Have you ever wondered why some products grow rapidly while others stagnate? The answer isn't just about attracting more users.
When we talk about growth, we often think about metrics like user acquisition, traffic, or subscriptions. However, the real drivers of growth aren’t always in the most visible part of the process but in the internal levers a product can activate to optimize conversion and retention.
For Product Managers (PMs), the challenge is much more than increasing the number of users. It’s about creating a product that not only attracts users but keeps them, brings them back, and most importantly, turns them into advocates.
How to find those levers?
The first step is identifying friction points within the user journey. Where are the bottlenecks? When do users stop interacting with the app or abandon the purchase process? That’s where the real work of Growth begins.
But it’s not just about detecting problems—it’s also about turning those friction points into opportunities to improve the experience. A Product Manager can use an iterative, data-driven approach, making small modifications and measuring the impact of each change. It’s not an easy task, but every adjustment that improves conversion is a significant step toward growth.
Moreover, a PM needs to be constantly seeking opportunities to maximize the user experience throughout their journey. How can you get a user to return after their first session? How can you make it easier for a user to complete an important action within the product? What changes can help users discover value faster and, therefore, be more likely to become repeat customers?
The key is balancing acquisition with internal optimization. While attracting new users is crucial, optimizing the user flow within the product is what will truly make a long-term difference. Real growth happens when PMs manage to align product improvements with user expectations, creating an experience that not only attracts but also retains.
Sustainable growth is not an instant result. It’s a process of trial and error, data analysis, and most importantly, a constant adaptation to user behavior. PMs, with their holistic view of the product, are the ones who guide this process strategically, leveraging every optimization lever to improve conversion.Growth depends not just on external actions but on how the product is adjusted to maximize its value and make users feel they’ve found the solution they were looking for.