The best products don’t just grow — they grow themselves.

Here are 5 growth loops used by top tech companies:

1. Personal Viral Loop

The more people use it, the more valuable it becomes.

Examples: Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams

Think collaboration tools that spread through team invites.

2. Financial Viral Loop

Growth is incentivized with cash or credits.

Examples: PayPal, Dropbox

“Refer and earn” mechanics at their finest.

3. User-Generated Content Loop

Users create content that attracts more users.

Examples: Reddit, Quora, Facebook Groups, Slack Communities

Communities building communities.

4. Supply-Side Content Loop

Monetary incentives drive creators to bring in more users.

Examples: ProductHunt, Meetup

Creators fuel the ecosystem.

5. Embedded Loop

The product grows by being embedded or mentioned elsewhere.

Examples: Trustpilot, G2, Capterra

Visibility on other platforms becomes a growth engine.

Which loop does your product use? Or do you have a hybrid?