Hotmail grew to over 12 million users in the late 1990s by including a signature in all emails sent by its users that read "PS - I Love You" and linked to the Hotmail homepage. This allowed every email sent to advertise Hotmail and attract new users to their free email service. The tactic showed how companies can optimize every interaction customers have as a way to guide them towards desired actions or destinations.

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Famous Growth Hacks:
Hotmail’s Love Note Cross Post
In the late 90s, Hotmail became one of the most popular email service providers
in the world with over 12 million email accounts. They were later purchased by
Microsoft for $400 million.
How was Hotmail creative with technology?
Hotmail took advantage of a tactic called cross posting by including a signature
at the bottom of every single email that was sent by their users. Emails being
sent via Hotmail from any user contained a line at the end, “PS- I Love You”, and
contained a link to the Hotmail homepage. This means that every single point of
contact between a user and their message recipients served as an
advertisement for Hotmail.
How did Hotmail focus on what people want?
Not only was the message eye-catching, the idea of a free email account during
a time when most email services were paid was quite attractive as well. They
used this sneaky branding tactic to connect potential users with something they
wanted.
What can we learn from Hotmail?
Think about every touchpoint (interaction) you customer has with your
company and optimize those interactions by leading customers where you
would like them to go. Featuring coupons codes in the signature of every
email employees send to clients or customers, clear calls to action at the
end of every blog post, and social share buttons on all digital content are
just a few examples. Lead them to the destination.