This is a 5-step model for creating a metrics framework for your business & customers, and how to apply it to your product & marketing efforts. The "pirate" part comes from the 5 steps: Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, & Revenue (AARRR!)

1. Startup Metrics for Pirates: AARRR !!! (Startup Metrics for Product Marketing & Product Management) Dave McClure Master of 500 Hats blog: http://500hats.typepad.com/ website: http://www.500hats.com/ slides: http://slideshare.net/dmc500hats/ * reminder: National Talk Like a Pirate Day is Sept 19 th !

3. Customer Lifecycle / Conversion Behavior Website.com 4. REFERRAL Emails & widgets Campaigns, Contests 5. Revenue $$$ Biz Dev Ads, Lead Gen, Subscriptions, etc 2. Activation Homepage / Landing Page Product Features 1. ACQUISITION SEO SEM Apps & Widgets Affiliates Email PR Biz Dev Campaigns, Contests Direct, Tel, TV Social Networks Blogs Domains 3. RETENTION Emails & Alerts Blogs, Content System Events & Time-based Features

4. Example Conversion Metrics (note: *not* actuals; your mileage may vary…) $2 3% Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru Retention $10 1% Refer 1+ users who activate Referral $3 2% Refer 1+ users who visit site Referral $5 2% Repeat Visitor (3+ visits in first 30 days) Retention $25 1% User generates break-even revenue Revenue $3 2% Acct Signup (includes profile data) Activation $1 5% Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup (anything that could lead to repeat visit) Activation User generates minimum revenue Happy 1 st Visit (views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks) Doesn't Abandon (views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks) Visit Site (or landing page, or external widget) User Status $5 2% Revenue $.25 30% Activation $.05 70% Acquisition $.01 100% Acquisition Est. Value Conv % Category

8. Customer Lifecycle / Conversion Behavior Website.com Only encourage users to refer * after * they have “ happy” user experience; avg score >= 8 out of 10 2. Activation Homepage / Landing Page Product Features 4. REFERRAL Emails & widgets Campaigns, Contests 1. ACQUISITION SEO SEM Apps & Widgets Affiliates Email PR Biz Dev Campaigns, Contests Direct, Tel, TV Social Networks Blogs Domains 3. RETENTION Emails & Alerts Blogs, Content System Events & Time-based Features

9. Customer Lifecycle / Conversion Behavior Website.com This is the part * you * have to figure out… I don’t know jack about your business 5. Revenue $$$ Biz Dev Ads, Lead Gen, Subscriptions, etc 2. Activation Homepage / Landing Page Product Features 4. REFERRAL Emails & widgets Campaigns, Contests 1. ACQUISITION SEO SEM Apps & Widgets Affiliates Email PR Biz Dev Campaigns, Contests Direct, Tel, TV Social Networks Blogs Domains 3. RETENTION Emails & Alerts Blogs, Content System Events & Time-based Features

13. Example Conversion Metrics (note: *not* actuals; your mileage may vary…) $2 3% Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru Retention $10 1% Refer 1+ users who activate Referral $3 2% Refer 1+ users who visit site Referral $5 2% Repeat Visitor (3+ visits in first 30 days) Retention $25 1% User generates break-even revenue Revenue $3 2% Acct Signup (includes profile data) Activation $1 5% Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup (anything that could lead to repeat visit) Activation User generates minimum revenue Happy 1 st Visit (views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks) Doesn't Abandon (views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks) Visit Site (or landing page, or external widget) User Status $5 2% Revenue $.25 30% Activation $.05 70% Acquisition $.01 100% Acquisition Est. Value Conv % Category

14. Example Conversion Metrics (note: *not* actuals; your mileage may vary…) $2 3% Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru Retention $10 1% Refer 1+ users who activate Referral $3 2% Refer 1+ users who visit site Referral $5 2% Repeat Visitor (3+ visits in first 30 days) Retention $25 1% User generates break-even revenue Revenue $3 2% Acct Signup (includes profile data) Activation $1 5% Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup (anything that could lead to repeat visit) Activation User generates minimum revenue Happy 1 st Visit (views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks) Doesn't Abandon (views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks) Visit Site (or landing page, or external widget) User Status $5 2% Revenue $.25 30% Activation $.05 70% Acquisition $.01 100% Acquisition Est. Value Conv % Category

15. Example Conversion Metrics (note: *not* actuals; your mileage may vary…) $2 3% Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru Retention $10 1% Refer 1+ users who activate Referral $3 2% Refer 1+ users who visit site Referral $5 2% Repeat Visitor (3+ visits in first 30 days) Retention $25 1% User generates break-even revenue Revenue $3 2% Acct Signup (includes profile data) Activation $1 5% Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup (anything that could lead to repeat visit) Activation User generates minimum revenue Happy 1 st Visit (views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks) Doesn't Abandon (views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks) Visit Site (or landing page, or external widget) User Status $5 2% Revenue $.25 30% Activation $.05 70% Acquisition $.01 100% Acquisition Est. Value Conv % Category

16. Example Conversion Metrics (note: *not* actuals; your mileage may vary…) $2 3% Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru Retention $10 1% Refer 1+ users who activate Referral $3 2% Refer 1+ users who visit site Referral $5 2% Repeat Visitor (3+ visits in first 30 days) Retention $25 1% User generates break-even revenue Revenue $3 2% Acct Signup (includes profile data) Activation $1 5% Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup (anything that could lead to repeat visit) Activation User generates minimum revenue Happy 1 st Visit (views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks) Doesn't Abandon (views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks) Visit Site (or landing page, or external widget) User Status $5 2% Revenue $.25 30% Activation $.05 70% Acquisition $.01 100% Acquisition Est. Value Conv % Category

17. Example Conversion Metrics (note: *not* actuals; your mileage may vary…) $2 3% Email Open / RSS view -> Clickthru Retention $10 1% Refer 1+ users who activate Referral $3 2% Refer 1+ users who visit site Referral $5 2% Repeat Visitor (3+ visits in first 30 days) Retention $25 1% User generates break-even revenue Revenue $3 2% Acct Signup (includes profile data) Activation $1 5% Email/Blog/RSS/Widget Signup (anything that could lead to repeat visit) Activation User generates minimum revenue Happy 1 st Visit (views X pages, stays Y sec, Z clicks) Doesn't Abandon (views 2+ pages, stays 10+ sec, 2+ clicks) Visit Site (or landing page, or external widget) User Status $5 2% Revenue $.25 30% Activation $.05 70% Acquisition $.01 100% Acquisition Est. Value Conv % Category