Growth Metrics

Activation Rate

The percentage of new sign-ups who complete a defined set of actions indicating they have experienced the product's core value.

Activation is the moment a new user transitions from a sign-up to a genuinely engaged customer who has experienced what the product does. The activation event is different for every product — sending the first email campaign, creating the first board, connecting the first integration, or inviting a teammate. Getting this definition right is critical because the wrong activation metric optimises for the wrong behaviour. Activation rate is one of the highest-leverage metrics to improve: doubling the percentage of sign-ups who activate often costs almost nothing (UI changes, onboarding flows, better in-app guidance) but doubles the pool of users who can convert to paying customers. Low activation rates — below 20% — typically indicate friction in the onboarding experience, unclear product value, or a misalignment between what marketing promises and what the product delivers.