discover the distilled wisdom of seasoned entrepreneurs who’ve been there, done that, and are ready to share their hard-earned insights with you.
https://clarity.fm/startupadvice?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=article_footer&utm_campaign=ebook_1
Growth hacking videos
When you want to sit back and learn more growth hacking, after typing away or looking over your Analytics, check out these great videos on being a growth hacker.
16. Growth Hacker TV
Growth Hacker TV has a great set of videos including interviews with well known growth hackers.
https://www.youtube.com/user/growthhackertv
17. General Assembly
General Assembly has a good set of videos on growth hacking.
https://generalassemb.ly/online/videos/growth-hacking
18. Sixteen Ventures
Sixteen Ventures has some great growth hacking resources including videos aimed at SaaS startups.
Growth hacking articles
For some other great articles with more expansive lists of growth hacker resources, check out these articles.
These articles encompass a variety of marketing strategies aimed at enhancing growth, including insights on improving your organic search results to achieve better visibility and engagement.
19. Search Engine Journal’s Epic List of 100 Growth Hacks
Dive into the ultimate playbook for startup success with “An Epic List of 100 Growth Hacks.” Authored by Justin McGill, this comprehensive guide is a goldmine of actionable strategies meticulously curated to propel your startup to new heights.
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/epic-list-100-growth-hacks-startups/118690/
20. Neil Patel: How To Use Growth Hacking To Attract and Retain Customers
Embark on a journey into the dynamic world of growth hacking with this article. Discover how businesses are leveraging an array of resources, tools, and skill sets to fuel their growth in today’s hyper-connected landscape. From innovative referral programs to harnessing the power of social media.
http://neilpatel.com/2015/03/17/how-to-use-growth-hacking-to-attract-and-retain-customers/
21. 101 Startup Lessons – An Entrepreneur’s Handbook
Red Rocket VC’s 101 Startup Lessons for Entrepreneurs including a ton of case studies.
http://redrocketvc.blogspot.hu/2011/09/101-startup-lessons-entrepreneurs.html
22. Growth Hacking Tactics: The Ultimate List
GrowthSimple’s list of 42 real-world successful grow hacks from the world’s leading startups.
http://growthsimple.com/resources/growth-hacks/
23. Interview with Sean Ellis, founder of GrowthHackers.com
How Sean Ellis Built GrowthHackers to 100K Members and Skyrocketed the Growth Hacking Movement
24. 128 Growth Hacks to AARRR your customers
This is a curated list of 128 marketing tactics and a FREE e-book with 140 growth hacks for you to acquire, activate and retain your customers.
25. Top 75 SaaS Companies of the Decade
Consider your App ecosystem with care. Choose tools to use with your Shopify environment with care! Tools with pedigree.
Wrapping up
There you have it, the cream of the crop list of growth hacker resources. You can start with the basics or go deep, focusing on achieving sustainable growth that provides a structured starting point and emphasizes the importance of iterating and refining strategies for long-term success.
Remember the bottom line is that there is only one goal for growth hackers — grow the business, especially for tech companies in Boston looking for growth hacking strategies that lead to sustainable growth.
(Note: Do you know OptiMonk? It’s one of today’s most powerful growth hacking tools that converts up to 15% of abandoning visitors to sales and leads. Let’s give it a try. Click here and create a free OptiMonk account now.)
