Hierarchy of Engagement

Use it when you're flooded with engagement metrics and need to pinpoint the actions that truly move the needle.

What is it?

The Hierarchy of Engagement, coined by Sarah Tavel, is a tiered model that ranks user actions from low-commitment interactions to high-value behaviors, think ‘browse' at the bottom, ‘share' in the middle, and ‘pay' at the top.

It solves the classic product dilemma of ‘which engagement metric should I optimize first?' by forcing you to categorize every interaction by the effort required and the impact delivered. At its core, you map out all potential user touchpoints, clicks, comments, shares, referrals, purchases, then stack them into levels: foundational behaviors you must win (like visits and sign-ups), momentum actions that prove product-market fit (like shares or invites), and revenue-driving commitments (like subscriptions or transactions).

By laying this out visually, you instantly see where to double down resources, which micro-conversions to A/B test, and which features earn you the highest ROI on growth.

Why it matters?

By forcing you to visualize and prioritize real user behaviors, the Hierarchy of Engagement aligns your roadmap with the actions that drive retention, referrals, and revenue. Instead of chasing vanity metrics, you funnel resources into micro-conversions that stack up into exponential growth chains, from first click to loyal customer.

How it works

Growth co-pilot turns your toughest product questions into clear, data-backed recommendations you can act on immediately.

List Every User Action

Inventory every meaningful behavior, page visits, clicks, social shares, referrals, purchases, so you're not guessing which actions exist in your flow.

Classify by Effort vs. Impact

For each action, estimate user effort (time, clicks, cognitive load) and business impact (retention lift, referral multiplier, revenue).

Build the Pyramid

Arrange actions in ascending order of effort on the vertical axis and ascending impact on the horizontal axis. Lower tiers: frequent, low-value actions. Upper tiers: infrequent, high-value actions.

Select Your Focus Tier

Identify the tier where small effort yields the largest impact, this sweet spot is your priority for optimizations and experiments.

Iterate with Data

Track each action's conversion rate and impact metric. If an action underperforms, run micro-tests to remove friction or double down on features amplifying it.

Frequently asked questions

Growth co-pilot turns your toughest product questions into clear, data-backed recommendations you can act on immediately.

How is the Hierarchy of Engagement different from traditional funnel analysis?

A funnel captures sequential drop-off; the Hierarchy of Engagement ranks all behaviors by effort and impact, so you see the highest-leverage actions outside a linear path.

How is the Hierarchy of Engagement different from traditional funnel analysis?

A funnel captures sequential drop-off; the Hierarchy of Engagement ranks all behaviors by effort and impact, so you see the highest-leverage actions outside a linear path.

How many levels should my hierarchy have?

There's no magic number, aim for 3–5 tiers so you can group similar-effort actions together without overcomplicating the model.

How many levels should my hierarchy have?

There's no magic number, aim for 3–5 tiers so you can group similar-effort actions together without overcomplicating the model.

What data do I need to build my hierarchy?

Start with basic analytics, user counts for visits, clicks, shares, sign-ups, purchases, and rough impact estimates like average order value or referral lift.

What data do I need to build my hierarchy?

Start with basic analytics, user counts for visits, clicks, shares, sign-ups, purchases, and rough impact estimates like average order value or referral lift.

Can I optimize multiple tiers at once?

You can, but it dilutes your focus. Pick the tier with the best effort-to-impact ratio, knock that out, then move up or down the hierarchy.

Can I optimize multiple tiers at once?

You can, but it dilutes your focus. Pick the tier with the best effort-to-impact ratio, knock that out, then move up or down the hierarchy.

How often should I revisit my hierarchy?

Quarterly is a good cadence: product changes or market shifts can move actions between tiers. Keep it fresh to stay laser-focused on the right behaviors.

How often should I revisit my hierarchy?

Quarterly is a good cadence: product changes or market shifts can move actions between tiers. Keep it fresh to stay laser-focused on the right behaviors.

You've mapped your core engagement actions, now run them through the CrackGrowth diagnostic to pinpoint hidden drop-off points and generate high-impact experiments before you code a single line.

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