Activation

topic on 2 shows · 7 statements across 7 episodes

Lenny's Podcast 20VC

7 statements about Activation, every show

Background utilities rely on activation aha moments far more than daily retention
“One exception is that Grammarly was a different type of product and that you install it and you don't proactively open it every day. So that was kind of interesting to me because I assumed that you should always just focus on existing user retention, but for a…”
Albert Cheng Oct 5, 2025 ▶ 31:16 Finding hidden growth opportunities in your product | Albert Cheng (Duolingo, Grammarly, Chess.com)
20VC Insight
Automated onboarding welcome emails usually add zero value to user activation
“Have you tried not sending a welcome email? Not sending, you know, the first three, four, five emails to get people to use the products. And of course they haven't. And I tell them, try it. Take 2030, whatever it takes to be statistically significant and don't…”
Guillaume Cabane Nov 29, 2023 ▶ 26:56 Guillaume Cabane: Why Your First Growth Hire Should Be a Former Founder | E1088 · 20VC with Harry Stebbings
LENNY'S PODCAST Assertion Not checkable as stated
Qu: Activation was the highest leverage point for Acorns retention
“When I was asked to work on retention, I did a bunch of analysis. The biggest leverage for me is actually activation.”
Hila Qu Apr 2, 2023 ▶ 1:01:05 The ultimate guide to adding a PLG motion | Hila Qu (Reforge, GitLab)
Isford: PLG funnels should frame activation as user evaluation
“And that word choice of evaluate is deliberately not on board or activate because it's about what the user needs to see that they are going to get the value that they want in using your product and in building a habit around it.”
Lauryn Isford Feb 12, 2023 ▶ 52:58 Mastering onboarding | Lauryn Isford (Head of Growth at Airtable)
20VC Insight
Activation and conversion are the easiest levers for early growth wins
“First of all, those two levers are the easiest place to find quick wins. Like I mentioned, As a new growth person or growth leader, you want to find quick wins because wins change people's perception. You can get more resources. Everything else become easier. …”
Hila Qu Jan 18, 2023 ▶ 50:18 Hila Qu: The Ultimate Guide to Product Growth at Your Startup | 20VC #967 · 20VC with Harry Stebbings
LENNY'S PODCAST Assertion Not checkable as stated
Walter: Early Slack mobile changes increased activation by double digits
“Within six months, I was able to ship changes in the news experience, especially on mobile, that moved the needle by a lot, like double digit percentages within just six months. And we're talking about top line metrics, like activation.”
Jules Walter Jan 5, 2023 ▶ 8:28 Leveraging mentors to uplevel your career | Jules Walter (YouTube, Slack)
Mosavat: High-activation products often benefit from added onboarding friction
“Oh, for products that have a high bar to activation, sometimes more setup and higher friction, good friction can actually help those customers be successful. There are other kinds of products that are high intent where they know what they need to do to have si…”
Fareed Mosavat Oct 23, 2022 ▶ 21:02 How to build trust and grow as a product leader | Fareed Mosavat (Reforge, Slack, Instacart, Pixar)

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