Discovery Over Awareness

Optimize for intent-driven discovery, not passive awareness

Camille Ricketts
How Notion leveraged community to build a $10B business

Discovery Over Awareness

"I love using the word discovery because I think that that is even a little bit like a step further than awareness where true discovery is when you have intent to find out more. You've heard about it so many times or you've been intrigued by something that someone has told you to the extent that you're actually going to take the step of now learning about it." - Camille Ricketts

What It Is

Discovery Over Awareness is a subtle but important reframing of brand marketing goals. While awareness means people have heard of you, discovery means they're motivated enough to actively learn more.

The distinction matters because:

  • Awareness = passive recognition ("I've heard of Notion")
  • Discovery = active intent ("I should try Notion")

Many companies optimize for awareness metrics (impressions, reach) when what actually drives growth is discovery—people crossing the threshold from "I've heard of it" to "I'm going to look into it."

How It Works

The framework changes what you measure and what you optimize for:

Traditional Awareness Metrics

  • Total impressions
  • Brand recall surveys
  • Social mentions
  • Ad reach

Discovery Metrics

  • Net new visitors to your website
  • New signups from organic sources
  • Inbound "how did you hear about us" = word of mouth
  • Conversion from awareness to exploration

The Key Question

Instead of "How many people have heard of us?" ask "How many people were motivated enough to come learn about us?"

How to Apply It

  1. Shift your north star - Track net new visitors to your website as a primary metric for brand/community efforts

  2. Optimize for motivation - Design campaigns, community programs, and content to create curiosity, not just impressions

  3. Stack touchpoints - Discovery often requires multiple exposures. Build programs that create repeated, varied contact.

  4. Track discovery sources - Survey new users on what motivated them to actually try the product

  5. Enable discovery moments - When someone expresses curiosity, reduce friction to learning more

Notion's Discovery Stack

Notion built discovery through layered touchpoints:

Channel How It Created Discovery
Community ambassadors Personal recommendations from trusted peers
In-person events Direct experience and social proof
Influencer content Detailed demonstrations of value
Template sharing Concrete examples of what's possible
Press coverage Third-party validation

Each layer increased the likelihood that someone moved from awareness to active discovery.

When to Use It

  • When setting goals for brand marketing efforts
  • When evaluating community and content investments
  • When designing acquisition funnels
  • When explaining the value of brand work to stakeholders focused on direct response metrics

Source

  • Guest: Camille Ricketts
  • Episode: "How Notion leveraged community to build a $10B business"
  • Key Discussion: (00:14:59) - Distinction between discovery and awareness
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

Related Frameworks

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