25 SaaS Leaders Share Their Top Growth Hacks
In the competitive world of SaaS, growth is never accidental—it’s engineered through deliberate, creative, and often unconventional strategies. To uncover what truly works, we’ve compiled insights from 25 of the most influential SaaS founders, executives, and thought leaders. From early-stage startups to billion-dollar enterprises, these leaders share the growth hacks that propelled their companies forward.
Laying the Foundation for Growth
Marc Benioff, Co-Founder and CEO of Salesforce, believes everything starts with understanding the market. “Before you invest in marketing, invest in understanding your customers,” he says. This market-driven approach ensures products are designed to meet real needs.
Pete Steege, B2B growth consultant, focuses on “bullseye prospects”—customers who find your product essential. Narrowing in on this high-value group allows you to scale more efficiently.
For Sridhar Vembu, Founder of Zoho, the first rule of growth is generosity. By offering valuable tools, resources, and insights for free, you build trust that naturally leads to conversions.
Dharmesh Shah, Co-Founder of HubSpot, emphasises engineering referral moments. HubSpot’s early growth relied on customers inviting others right after achieving success with the platform.
Meanwhile, Des Traynor, Co-Founder of Intercom, champions building branded communities. He argues that an engaged user base becomes both a retention tool and a powerful acquisition channel.
Driving Acquisition and Sign-Ups
Stewart Butterfield, Co-Founder of Slack, says the product itself should encourage sharing. Slack’s invite system turned every new user into a potential evangelist.
For Nathan Latka, entrepreneur and investor, digital PR beats traditional press releases. Targeted online campaigns generate backlinks, traffic, and credibility.
Udit Goenka, Founder of PitchGround, harnesses influencer marketing by partnering with personalities whose audiences align perfectly with the product.
Growth consultant Jonathan Rintala advises tapping into existing communities where your target audience already spends time, while Jason Lemkin of SaaStr stresses that outreach should feel like a win–win collaboration, not a cold pitch.
Boosting Conversions and Monetisation
Claire Hughes Johnson, former COO of Stripe, advocates for on-site engagement tools like Qualaroo to convert visitors into leads through real-time interactions.
Hiten Shah, Co-Founder of Kissmetrics and Crazy Egg, believes in radical simplicity for landing pages—no distractions, just a clear path to conversion.
David Cancel, CEO of Drift, recommends enclosing the checkout flow to keep the user focused and comfortable through payment.
Positioning expert April Dunford suggests replacing time-based trials with outcome-based ones, letting users experience success before deciding to pay.
And for Jonathan Rintala, founder-led content remains one of the most effective ways to build trust and authority.
Retaining and Delighting Customers
Investor David Skok pushes for behaviour-based email triggers that engage users at the right moment—whether to prevent churn or celebrate milestones.
Patrick Campbell, Founder of ProfitWell, adds physical touchpoints like swag and handwritten notes to strengthen relationships with key users.
Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight, recommends hiring a VP of Customer Success early to protect revenue and enhance satisfaction.
Wade Foster, CEO of Zapier, shares that their early growth came from personally onboarding their first hundred users.
Mikkel Svane, Co-Founder of Zendesk, advises always following up after every customer interaction, even when issues are resolved.
Leveraging Data and Agility
Venture capitalist Tomasz Tunguz insists on data-driven decision-making, tracking metrics like CAC, LTV, and churn to guide growth priorities.
Sean Ellis, the originator of the term “growth hacking,” advocates for cross-functional experimentation, where marketing, engineering, and product teams collaborate to rapidly test ideas.
Steli Efti, CEO of Close.com, relies on the 80/20 principle, focusing resources on the few activities that drive the majority of results.
Jean-Denis Greze, CTO of Plaid, uses feature flags to test pricing and product bundles without large-scale disruptions.
Finally, Ya Xu, VP of Engineering at LinkedIn, shares how AI-powered account prioritisation increased renewal bookings by 8% by focusing reps on the highest-value customers.
Closing Thoughts
While each leader’s path is unique, their shared wisdom points to a clear truth: sustainable SaaS growth is built on understanding your market, delivering value, fostering relationships, and making data-driven decisions. These 25 hacks aren’t shortcuts—they’re proven strategies from leaders who’ve built some of the most successful SaaS companies in the world.
