Hiring a marketer for your startup? You’ve probably seen titles like “Growth Marketer” and “Performance Marketer” pop up again and again.

But what’s the real difference?
And more importantly: which one do you actually need right now?

In early-stage startups, making the wrong hire can cost you more than just money. It can slow down momentum, burn budget, and leave your team without the support it truly needs.

This post is a clear guide to help you figure out who to bring in, and when.

Table of Contents:

• What’s the Difference? Growth vs Performance Marketing 
• Who Should You Hire First? 
• Common Hiring Mistakes to Avoid 
• SuperStuff Can Help You Hire the Right Marketer 
• Final Word: Hire for the Stage You’re In 

What’s the Difference? Growth vs Performance Marketing 📈

Let’s start with definitions.

🧠 Growth Marketer: A growth marketer takes a full-funnel view. They experiment across multiple channels (product, content, email, paid, SEO) and use data to find scalable ways to grow users or revenue.‍

- Focus: Sustainable user or revenue growth

• Scope: Top to bottom of funnel
• Skills: Experimentation, data, creative problem-solving, product-marketing crossover
• Good for: Early-stage startups, 0→1 problems, GTM launches
• ‍

Think of them as part marketer, part product thinker, part analyst.

💸 Performance Marketer: A performance marketer specializes in paid acquisition. Their superpower is using channels like Meta Ads, Google Ads, and influencer spend to drive measurable conversions, and do it fast.

• Focus: Paid campaigns with clear ROI
• Scope: Mostly bottom of the funnel (acquisition & conversion)
• Skills: Channel expertise, A/B testing, landing page optimization, budget scaling
• Good for: Scaling proven growth loops, eCommerce, B2C apps

They’re your go-to when you’ve found something that works and now want to scale it efficiently.

Who Should You Hire First? 🤔

Here’s how to decide:

Hire a Growth Marketer if: ✅ 

• You’re still figuring out your most effective channels
• You need someone to experiment across paid, content, product, and email
• You want to grow users or revenue, but don’t know the exact path yet
• You’re launching a new product, market, or pricing model
  

Hire a Performance Marketer if: ✅ 

• You have product-market fit and a budget for paid media
• You know paid works, and you’re ready to scale it
• You want to maximize ROAS across platforms like Meta, Google, LinkedIn
• You already have a brand or content foundation in place
  
  

🔁 Still not sure? Many startups start with a growth marketer to explore and validate channels, then bring in a performance marketer once paid acquisition starts showing promise.

Common Hiring Mistakes to Avoid 🚫

• Expecting one person to be both. These roles overlap but require different mindsets. Growth = breadth + strategy. Performance = depth + execution.
  
  
• Hiring too late. If your founders are still running ads or sending email campaigns and growth is stalling — it’s time.
  
  
• Judging only by past company names. Ask about how they think, what they built, what failed, and why. Context matters more than logos.

SuperStuff Can Help You Hire the Right Marketer 🧭

Whether you’re hiring your first marketing lead or expanding your growth team, SuperStuff helps you get it right — fast.

AI + Human Matchmaking: ✅
We analyze your startup stage, needs, budget, and team culture to match you with the right kind of marketer, whether it’s a growth hacker, paid marketing expert, or brand-led generalist.

Get to Know Candidates Before You Meet: 🎥
Through short video intros and work samples, you’ll see how each marketer thinks, communicates, and solves problems, before a single call is booked.

Hire Freelance, Agency, or Full-Time: 💼
Start small or go all-in. Hire freelancers and boutique agencies for free, or pay a success fee for full-time hires only when you find the right one.

Get Honest Advice on Who to Hire: 💬
Not sure whether to hire growth or performance? Full-time or freelance? We’ll help you figure it out, no strings attached.

Don’t just take our word for it, hear it from our partners: Wall of Love

Final Word: Hire for the Stage You’re In 🔑

Growth and performance marketers both bring value but at different times, and in different ways.

The key is knowing where your business is right now, and where you want it to go. Once you’ve got that clarity, the right marketer won’t just help you grow — they’ll help you grow smarter.