In the traction phase, your early users found you through your network, through niche communities, through word of mouth (WoM). They like the product despite its rough edges.
That is the beauty of WoM. Your early users "get it." Their friends are people that get it, too.
From traction to "growth mode"
Then you enter growth mode.
The false-negative trap
Founders often blame the channel when growth stalls.
Key questions instead:
- Meta is a low-context channel.
- Low-context channels must be paired with low-friction product experiences.
If not, the channel might not be the problem. The product, onboarding, and pricing may not be engineered for that channel.