15 top growth marketers and growth hackers to follow this year

15 minutes

08.08.2023

15 top growth marketers and growth hackers to follow this year

Growth marketers often face a significant challenge: generating a steady stream of hypotheses every week. Aimed at enhancing user engagement, customer acquisition, or other growth metrics, coming up with 5-10 fresh, effective ideas weekly can be daunting. The pressure to constantly innovate and deliver impactful hypotheses can lead to a persistent lack of inspiration, affecting both the quality and quantity of their output.

In this article, I’m thrilled to share a list of top growth marketers and growth hackers who inspire us daily. From fueling our strategic decisions to molding our growth perspective, their influence is invaluable in our journey towards becoming better grow marketers.

Let’s dive in!

Neil Patel

Neil Patel is a leading digital marketing guru whose strategies and insights have been instrumental in my professional development. Awarded top influencer by the ‘Wall Street Journal’, and a top 10 marketer by ‘Forbes’, Patel’s innovative approach is a masterclass in growth marketing.

Neil Patel’s focus primarily revolves around SEO, content marketing, and conversion optimization. He also frequently shares insights on user acquisition tactics and social media marketing strategies.

Here is an example of his post:

For top growth insights, follow Neil Patel on:

Dashly growth marketing experts

Hi, it is me — Polly, and my grow marketers team:

Together we’ve been improving conversion rates of Dashly, a top platform for SaaS marketers and its clients since 2014. Here is our story 👇

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For example, here are some of the best scenarios for SaaS companies website conversion growth. Results forecast is included.

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Sean Ellis

Sean Ellis is another name that stands at the very roots of growth hacking–he actually coined the term! Having been the marketer responsible for staggering growth at companies like Dropbox, LogMeIn, and Eventbrite, he’s an authority in the growth marketing field.

Ellis often writes about agile marketing, growth model strategies, and developing a successful North Star metric. His recent focus has been on the ideation and execution of high-tempo testing.

Here is an example of his post:

For top growth inspo follow Sean Ellis on:

Twitter
LinkedIn
On his blog at GrowthHackers

Hiten Shah

Hiten Shah, co-founder of three SaaS companies — Crazy Egg, KISSmetrics, and QuickSprout, is the best seasoned expert to follow. He offers invaluable lessons on startup growth, product marketing, and entrepreneurship.

Shah’s content primarily involves SaaS metrics, product development, B2B SaaS startups, marketing strategies, and management.

Here is an example of his post:

For growth inspo follow Hiten Shah on:

Brian Balfour

Brian Balfour, founder and CEO of Reforge, has a progressive approach to growth marketing that’s rooted in building, optimising, and scaling marketing processes. With experience as a former VP of Growth at HubSpot, Balfour brings a unique and holistic view.

Balfour focuses on user acquisition, retention, engagement, monetization, and resurrection.

You’ll also find deep-dives into growth strategy, process, and culture. Here is an example of his post:

Follow Brian Balfour at:

Rand Fishkin

Rand Fishkin, co-founder of Moz and founder of SparkToro, is a name that rings loud in SEO and digital marketing spheres. Fishkin’s years of expertise make his insights highly valuable for anyone looking to excel in growth marketing.

Fishkin’s online musings cover a variety of topics centered around SEO, Social Media, Content Marketing, and Web analytics.

Here is one of his posts:

Follow Rand Fishkin on:

Joanna Wiebe

top growth marketing experts — Image source

Known as the original conversion copywriter, Joanna Wiebe, the co-founder of Copy Hackers and Airstory, knows how to turn words into revenue. Joanna’s client list includes brands like Wistia, Buffer, Canva, and Shopify.

Wiebe writes extensively about conversion copywriting, email marketing, content marketing, and digital strategy.

Here is one of her posts:

Follow Joanna Wiebe at:

Alex Schultz

Currently, the CEO of Facebook’s partner company Novi, Alex Schultz, an industry veteran, has played an instrumental role in Facebook’s meteoric rise. With almost a decade spent as Facebook’s VP of growth, Schultz’s strategies are worth noting for any growth marketer.

Schultz’s expertise spans User Acquisition, Retention, Engagement, and Monetization, with a focus on growth in the social media domain.

Here is one of his posts:

Follow Alex Schultz on Twitter

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Andrew Chen

Andrew Chen, currently a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, formerly led the Rider Growth teams at Uber. With his vast experience in startups, mobile, metrics, and growth, Chen brings a wealth of knowledge to anyone eager to learn about growth marketing.

Chen writes about mobile, metrics, and growth, sharing theories on viral growth, user acquisition, and retention strategies.

Here is one of his posts:

You can follow Andrew Chen at:

Brian Dean

Brian Dean, the founder of Backlinko, is a globally recognized expert in SEO, content marketing, and link building. His data-driven approach and actionable SEO insights have made him a favourite in the digital marketing community.

His focus is on providing actionable SEO, link building, and content marketing strategies.

Here is one of his posts:

You can follow Brian Dean at:

Peep Laja

Peep Laja, founder of CXL, Wynter, and the CXL Institute, is a renowned conversion optimization champion. With his extensive knowledge on turning website visitors into customers, Laja is a must-follow for growth marketers.

Laja provides valuable insights on conversion optimization, digital analytics, UX design, and growth marketing strategies.

Here is one of his posts:

To learn more, follow Peep Laja on:

Ann Handley

Ann Handley is a Wall Street Journal best-selling author, a LinkedIn Influencer, and the world’s first Chief Content Officer. She’s the co-founder of ClickZ and currently runs MarketingProfs.

Handley covers topics from content marketing, email marketing, to inspirational entrepreneurial stories and broader marketing trends.

Here is one of her posts:

Feel free to follow Ann Handley on:

Talia Wolf

Talia Wolf, founder and Chief Optimizer at GetUplift, is a world-renowned conversion optimization specialist. With her comprehensive thoughts on emotive targeting and customer-driven practices, she is a highly recommended growth marketer.

Talia’s content primarily covers customer-centric marketing, landing pages, creating funnels, and other conversion optimization tactics.

Here is one of her posts:

You can follow Talia Wolf on:

Kieran Flanagan

As a Senior VP of Marketing at HubSpot, Kieran Flanagan is an established name in the growth hacking world. His extensive knowledge on customer acquisition makes him a superb mentor among top grow marketers.

Kieran mainly discusses inbound marketing, content marketing, SEO, CRO, and various growth strategies.

Here is one of his posts:

Links to follow Kieran Flanagan:

Ada Chen Rekhi product growth marketing expert

Ada Chen Rekhi is the founder of Notejoy and has previously led marketing teams at SurveyMonkey. Her wealth of experience and practical insights on growth marketing is highly compelling.

Ada’s focus is on product led growth, SaaS metrics, startup marketing, and funnel optimization.

Here is one of her posts:

Feel free to follow Ada Chen Rekhi on:

Aleyda Solis growth hacking expert in SEO

An international SEO marketing consulting expert, Aleyda Solis runs a boutique SEO consultancy, Orainti. Named one of Forbes’ top 10 digital marketing specialists, her digital growth strategies provide valuable guidance.

Aleyda’s topics include technical SEO, mobile SEO, international SEO, and other digital marketing strategies.

Here is one of her posts:

You can follow Aleyda Solis on

FAQ on the best growth hackers

Who are the top growth marketers in the world?

The top growth marketers in the world include Neil Patel, Sean Ellis, Andrew Chen, and Brian Balfour, among others. They are admired for their innovative growth strategies and their ability to drive sustainable business growth.

What exactly do growth hackers do?

Growth hackers focus on strategies that drive user growth. They experiment with innovative, cost-effective marketing processes and leverage data-driven insights to identify and harness growth opportunities.

How can I learn from these growth hacking experts?

Most of these experts maintain active blogs and social media profiles where they regularly share their experiences, insights, and advice. They also often speak at conferences, write books, or offer courses.

How can following the best marketers in the world help grow my business?

By following the top marketers, you can gain insights into the latest marketing trends, strategies that drive growth and learn how to effectively implement these strategies in your business.

What common traits do these leading growth marketers share?

Growth marketing experts are typically data-driven, creative, and always open to learning and trying new ideas. They also have a deep understanding of their customers and continually optimize their methods based on customer feedback and behavior.

Who are female growth marketing experts making a mark in the business?

Notable female growth marketing experts include Joanna Wiebe, Ann Handley, and Talia Wolf, among others. They’re known for their innovative marketing strategies and their significant contributions to the field.

Can I become a growth marketing expert?

Definitely! Like any other field, you can become a growth marketing expert with constant learning and experimentation. It’s essential to stay updated on the latest trends, continually test different strategies, and measure the success of your efforts.

Is growth hacking applicable to all industries?

While the strategies and specific tactics may differ, the principles of growth hacking are applicable across industries. Any business that wishes to scale quickly and efficiently can benefit from the data-driven, experimental approach that growth hacking involves.

Where can I follow these top growth marketers and hackers?

Most of these experts are active on social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn. They also have blogs where they share insights and strategies. If they’ve written books or offer courses, those can be valuable resources as well. You can refer to the list provided in previous answers for specific links.

Subscribe to the Dashly newsletter and get valable insights regularly

Thanks! Insights and updates are on their way 💌

Read also:

Growth marketing framework: Battle-tested insights from Dashly experts
Growth Product Manager: Charting new frontiers in product scaling
20 product led growth examples to inspire your team [expert edition]

PolinaGrowth Marketer at Dashly

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