# How we used our Existing Users to Gain More Users?

> with Real-World Examples & Implementation Tips...

- Author: Rishikesh Ranjan · Published: Jun 27, 2025 · Updated: Aug 11, 2026
- Type: Essay
- Tags: My Experiments with Growth, Acquisition
- Growth levers: Referral (primary), also Retention
- ~4196 words

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You wake up one day and find out your startup’s sign-ups doubled overnight, not because of a huge ad spend, but because your *own users* went out and brought back their friends. 

If this sounds like something you CAN’T imagine happening, This article is for you.

- [Dropbox](https://www.productgrowth.blog/p/the-field-of-dreams-fallacy-why-building-a-great-product-isnt-enough) pulled it off, achieving a staggering 3900% user growth in 15 months by turning its users into a viral referral engine. 
- [PayPal](https://www.productgrowth.blog/p/paypals-secret-recipe-for-success) did something similar, literally paying users **on both sides** of a referral ($10 each) and watching growth go exponential. 

> These big wins came from a simple truth: the cheapest way to gain new users is to **use the users you already have** (“*use existing users to gain more users*,” as I like to say). 

In this article, I’ll go through down-to-earth (personally field-tested) strategies to do exactly that, with other real examples (Canva, Notion, Dropbox, Airbnb, Figma and more), and easy and data-backed implementation guide. 

Before we go can you answer this one poll?

Let’s dive in, starting with the first thing you should ask every new user...

## First, Ask Every User “Where Did You Hear About Us?”

![Photo of a tablet on a desk beside a stylus and a trailing pothos plant, showing a feedback form. It reads "Thanks for your visit! We'd love to know a bit more about your experience with us", then asks "Where did you hear about us?" with four options, social media, Google, friends and colleagues, above a Submit button.](https://www.productgrowth.blog/media/posts/how-we-use-our-existing-users-to-gain-more-users/01-image.webp)

Every time a new user signs up, just ask them: *“Hey, where did you hear about us?”* This simple question is the open sesame for early-stage startups. 

![Screenshot of a review form. A five out of five star rating sits above the question "Where did you hear about us?", with an open dropdown offering Google Search, Google Ads, Social Media Ads and From a Friend, the cursor hovering on From a Friend. A second dropdown asks which product you used, set to DevCraft Complete, above a Submit button.](https://www.productgrowth.blog/media/posts/how-we-use-our-existing-users-to-gain-more-users/02-image.webp)

Because it tells you *which of your existing users (or channels) are bringing in new folks*. What if a bunch of sign-ups mention a certain YouTuber’s review or a post in a niche Slack community. That’s a huge signal of where trust and word-of-mouth are happening. 

![Screenshot of a checkout form with first and last name fields, each explaining the name will be used to personalize the account experience. Below, the question "How'd you find us?" has an open dropdown listing Google, Twitter, Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube, Friend, Online Ads and Other, with the cursor on Twitter. The purchase total is $5.00, above a Purchase button.](https://www.productgrowth.blog/media/posts/how-we-use-our-existing-users-to-gain-more-users/03-image.webp)

In fact, self-reported referrals often reveal **underground channels** before your analytics tools catch on.

### How to implement it? (I mean, if you have to ask):

Add a single field in your signup or onboarding flow for “*Where did you hear about us?*” (make it optional and fun, not a tedious survey). Keep the answers multiple-choice plus an open “Other” textbox, and **actually read the responses**. 

> *If folks keep saying “I saw it in a Slack group” or “my buddy tweeted it,” congrats, you’ve hit the viral jackpot. Double down on those channels and Guard it like it’s the last beer can at a college party.*. 

This question costs nothing, adds a tiny bit of friction, but gives you laser focus on channels that already and actually work. 

This is how you start turning organic buzz into a repeatable growth strategy.

## Second, Track Your Most Active Users to Nail Your ICP

Your **most active users** are your product’s biggest fans. Understanding who they are is important in defining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). 

Early on, you have a hunch who you’re building for, but data from your actual power users will always surprise you. 

For example, [PostHog](https://posthog.com/?utm_source=productgrowth.blog) (*an analytics tool, the best there is.. and no i’m not an affiliate*) learned to constantly analyze which users were completing “***high-value events***” most often. Those power users helped them refine their ICP by industry and use-case. 

fortuitously, you can use PostHog’s Cohort Analysis to analyse the same for your own product. (read how posthog did it [in their ICP framework newsletter](https://posthog.com/newsletter/ideal-customer-profile-framework?utm_source=productgrowth.blog))

> *In other words, your engaged users tell you about your ideal future customers.*

### Let’s see how you can achieve this:

- Look at your product metrics and identify the top 5-10% of users by activity, e.g. *those who log in daily, create lots of content, or use advanced features*. 
- Look for patterns: *are they mostly startups? students? a particular role or sector?* 
- Compare retention across segments. 

![Screenshot of a bar chart of user cohorts over the last 180 days, sorted by size. The top cohort, 104911, runs to roughly 80 on the scale, far ahead of the next at about 17, and the smallest tail cohorts sit near zero. Handwritten annotations point at the largest bar reading "Clearly, a potential ICP user segment" and at the smallest bars reading "Don't waste time on these user segments".](https://www.productgrowth.blog/media/posts/how-we-use-our-existing-users-to-gain-more-users/04-image.webp)
*this chart shows avergae user activity split by user segement/cohort. The definition of user segment has to be defined by you and is specific to a product type.*

PostHog’s team recommends a few concrete steps: 

1. ask key questions at signup (*company size, role, etc.*) 
2. and later correlate that with usage; 
3. and especially, flag which customers **use the product the most or trigger the most “aha” moments**. 

> If an specific *user-cohort/segment retain significantly better* or give higher ratings than others, that segment is your ICP. 

By tracking who can’t get enough of your product, you’ll know exactly *who* to target to gain more such users. 

(*Plus, those super-fans will happily refer others like them! ~ Well! atleast in most cases…*)

## Third, Spot Users With Large Followings & Spark Wildfire Growth

Sometimes, one well-connected user will be a spark that ignites the *wildfire growth *for you. You start by spotting existing users who have large followings on social media, and then **activate them** (gently and authentically) to spread the word. 

[Canva](https://canva.com/?utm_source=productgrowth.blog) famously did this when tech evangelist [Guy Kawasaki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Kawasaki?utm_source=productgrowth.blog) joined as a power user; by simply tweeting about Canva to his millions of followers, it *tripled Canva’s users in two months*. 

### How to use this?

- Keep an eye on new signups or active users who have big Twitter, YouTube, or blog audiences. 
- You can do this manually (Google their name, check LinkedIn/Twitter) or with tools that enrich social data like [Apollo](https://www.apollo.io/?utm_source=productgrowth.blog). 
- If you find an “influencer” using your product, reach out personally. 
- Thank them for hopping on, offer a quick demo or just start a friendly conversation. 
- The goal isn’t to shill; it’s to build a relationship. 

Often, if an influencer *loves* your product, they’ll naturally share it. You can give them a little nudge or exclusive perk: e.g. free upgrade, or ask if they’d like to be featured on your blog. 

`Disclaimer: Don’t offer free stuff and ask them to do something in return. This makes it transactional and looks cheap. Gvie them free stuff without any expectation or mention of expectation. `

`Personal example: What we do is, we have built an internal system to detect if a user is famous (by using Apollo and/or asking gpt-4.1 if it knows the person and are they famous?), if so then we take them out of all the onboarding email sequence and add them to another user-email sequesce that goes out direcly from the inbox of the CEO asking for a personal onboarding call if they like. (don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret 🤫)`

## Fourth, Put Retention Before Acquisition (Early-Stage Rule)

When you’re itching to grow, it’s tempting to chase new users at any cost. But here’s what’s always worked for me: **retention before acquisition **(This is NOT a rule, like Paul Graham’s [Do things that don’t scale](https://www.paulgraham.com/ds.html?utm_source=productgrowth.blog)). 

If your existing users aren’t sticking, adding more users will create a leaky bucket problem. Focus on delighting and keeping the ones you have. *That* will naturally lead to sustainable growth. 

> In fact, there is a known fact in the industry that, acquiring a new customer costs **5× more** than retaining one, and a mere 5% boost in retention can increase profits by 25 to 95%. ~ you can google about it.

### This matters because:

Strong retention drives word-of-mouth. 

Users who stick around longer provide more opportunities to invite others, create content, and refer friends. They also give you more feedback to improve the product. 

So, check your **user retention curve**: does it flatten out or drop to zero? 

If a large chunk of users leave after a month, fix that hole first (*via onboarding improvements, better product-market fit, support outreach, etc… whatever it takes*) *before* spending on new users. 

Because the thing is, *retained users = future advocates*. They are far more likely to bring in others. 

> Companies like [Superhuman](https://waitlister.me/growth-hub/case-studies/superhuman?utm_source=productgrowth.blog) famously refused to scale up marketing until their retention (and user satisfaction) was excellent. They even waitlisted people to ensure each new user would have a great experience, maximizing the chance they’d stick and invite colleagues.

### Important insights:

- Referred customers have higher retention than others. And existing users who love the product will naturally engage in positive word-of-mouth. 
- Put retention first by doing things like personal onboarding calls, quick “win” moments in-app, and re-engagement emails for inactive users. 
- The payoff is huge: not only do you save money (*remember, keeping an existing user is 4 to 5× cheaper than getting a new one*), but those happy, retained users will help you *acquire* new users organically. 

***Plug the leaks, and the bucket fills itself.***

## Fifth, Highlight & Promote User Success Stories

Here’s how we do it: [StreamAlive's customer stories](https://www.streamalive.com/customer-stories)

Every time one of your users succeeds using your product, **tell that story**: on your blog, social media, newsletter, everywhere. Because user success stories are powerful social proof that attracts new users. 

People trust recommendations from people like them: [70% of B2B buyers](https://www.luxidgroup.com/blog/customer-success-storytelling-should-be-at-the-heart-of-b2b-marketing#:~:text=Customer%20success%20stories%20do%20so,Demand%20Gen%20Report) say recommendations from real people carry more weight than a company’s marketing, and seeing customer success stories increases their trust in a business. 

It makes potential users think, “If it worked for them, maybe it’ll work for me.”

### How can you do it effectively?

We reach out to users who have achieved notable results or unique use cases with our product. 

So you ask, Did a freelancer land 5 clients using your design tool? Did a team save 10 hours a week with your SaaS? 

- Interview them (*casually*), and write up a short case study or shoot a quick video. 
- Then *promote the heck out of it*: feature it on your site’s homepage or a “Customer Stories” page, share snippets on LinkedIn/Twitter, and tag the user (***they’ll likely share it too, amplifying reach***). 

> For example, [Airbnb](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/airbnbs-made-possible-hosts-campaign-building-trust-through-hassan-awrze/?utm_source=productgrowth.blog) constantly highlights stories of hosts who turned their spare rooms into life-changing income. This not only brings in new hosts but also makes guests trust the platform more. 

When you promote a user’s success, you’re doing three things at once: 

1. rewarding that user with recognition (***strengthening your relationship***), 
2. providing valuable content for potential customers (***who see real outcomes and feel a connection***), 
3. and encouraging other users to strive for success (***maybe their story will be featured next***). 

## Sixth, Celebrate Every Organic Share

Here's an example of how we do it: [this StreamAlive intro post on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/streamalive_introduction-to-streamalive-with-said-saddouk-activity-7317493224804085760-OWd4/)

Every time a user organically shares your product (a tweet saying “I love this app!”, a blog post review, a TikTok demo, anything), **celebrate it and amplify it**. When you engage and cheer them on, you encourage more people to share. 

For example, if a user tweets about how your SaaS saved their day, **like it, retweet it, comment** with a thank you. Maybe even highlight it in your community or internal Slack. This positive feedback loop signals to users: *“We notice and appreciate you spreading the love.”* 

**It seems small, but it’s exactly how passionate communities are built.**

***So make it a habit:*** monitor social mentions, set up Google Alerts, or use a tool like Mention. You can even compile the best shares of the week and feature them in an email or on a “Wall of Love” page. 

> *By celebrating every organic share, you make users want to talk about you, and feel appreciated for doing so.*

## Seventh, Shamelessly Ask Power Users for Boosts (Sparingly)

When you have *power users* who clearly love your product (users who log in every day, give you high NPS scores, maybe even email you feature ideas), don’t be shy about occasionally **asking them for a little boost**. 

If you’ve built a good rapport, many will be happy to help spread the word, write a review, or give a testimonial. 

The key word, though, is *sparingly*. You don’t want to pester or exploit your fans. But a well-timed, sincere ask can work wonders.

**This works because,** Your power users are *already* talking about you to some extent. By explicitly asking, you bring it front-of-mind and make it easy. It is kind of word-of-mouth marketing on demand. 

And since you only do it rarely, it comes off as what it is: a friendly request from a founder to a supporter. 

I’ve had founders (of Fold, ADPList, SmartLeads, etc) email me as a power user of their product, and you bet I posted about their launch or referred a friend when asked; I was happy to, because I loved the product and appreciated the personal touch. 

Even a small shout-out from a power user can bring new users from their network, so it’s absolutely worth a bit of shameless asking now and then.

## Eighth, Encourage First-Creation Shares → Instant UGC

Here's my first ever creation on StreamAlive: [this interactive sandbox preview](https://sandbox.streamalive.com/sandbox/ros-preview-sandbox?oTemplateId=94b62a3a-23a8-4a1b-a950-315adeb1a57f)

The moment a user creates something awesome with your product for the **first time**, capitalize on that excitement by encouraging them to **share it**. This turns new users into a source of *instant user-generated content* (UGC) and new-user magnet. 

By capitalize this is what I mean: 

> when someone designs their first graphic on Canva, that’s a prime time to prompt: “*Share your creation with the world!*” And they did this brilliantly: by October 2014 (*about a year after launch*), *over 1 million users had shared Canva-designed images* on social media or blogs, and that number hit 4 million by mid-2015. 

Each shared design had others asking, “Whoa, how’d you make that?”, leading them straight back to Canva.

### Tactics to implement:

- After a user hits “Save” or achieves some milestone, show social share buttons or an invite to publish on your platform’s gallery (like [the StreamAlive templates gallery](https://www.streamalive.com/templates?utm_source=productgrowth.blog) we have, *if you have one*). 
- Even a gentle nudge like a pop-up: “Congrats on creating X! Share it with your friends or on Twitter?” can do wonders. 
- Many will skip, but some will share, and those creations must carry your branding or link. 

One great approach is to offer an easy way to share *with a subtle product watermark or tag*. 

> For example, **“Made with Canva”** or “**Powered by Notion**” badge on the page.

Think about the psychology: a user’s *first creation* is a moment of pride. They’re keen to show it off. Your job is to remove friction and encourage that impulse. 

The key is the immediacy: the first creation is when enthusiasm is highest. By giving immediate sharing options, you convert that single-user experience into a recruitment tool for new users.

## Nineth, Build an Embedded Sharing Loop for All UGC

Beyond first-timers, you want *every* piece of user-generated content in your product to potentially bring in new users. That means creating **embedded sharing loops**. 

`What is embedded sharing loop? Whenever users create or do something that can be viewed by others, make it easy (or default) to share it externally with a link or widget that drives viewers back to your product. It means letting users put your content on their own websites or socials easily. Think Google Maps, YouTube videos or Product Hunt Badges, it’s free marketing for Google/YouTube/Product Hunt with a link back.`

Classic example is **Typeform. **Users would create interactive forms and share them, and each form had a little “***Powered by Typeform***” badge. As a result, every respondent who enjoyed the sleek form could click through and become a Typeform user themselves. 

This viral loop was so effective that in its beta, Typeform got **50,000 sign-ups** largely from people seeing shared forms. 

The founders admit they “didn’t do anything else”: the product’s embedded virality did the heavy lifting.

> Check out Kyle Poyar’s Growth Unhinged to Understand How Typform Did it effectively: [Kyle Poyar’s Growth UnhingedTypeform’s viral growth, and its disruption?Typeform, the maker of people-friendly forms and surveys, perhaps needs no introduction…Read more3 years ago · 36 likes · 1 comment · Kyle Poyar](https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/typeforms-viral-growth-and-its-disruption?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web)

### How to do it in your product?

- Identify content or outputs that users naturally share or publish: documents, forms, images, projects, playlists, etc. 
- Ensure that when those are shared, non-users who view them are drawn into your funnel. 
- That could be a sign-up prompt (*“Remix this design on our app. Sign up to edit it!”*), a watermark (*“Made with MyProduct”*), or even limiting certain functionality to logged-in users (*e.g., someone can view a Notion page read-only, but to duplicate it for themselves they need an account, thus turning viewers into users*). 

`According to NFX, embedding your product in user-generated content is one of the strongest “viral effects” because it continuously drives qualified traffic back to you.`

Every piece of UGC out in the wild is a mini billboard for your startup, constantly recruiting users on your behalf.

## Tenth, Design a Win-Win Referral Program

Here's the referral program of StreamAlive (driving 25% of all signups), if you wish to join 😜 [StreamAlive's affiliate program](https://www.streamalive.com/affiliates?utm_source=productgrowth.blog)

A **win-win referral program** rewards both the existing user (referrer) *and* the new user (referee) for spreading the word. 

This two-sided incentive structure is incredibly effective. It turns your user base into an army of volunteer marketers, because they get tangible value for every friend who joins. And the friend is more likely to accept the invite because they also get a perk. 

The textbook example is **Dropbox’s referral program**. 

> Dropbox gave 500 MB of extra space to the referrer *and* 500 MB to the friend who signed up, a true win-win. The results were legendary: users basically did all the marketing, and Dropbox grew **3900% in 15 months** with minimal ad spend. In April 2010 alone, users sent 2.8 million referral invites. 

> It’s the same story with PayPal: they literally paid people ($10 each) to join and refer, reaching a critical mass of users before tapering the program down.

### How to craft your referral program?

 Pick an incentive that aligns with your product’s value. Storage space, premium features, credits, discount coupons, swag, whatever makes sense. Make sure both sides get something. 

Psychologically, people feel much more comfortable referring a friend when they can frame it as *giving a gift* (*“Use my link, you’ll get $10 off and I get $10 too!”*) rather than asking a favor. 

> Dropbox’s founder Drew Houston knew that cloud storage space was their currency, so giving it away for referrals was a natural fit.

Keep the mechanics **simple and visible**. Integrate the referral offer into onboarding (*“Invite friends, get rewards”*) and make sharing easy (unique invite link, one-click share to contacts). 

Also, show users their progress, e.g. “You’ve referred 3 friends, earned 1.5 GB!” This visibility gamifies it and encourages more invites. 

`Disclaimer: ensure the reward triggers only when the new user actually signs up (and maybe performs a key action), to avoid abuse. `

## Eleventh, Host a Transparent Community Hub

Here's the whistling, bubbling community of Streamalive: [the StreamAlive community hub](https://community.streamalive.com/)

In the early days of your startup, one of the best investments is setting up a **community hub**: a place where your users (and prospective users) can meet, ask questions, share ideas, and connect with you and each other. 

Whether it’s a forum powered by [Discourse](https://www.discourse.org/?utm_source=productgrowth.blog), a Facebook or Slack group, or a hosted platform like BetterMode, having a central, *transparent* community space turns your user base into a living, breathing engine of growth. 

Transparent, Because the conversations, Q&A, and success stories posted there are public, which means lurkers and newbies can see the activity and feel the product’s momentum and support. And it will get indexed by Google and other Search Engines.

It builds trust.

### How to implement?

- Use a tool like Discourse (open-source forum software) or sign up for a hosted solution like BetterMode if you want a ready-made community platform. 
- Seed it with categories like “How do I... \[Product]”, “Feature Requests”, “Tips and Tricks”, etc. 
- Invite your early users to join, perhaps via email. 
- Be active there yourself: answer questions openly, share roadmaps and updates, solicit feedback. 

This openness signals that you care and that the product is evolving with user input. Platforms like [BetterMode](https://bettermode.com/?utm_source=productgrowth.blog) even allow for Q&A, ideation, and knowledge bases in one place. 

The key is consistency and making it user-centric: **highlight user contributions**, give shout-outs to top participants, maybe create an ambassador program as you scale. 

> Notion did. They have “Notion Ambassadors” who champion the product in their regions, fueling global growth.

> When Airbnb built their host community center, it improved host retention and also showed prospective hosts that there’s a support network and knowledge base ready for them. 

In sum, by hosting a community hub, you convert your user base into a self-sustaining ecosystem that ***nurtures potential users***.

## How to Measure Success?

(Short Answer: With the Viral Coefficient (K))

How do you know if all these user-driven growth tactics are actually working? One key metric to watch is your **viral coefficient**, often denoted as K. The viral coefficient measures how many new users one existing user generates on average. 

In formula terms, it’s calculated as:

`k = (Number of invites sent per user) × (conversion rate of invites) `

But keeping it simple: if each user brings in **1.2 users on average, K = 1.2**. That means for every 100 users, you gain 120 new users from them: virality! 

If K is below 1, the viral growth will eventually plateau (*100 users might bring 50 new, then those bring 25, and so on*). 

If K = 1 or above, you have a self-sustaining or exponential loop (100 bring 100+, those bring 100+ more, etc.).

### Why it matters for early-stage:

Viral coefficient is the yardstick of how effectively your existing users are fueling new growth. All the strategies we discussed ultimately should boost K. 

If you manage K = 1.1, that means each generation of users is 110% of the last; you can go from 1,000 to over a million users in under 40 cycles of referrals ***in theory***.

### How to measure:

First, make sure your app tracks invites and attributions. Count how many new sign-ups came from existing user actions (*referral links used, invitation emails accepted, etc.*). Then simply divide new users by the number of inviting users over a period, that’s an empirical K. 

PostHog or other dashboards (even a spreadsheet) can help simulate how tweaks affect K. 

`Disclaimer: viral coefficient doesn’t capture speed directly. If users take a year to bring in a friend, K might be 1 but growth is slow.` 

## Wrap-Up:

Early-stage startup life is hectic, but implementing even one or two of these strategies will have an outsized impact. 

The beautiful thing is they often reinforce each other: a strong community improves retention which improves referrals and sharing, which all feed into a better viral coefficient. It’s a synergistic loop, powered by genuine user enthusiasm rather than just ad dollars. The rest of the [referral writing](https://www.productgrowth.blog/referral) here takes that loop apart one mechanism at a time.

**My friendly advice:** pick one tactic from this list and put it into action **this week**. Maybe add the “Where did you hear about us?” question, or set up a basic referral reward for your current users. 

Point to remember is that your existing users joined you for a reason and many *want* to see you win. Give them the opportunity to be part of your story, whether it’s through a referral bonus, a community post, or just a retweet. 

As a Growth Hacker, I can say there’s nothing more gratifying than seeing your users proudly invite others because they believe in what you’re building. 

Happy Hacking!!

## FAQ: growing from your existing users

#### How do you get more users from the users you already have?

By treating the existing base as a channel rather than as an outcome. That means finding out where each one actually came from, identifying which of them are most active so you know who to look for more of, spotting the ones with an audience, promoting user success stories, making sharing part of creating rather than a separate step, and designing a referral programme where both sides gain. Eleven tactics are covered here, and the advice is to pick one and run it this week rather than attempt all of them.

#### Why ask new signups where they heard about you?

Because it tells you which existing users and which channels are actually bringing people in, which analytics attribution frequently cannot. If a run of signups mentions a particular reviewer or a niche community, that is a direct signal about where trust is being built, and it points you at a channel you would otherwise have to guess at. It is also close to free: one question in the signup flow.

#### Should an early-stage startup prioritise retention or acquisition?

Retention, and the reason is mechanical rather than philosophical. A strong community improves retention, retention improves referrals and sharing, and those feed the viral coefficient, so the loop compounds only if people stay. Acquisition spend into a leaking product buys the same users repeatedly. The loop reinforces itself in the other direction too, which is why the order matters more than the effort.

#### What makes a referral programme work?

Both sides getting something, and the ask arriving at a moment the user already feels good about the product. The programmes described here work because they sit alongside the rest of the loop rather than standing in for it: sharing built into first creation, organic shares celebrated when they happen, power users asked sparingly rather than repeatedly, and a community hub where the activity is visible. A referral bonus bolted onto a product nobody recommends does not survive contact with that.

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