The AAARRR Pirate Canvas helps you track, measure, and optimize your customer journey across six stages: Awareness, Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Revenue, and Referral.
Visualize user flow, calculate conversion rates, and identify bottlenecks—so you know exactly where customers drop off and what to fix first.
What you'll accomplish:
Full-funnel visibility — See user progression across all six stages in one view
Bottleneck identification — Spot the biggest drop-offs in your customer journey
Data-driven optimization — Focus improvements where they'll have the most impact
Team alignment — Unite marketing, sales, product, and success around shared metrics
Who this is for:
Growth teams tracking funnel performance
Marketers optimizing campaign effectiveness
Product managers improving activation and retention
Founders diagnosing where growth stalls
How to use this template:
1. Fill in data and calculate conversion rates
Enter user counts for each stage. Calculate the percentage moving from one stage to the next.
Formula: (Users in Stage B ÷ Users in Stage A) × 100 = Conversion Rate %
Example: 10,000 visitors (Acquisition) → 1,000 sign-ups (Activation) = 10% conversion rate
2. Define strategies for each stage
Outline key channels, metrics, and growth tactics that will improve performance at each step.
3. Identify bottlenecks and optimize
Focus on stages with the biggest drop-offs. Implement targeted improvements—better onboarding, engagement campaigns, pricing adjustments—to address gaps.
4. Track progress over time
Regularly update the canvas with fresh data. Monitor how changes impact conversion rates and iterate based on results.
What's included:
Pre-built AAARRR stage framework
Conversion rate calculation fields
Strategy and metrics sections for each stage
Bottleneck analysis guidance
Pro tips:
Use this in team workshops to align marketing, sales, and product around growth goals
Pair with the KPI Bank to identify key metrics and proven optimization tactics for each stage
Start visualizing your funnel and fixing what's broken.
