/aarrr-metrics

name: aarrr-metrics
description: Measure and optimize growth using the AARRR (Pirate Metrics) framework with stage-specific KPIs and funnel analysis
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: ClawFu
  version: 1.0.0
  mcp-server: "@clawfu/mcp-skills"

AARRR Pirate Metrics

> Apply Dave McClure's AARRR framework to measure and optimize growth through the five stages: Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Revenue, and Referral.

When to Use This Skill

• Building growth dashboards
• Identifying funnel bottlenecks
• Prioritizing growth experiments
• Reporting to investors
• Diagnosing growth problems

Methodology Foundation

Based on **Dave McClure's AARRR framework** (500 Startups), providing:

• Stage-specific metrics definition
• Funnel conversion analysis
• Prioritization framework
• Experiment design guidance

What Claude Does vs What You Decide

| Claude Does | You Decide | |-------------|------------| | Defines metrics per stage | Specific definitions for your product | | Identifies bottlenecks | Experiment priorities | | Suggests experiments | Resource allocation | | Creates dashboards | Tool selection | | Benchmarks performance | Acceptable thresholds |

Instructions

Step 1: Define Each Stage

**AARRR Stages:**

| Stage | Question | Focus | |-------|----------|-------| | **A**cquisition | How do users find you? | Traffic, channels | | **A**ctivation | Do they have a great first experience? | Onboarding, aha moment | | **R**etention | Do they come back? | Engagement, habit | | **R**evenue | Do they pay? | Conversion, monetization | | **R**eferral | Do they tell others? | Virality, NPS |

Step 2: Set Stage-Specific Metrics

**Metrics Framework:**

| Stage | Primary Metric | Supporting Metrics | |-------|----------------|-------------------| | Acquisition | CAC, Unique visitors | Channel mix, CTR, CPM | | Activation | Activation rate | Time to activate, drop-off points | | Retention | D7/D30 retention | DAU/MAU, churn rate | | Revenue | LTV, ARPU | Conversion rate, ACV | | Referral | Viral coefficient | NPS, referral rate |

Step 3: Map Your Funnel

**Funnel Template:**

Acquisition → Activation → Retention → Revenue → Referral
   100%    →    30%     →    15%    →    5%   →    1%

Calculate conversion rates between each stage.

Step 4: Identify Bottlenecks

**Bottleneck Analysis:** | Drop-off | Diagnosis | |----------|-----------| | Acquisition → Activation | Poor onboarding or wrong traffic | | Activation → Retention | Not finding core value | | Retention → Revenue | Pricing or value misalignment | | Revenue → Referral | Not delighting paying users |

Step 5: Prioritize Experiments

**ICE Framework:**

• **I**mpact: How much will it move the metric?
• **C**onfidence: How sure are we?
• **E**ase: How easy to implement?

Examples

Example 1: Complete AARRR Dashboard

**Input:**

Build an AARRR dashboard for a B2B SaaS product.
Monthly visitors: 50,000
Signups: 3,000
Activated users: 900
Paying customers: 150
Referrals generating signups: 45

**Output:**

## AARRR Dashboard: B2B SaaS

### Funnel Overview

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ AARRR FUNNEL │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ ACQUISITION ACTIVATION RETENTION REVENUE REF │ │ 50,000 3,000 900 150 45 │ │ 100% 6% 30% 17% 30% │ │ │ │ ████████████ ████████ ████ ██ █ │ │ │ │ Visitors → Signups → Activated → Paid → Referral │ │ (-94%) (-70%) (-83%) (-70%) │ │ ⚠️ ⚠️ ✅ ⚠️ │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

---

### Stage-by-Stage Analysis

#### 1. ACQUISITION

**Metrics:**
| Metric | Value | Benchmark | Status |
|--------|-------|-----------|--------|
| Monthly visitors | 50,000 | - | Baseline |
| Visitor → Signup | 6% | 2-5% | ✅ Good |
| CAC | $45 | <$50 | ✅ Good |
| Signups | 3,000 | - | - |

**Channel Breakdown:**
| Channel | Visitors | Signups | Conv % | CAC |
|---------|----------|---------|--------|-----|
| Organic | 20,000 | 1,500 | 7.5% | $0 |
| Paid Search | 15,000 | 900 | 6% | $60 |
| Content | 10,000 | 450 | 4.5% | $20 |
| Social | 5,000 | 150 | 3% | $80 |

**Analysis:** Acquisition is healthy. Organic performing best.
Paid social has high CAC—consider reallocating.

---

#### 2. ACTIVATION ⚠️ BOTTLENECK

**Metrics:**
| Metric | Value | Benchmark | Status |
|--------|-------|-----------|--------|
| Signup → Activated | 30% | 40-60% | ⚠️ Below |
| Time to activate | 3.2 days | <1 day | ⚠️ Slow |
| Activation rate | 900/3,000 | - | - |

**Activation Definition:**
"Activated" = Created first project + invited 1 team member

**Drop-off Analysis:**
| Step | Users | Drop-off |
|------|-------|----------|
| Signup complete | 3,000 | - |
| Email verified | 2,400 | -20% |
| Created project | 1,500 | -38% |
| Invited team | 900 | -40% ⚠️ |

**Primary Bottleneck:** "Invite team member" step losing 40%

**Experiment Ideas:**
| Experiment | Hypothesis | ICE |
|------------|------------|-----|
| Skip team invite in onboarding | Removes friction, activate solo first | 8/8/9 = 8.3 |
| In-app invite prompt (day 2) | Right timing, after value seen | 7/7/8 = 7.3 |
| Email team invite reminder | Low effort, catches drop-offs | 5/6/9 = 6.7 |

---

#### 3. RETENTION

**Metrics:**
| Metric | Value | Benchmark | Status |
|--------|-------|-----------|--------|
| Week 1 retention | 65% | 60%+ | ✅ Good |
| Month 1 retention | 45% | 40%+ | ✅ Good |
| DAU/MAU ratio | 28% | 20%+ | ✅ Good |
|