For years, many growth professionals relied on the T-shaped marketer model. It seemed logical: develop deep expertise in a primary channel (the vertical line) while staying informed about other marketing areas (the horizontal line). Thought leaders like Brian Balfour and teams at Buffer championed this approach. Stefan at CXL also explained how it blends specialist and generalist skills.

The Three Layers Of A T-Shaped Marketer

• Base Knowledge. A broad understanding of marketing principles.

• Marketing Foundation. Skills in messaging, positioning and user psychology.

• Channel Expertise. Mastery of channels like paid ads, email or content marketing.

This model once helped teams move quickly. A marketer who understood the bigger picture and owned core channels could reduce silos and push experiments forward with minimal friction.

Why The T-Shaped Model Is Evolving

Lately, three key changes are redefining the T-shaped role:

• AI And Automation. Tools now create copy, design assets and prototypes. Jobs once held by specialists can be done by almost anyone with the right software.

• Unpredictable Shifts. Rapid changes in the market ask for marketers who are ready to pivot. A single area of expertise is no longer enough.

• Speed And Autonomy. Growth teams need to launch experiments fast. Great marketers today often juggle multiple channels instead of relying on one specialist.

Some, like Josh Lachkovic (read more here), argue that the T-shaped profile is ceding ground to the ‘growth artisan’—a marketer who builds entire growth systems, thinks like a founder and adapts to new data constantly.

Shifting To A New Growth Mindset

The most effective marketers focus on first principles. They form hypotheses, set clear metrics, and align each experiment to a wider growth strategy. Rather than fixating on specific tools or channels, they track how every outcome impacts the bigger picture. This blend of data-savvy thinking and creative problem-solving is the new hallmark of an impactful marketer.

How Growth Method Helps Modern Growth Teams

Although T-shaped skills are still useful, marketers often need a single system that supports ideation, experimentation and reporting. That is where Growth Method comes in. We are a growth marketing OS that helps you run a more efficient, data-focused marketing function.

• Ideation. Capture growth ideas as structured hypotheses, auto-categorised and ready for team feedback.

• Experimentation. Move experiments through building, live, analysing and complete stages with built-in timeframes to keep velocity high.

• Reporting. Generate clear, professional reports for teams and stakeholders, enabling everyone to track progress and see results.

At Growth Method, we believe in a platform that is light on features and heavy on impact. The goal is to minimise time spent in the tool, so you can focus on execution. That is why we offer:

• AI-powered categorisation and experiment summaries

• Analytics integrations with solutions like Google Analytics, Amplitude and MixPanel

• Live human support whenever you need help

• Industry-leading reports that make it easy to prove the value of your work

• Free white glove migration service, so you can get started quickly

“We are on-track to deliver a 43% increase in inbound leads this year. There is no doubt the adoption of Growth Method is the primary driver behind these results.” — Laura Perrott, Colt Technology Services

Growth Method is the only work management platform built for growth marketers. We help teams implement a systematic approach to grow leads and revenue. Book a call today.