The first 90 days: How to keep users engaged and loyal

THE INTRODUCTION

Hello 👋 Marketing Context Fam!! Welcome to this week’s edition.

In todays edition of startup marketing deep dive we unpack a critical startup marketing process of “driving retention in the initial 90 day of product launch”. We will cover:

• Why investing in retention matters for startup marketer

• Unpack the core concepts

• Break down the strategy of Notion to drive retention

• Resources

Picture this: 

After months of preparation, you've successfully launched your product. Early users are excited, signups are flowing, and the team is excited.

Then, a few months in, you notice a troubling trend. Users are silently dropping off. Your initial success story is starting to show cracks.

This scenario is more common than you might think. Don't trust my words

Research shows that early-stage startups can face churn rates as high as 24%. This is a staggering figure, compared to the ideal 3-5% for established SaaS companies. 

For startup product marketing managers, this means more than lost users. It challenges your entire product validation strategy (market, ICP, everything!).!)

In my 15 years with startups, I've learned that the first 90 days after launch are make-or-break. 

Users must not only experience your product but also see its value. They should be guided from onboarding to their "aha moment." 

(Link to my article on using "aha moments" for growth.)

As a startup PMM, you must craft a retention strategy that turn early user excitement into lasting engagement. 

Let's now dive in.

THE DEEP DIVE

What makes retention challenging in the first 90 days.

The issue with most startups is overpromise and under deliver. This gets reflected in the early 90 days.

While there could be many factors behind this, the impact on user experience is damaging

The most critical ones are the ones mentioned here,

• Onboarding complexity:

  A complex, unclear initial user experience causes friction and frustration in the critical first weeks.

• Value discovery failure:

  Users feel disappointed because they don't experience value within the first few interactions.

• Support & guidance gap:

  A lack of support when users hit obstacles leads to confusion and abandonment.

• Product-usage mismatch:

  Disconnect between user expectations and actual product capabilities/use cases in real-world scenarios.

These are common challenges which needs a strategic approach from a startup PMM

I like to address the above by my 4 pillar framework that we are going to discuss below

User activation and value realisation

First, ensure early users quickly grasp the product's core value. 

This is one of the primary reasons why most startups experience churn during the early days. And why? Because users are confused and feel they have not received what was promised early.

Your early users took a bet on your product. Now it's time to prove they made the right choice. The key? Making value realisation immediate and obvious.

Design a frictionless onboarding process.

Work with customer success, sales, and product teams. Ensure a smooth onboarding.

Provide users with support (content, guides, etc.) to help them reach their first "aha moment."

Implement behavioural analytics:

Data is going to be your friend early on. As users navigate your product, find key actions that boost retention. These insights will help you improve your retention framework. They will let you give users the desired experience sooner.

For example:

If the initial profile setup is hard, you can create progress bars or checklists. They would encourage users to complete their profile.

Create a personalised experience.

Everyone likes a personalised experience; your first customers even more so. 

After all, they took a bet on your product. Didn't they?

Invest in user journeys based on user segments and use cases. It will help design a personalized, effective communication strategy. It will quickly prove the product's value at key points in your users' journeys.

For example:  

If user value don’t show up without using multiple features, then add interactive tutorials or guided tours in the product journey. These can help users understand key features during onboarding process

Canva (Graphic Design Platform)

Canva excels at immediate value realisation. Upon signup, users are prompted to create their first design based on their role or intent (e.g., social media post, presentation, resume). 

The editor opens with a template tailored to their choice, allowing instant gratification. 

Canva uses behavioural data to suggest relevant templates and features. This boosts the chances of users returning.

Engagement and habit formation

Getting users to try your product is one thing; making it part of their daily workflow is another. This is where the art of habit formation comes in.

As early PMM, we are closest to both our product and to our ideal users. 

We are the matchmakers, remember? Our job is to match the most ideal user to our product. And we should have the most detailed knowledge about the user's workflow.

We must make the product a "must-have," not a "nice-to-have." We can do this by integrating it into the user's workflow through meaningful engagement.

Duolingo's masterclass in user engagement & habit formation. 

Their streak feature isn't just a gamification element – it's a carefully crafted habit-forming loop. Users want to keep their daily streak. They get perfect reminders and rewards that make language learning addictive.

Your task as PMM is to identify similar opportunities in your product. Where can you create natural engagement loops? How can you make your product not only useful but indispensable?

Product evolution and feature adoption

Early users stick around when they feel heard. Your product needs to evolve with their needs, and as PMM, you're their voice within the company.

Work with the product team to improve the product. Use user feedback and data. Ensure users discover and adopt new features progressively and quickly.

Approach:

• Establish a robust feedback loop with users (in-app surveys, user interviews, usage data).

• Prioritise feature development based on user needs and potential impact on retention.

• Create a clear feature release calendar for the first 90 days.

• Develop an omni-channel communication strategy for new feature announcements and education.

Notion’s user feedback led feature release strategy

Notion excels at evolving its product while ensuring high feature adoption. They regularly release new features based on user feedback (e.g., AI writing assistant). For each major release, they create in-depth tutorials, webinars, and template galleries. They use in-app announcements, email campaigns, and social media to drive awareness and adoption of new features.

Community building and brand advocacy

A startup PMM should ideally invest in community before launching their product. It will create a sense of belonging. Users will become advocates, driving growth and retention.

Approach:

• Create spaces for users to connect and share experiences (forums, social media groups).

• Develop a user-generated content strategy.

• Implement a customer success program for high-value users or accounts.

• Recognize and reward power users and advocates.

Figma’s community led growth & onboarding

Figma has built a strong community around its product. Its active community play a big role in early user adoption and retention. Figma communities actively organise meet ups. Their "Friends of Figma" program empowers users and offer an opportunity to new members to learn about Figma and also have their concerns addressed.

The role of product marketing manager (PMM)

The startup PMM should lead this 90-day retention strategy. They should orchestrate it and gather insights.

I use my impact and analytics framework to measure the progress

Here's how you can leverage and have an impact:

1. Cross-functional collaboration:

   • Work closely with the product, engineering, and customer success teams. Align on goals and execution.

   • Ensure that marketing initiatives are in sync with product releases and customer needs.

2. Data-driven decision-making:

   • Work with the analytics team to track all retention initiatives.

   • Analyse cohorts to find the best strategies for each user segment.

   • Identify value realisation as well as drop-off points to take appropriate action.

3. Refining the PMM canvas

   • Regularly engage with users through interviews, surveys, and usage data analysis.

   • Use these insights to refine positioning and messaging. Also, use them to inform product development and retention strategies.

   • Ensure consistent communication of value proposition across all touch-points.

4. Growth Loop identification:

   • Find and improve viral loops in the product. They should boost retention and acquisition.

5. Retention playbook development:

   • Document successful strategies. Create a playbook to refine and scale as the startup grows.

By the end of the 90 days, the PMM should have:

• A clear understanding of the most effective retention drivers for its products.

• A data-backed strategy for ongoing user engagement and feature adoption.

• A strong foundation for a user community and advocacy program.

• Insights to guide the product roadmap and go-to-market strategies for the next growth phase.

STRATEGIES IN ACTION

About Notion

Notion is a productivity and note-taking web app. It was developed by Notion Labs, Inc. It was originally aimed at startup teams and tech-savvy individuals.

Early success on product hunt:

Notion’s public launch was boosted by significant achievements on Product Hunt:

• Notion 1.0 was Product Hunt's #1 Product of the Day in 2016.

• Notion 2.0 claimed the same title in 2018.

These wins helped propel Notion’s growth and visibility within the tech community.

Notion’s user retention strategy

Multifaceted Approach: Notion’s retention strategy focuses on experimentation, personalisation, and community engagement. This combination has played a key role in driving user adoption and retention.

Experimentation & analytics

Notion uses data-driven experimentation to improve user experience:

• A/B Testing: Tools like Statsig help run experiments that boosted activation rates by 10-15%.

• Holdout Groups: They isolate effects of specific features to inform future development.

Personalised Onboarding: Notion customised onboarding by refining questions for new users. This improves data collection and user activation.

Community-driven growth:

Notion’s early user base fuelled word-of-mouth growth, reaching 1M subscribers by 2019. Their Ambassador Program gives passionate users early access, fostering excitement and feedback.

Segmented communication:

Targeted emails to user segments highlight new feature benefits. Clear CTAs drive adoption.

Growth & impact

From 1M users in 2019 to 30M in 2024, Notion’s growth is exceptional. 

With 4M paying customers and a 13% conversion rate, they have mastered the freemium model. 

Revenue reached $67.2M in 2024, a 36% YoY increase, with a $10B valuation.

Notion isn’t just growing—it’s redefining workplace collaboration.

RESOURCES ON SPOTLIGHT

• 90 Days framework (download here)

• How Notion uses data for retention ( link)

• Solving retention with loops. GrowthHackers ( link)

Book:

• Building a story brand (link)