Hierarchy Of Engagement
- 296 installs
- 43 repo stars
- Updated March 7, 2026
- pmprompt/claude-plugin-product-management
hierarchy-of-engagement is a product management skill that classifies and ladders user engagement levels—from passive consumption to creation and ownership—so developers and PMs prioritize features that deepen participat
About
hierarchy-of-engagement is a pmprompt/claude-plugin-product-management skill implementing Sarah Tavel's Hierarchy of Engagement framework from Benchmark. The skill activates when teams need to define a core action, North Star metric, accruing benefits, retention mechanics, or engagement ladder language. It maps progression from a product's core action through mounting loss—the benefits users accumulate that make leaving costly. Developers and PMs use hierarchy-of-engagement to translate qualitative retention goals into prioritized feature bets for consumer products. The skill expects product context, relevant data, and constraints as inputs and returns framework-aligned recommendations for day-to-day PM work rather than code changes. Outputs include engagement level definitions, core action proposals, and retention mechanic suggestions.
- Engagement tier taxonomy
- Participation ladders
- Retention depth metrics
- Feature prioritization by tier
- Community activation
Hierarchy Of Engagement by the numbers
- 296 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- +11 installs in the week ending Aug 4, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
- Ranked #909 of 3,282 Productivity & Planning skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Data as of Aug 4, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
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| Installs | 296 |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 43 |
| Last updated | March 7, 2026 |
| Repository | pmprompt/claude-plugin-product-management ↗ |
How do you define a retention engagement ladder?
Classify and ladder user engagement levels—from passive consumption to creation and ownership—to prioritize features that deepen participation and retention.
Who is it for?
Developers and PMs on consumer products who need Sarah Tavel's engagement framework applied to core actions and retention prioritization.
Skip if: B2B infrastructure teams optimizing API uptime or security posture instead of consumer participation and retention mechanics.
When should I use this skill?
The user asks for hierarchy of engagement, core action definition, North Star metric, accruing benefits, retention mechanics, or Sarah Tavel framework guidance.
What you get
Engagement ladder map, core action definition, North Star metric proposal, and retention mechanic recommendations
- engagement ladder map
- core action definition
- retention mechanic recommendations
Files
Domain Context
This skill implements a proven product management framework. The approach combines best practices from industry leaders and is designed for practical application in day-to-day PM work.
Input Requirements
- Context about your product, feature, or problem
- Relevant data, research, or constraints (recommended but optional)
- Clear articulation of what you're trying to achieve
Hierarchy of Engagement
What It Is
The Hierarchy of Engagement is a three-level framework for building consumer products that retain users and create defensibility. The core insight: retention comes from making the product better the more you use it, so users have more to lose by leaving.
Most consumer products fail not because they lack users, but because they lack retention. Getting someone to sign up is one thing; getting them to stay is everything. This framework provides a systematic approach to building products where engagement compounds over time.
The key shift: Move from asking "How do we get more users?" to asking "How do we make each user's experience improve the more they use us?"
When to Use It
Use the Hierarchy of Engagement when you need to:
- Define your North Star metric (what action matters most?)
- Improve retention in a consumer or social product
- Build product stickiness beyond features alone
- Create switching costs that protect against competitors
- Design your onboarding/activation flow
- Evaluate product-market fit through engagement quality
- Prioritize features that drive compounding value
When Not to Use It
Don't apply this framework when:
- Building B2B enterprise software (different retention dynamics)
- The product is transactional by nature (one-time purchase)
- There's no meaningful "use over time" pattern
- You're optimizing for viral acquisition before proving retention
Resources
Writing:
- The Hierarchy of Engagement by Sarah Tavel (Medium)
- The Hierarchy of Engagement, Expanded by Sarah Tavel
Further Reading
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What framework does hierarchy-of-engagement use?
hierarchy-of-engagement implements Sarah Tavel's Hierarchy of Engagement from Benchmark, mapping progression from core action through mounting loss to deepen long-term retention.
What inputs does hierarchy-of-engagement need?
hierarchy-of-engagement requires product context, relevant data, research, and constraints. The skill returns core action, North Star, and retention mechanic recommendations for PM workflows.