Factor 5 of 7 · AUG framework

Advocacy audit

Do users bring more users? Advocacy is the only acquisition channel that doesn't deplete. Every other channel saturates; advocacy compounds.

What this measures

Whether existing users send new users — through shares, embeds, mentions, backlinks, screenshots in conversations, or unprompted recommendations to friends.

A user “loves” a product when:

• They open it unprompted
• They recommend it in conversation without being asked
• They tolerate friction others would churn on because the payoff is worth it
• They describe it with a specific noun phrase, not a generic category

Brains can't measure feelings directly — they measure the return signaland the share signal as honest proxies.

The 7 advocacy metrics

1. k-factor — Avg new users brought per existing user. ≥0.15 = good. ≥0.40 = viral. ≥0.80 = rare unicorn.
2. Share-per-session rate — % sessions triggering a share action. Target ≥3%.
3. Referral-link click-through — Clicks on user-generated share URLs. Target ≥18% CTR.
4. Embed growth (widgets) — New iframe embeds per month. Target ≥5/mo after Year 1.
5. Word-of-mouth attribution — % acquisition via direct/referral (not search/paid). Target ≥18%.
6. Fan content mentions — Unprompted mentions in Reddit/X/LinkedIn. Track monthly.
7. User-generated screenshots shared — Screenshots of your product on social. Track via brand-mention search.

How it's scored (1-10 rubric)

• 1-2: k-factor 0. No shares. No mentions. Product is forgettable.
• 3-4: k-factor ~0.05. Occasional share. No viral loop.
• 5-6: k-factor ~0.15. Regular mentions. 1-3 embeds.
• 7-8: k-factor ~0.30. 10+ embeds. Active fan community emerging.
• 9-10: k-factor ≥0.50+. Viral mechanic. Brand mentions outpace searches.

The 10 advocacy features (ranked by k-factor contribution)

1. Per-result share card — 1200×630 PNG + pre-composed tweet. Every calc result has “Share as image” button. Uses Canvas API; no backend needed. Contribution: +0.08 k-factor.
2. Embeddable iframe — +0.12 k-factor, compounds over years. Other sites embed your calc; each embed = permanent discovery channel + backlink.
3. Bookmarkable result URLs with title — +0.05 k-factor. When user shares URL, preview card shows specific result, not generic homepage.
4. OpenGraph images per page — +0.03 k-factor. Rich preview when URL pasted in Slack/Notion/Discord.
5. “Compare with friend” functionality — +0.04 k-factor. User invites friend to do same calc; native viral mechanic.
6. Leaderboard / public rankings — +0.03 k-factor (opt-in only). Users share their rank.
7. Public collection / watchlist URL — +0.04 k-factor. Users share curated lists they built on your site.
8. Printable / PDF export — +0.02 k-factor. Shared offline (teachers print class materials; chefs print recipes).
9. Email-a-friend button — +0.01 k-factor. Low-ceiling but zero-cost to add.
10. Twitter/X intent URLs with pre-filled text — +0.02 k-factor. Lower friction than blank share.

Advocacy anti-patterns

• Forced sharing to unlock features. Dark pattern. Backfires.
• Misleading share text. “I just saved $1000 using X!” when the user did no such thing. Erodes trust at compound speed.
• Auto-share without consent. Privacy violation; viral spam.
• Referral bribes paid in revenue. Direct $ incentives cheapen organic loops + attract low-LTV users.
• Public-by-default user data without explicit opt-in. Privacy violation.
• Tweet-to-unlock / Retweet-to-enter schemes. Spam flag from social platforms.

The deep principle

Most acquisition channels deplete. Paid ads get expensive. SEO gets competitive. Social algorithms shift. Advocacy is the only channel where Week N's output is multiplied by all prior weeks' users.

A 0.15 k-factor compounds over 12 months: 1,000 users → 1,150 → 1,323 → 1,521... by month 12, ~5,300 users from advocacy alone, before any other acquisition. Not viral by startup-fundraising standards, but durable, free, and irreversible.

Build for advocacy by making the product worth sharing. Every advocacy feature works only when the underlying product earns the share. Polish the core loop first; advocacy mechanics second.

Previous: Factor 4 — Retention. Next: Factor 6 — Monetization. Or run the full 7-factor audit.