Growth idea action plan
Linear open-only pilot import before archive drag
Pilot the migration with a few teams and open issues first before dragging years of stale backlog into the evaluation workspace.
Why this can grow a startup
A switch stalls when the first demo workspace already feels bloated, historical, and hard to parse. Linear's importer docs are blunt about that tradeoff: some teams use the move as a clean break, some keep a fuller history, and evaluators often start by importing only a few teams. Pair that with the option to bring only open issues while sending old work to the archive, and the trial starts to feel like current work instead of a museum of the old system.
Ian's take
From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. My bias is to treat this as a small market test first. Make the audience narrow, make the promise concrete, and let the first real response decide whether it deserves more work. For activation, the useful question is not whether users liked the page. It is whether they got to the first meaningful win faster. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.
Action plan
- Define one narrow startup segment where linear open-only pilot import before archive drag can create a measurable lift.
- Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Migration and Onboarding channel.
- Use the evidence from linear.app to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
- Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
- Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.
Source-backed example
Linear recommends considering whether old data needs to live in the new workspace at all, suggests piloting with just a few teams during evaluation, and lets import assistants bring only open issues or also place closed and stale work into the archive.
Source: Linear Docs: Importer (linear.app)
GrowthDex source hub: Linear Docs: Importer
Last checked: 2026-06-08T12:08:13.000Z
Adjacent tactics in the same lane
If this page is close to your problem, these tactic pages usually belong in the same working set.
- Linear top-level team import before sub-team polish same source · 2 shared channels · 1 shared stage
- Reviewable import assistant with bulk reimport safety same source · 1 shared channel · 2 shared stages
- Source-specific import assistant for switchers same source · 3 shared stages
- Clean-break import pilot for switchers same source · 1 shared channel · 1 shared stage
Related GrowthDex essays
- The switch should look like current work before the cutover migration, project operations, developer tools
Read GrowthDex essays
The Blog turns real growth tactics into plain-English case studies by niche, channel, and buying situation.
Why this is worth your time
GrowthDex starts with tactics that founders, marketers, and product teams have actually tried. Each essay turns the evidence into a practical move you can test without pretending one case study is a guarantee.
Ian Goh has helped grow consumer platforms across Southeast Asia, India, and MENA. His work includes scaling Tiki to 100M+ users, doubling BIGO's MENA revenue in 7 months, and increasing OYO's direct booking share across 6 Southeast Asian markets.
- Helped scale Tiki to 100M+ users.
- Doubled BIGO's MENA revenue in 7 months.
- Raised OYO's direct booking share by 50% across 6 Southeast Asian markets.
Want help turning this into a growth system?
If you want someone to pressure-test this against your real market, Ian works with founders on growth, market entry, and operator-led distribution.
Work with Ian on growth advisory