Question 1

What are the key takeaways from Sarah Tavel's episode on Lenny's Podcast?

Accepted Answer

1. Products should get better the more you use them, and you should have more to lose by leaving 2. Your North Star metric should be the core action that creates value and makes users stick around 3. Network effects are the strongest growth lever - maximize where they show up and remove friction 4. Don't pour money into acquisition until you have a retentive product - TikTok spent $1B but only after proving retention 5. Anonymous products persistently fail because there's no accruing benefit or mounting loss

Question 2

What does Sarah Tavel say about retention and network-effects?

Accepted Answer

"Your North Star metric should not be about total active users. You have to understand what are people doing on your product that makes them stick around, that creates value. That's the core action you should be measuring." - Sarah Tavel "The test for me, of whether you're building a product that has the ingredients to create a retentive product, is that the product should get better the more you use it, and you'll have more to lose by leaving it." - Sarah Tavel "Every time a user uses your product, clicking on the mouse or tapping their phone, think of it as kinetic energy they're putting into your product. Your job with a great product is to take that energy and convert it back to the experience." - Sarah Tavel

Question 3

What are Sarah Tavel's views on retention, network-effects, consumer-products?

Accepted Answer

Sarah Tavel: "Your North Star metric should not be about total active users. You have to understand what are people doing on your product that makes them stick around, that creates value. That's the core action you should be measuring." Sarah Tavel: "The test for me, of whether you're building a product that has the ingredients to create a retentive product, is that the product should get better the more you use it, and you'll have more to lose by leaving it."

Sarah Tavel

The hierarchy of engagement | Sarah Tavel (Benchmark, Greylock, Pinterest)

TRANSCRIPT

Sarah Tavel

The hierarchy of engagement | Sarah Tavel (Benchmark, Greylock, Pinterest)

Sarah Tavel

The hierarchy of engagement | Sarah Tavel (Benchmark, Greylock, Pinterest)

TRANSCRIPT

Sarah Tavel

The hierarchy of engagement | Sarah Tavel (Benchmark, Greylock, Pinterest)