Product-Led Growth: cheatsheet for busy founders

What's PLG? What benefits does it bring? Where can you read more?

Giustino BorzacchielloFeb 26, 2024

📈 Definition — Product-led growth (PLG) is a business methodology where user acquisition, conversion, and retention are primarily driven by the product itself.
🔄 Company Alignment — PLG creates alignment across teams, focusing on the product as the main source of sustainable business growth.
💻 User Experience — PLG emphasizes a consumer-grade user experience, often through freemium or free trial models, to drive adoption and retention.
🔍 Democratization — PLG is not about product managers leading but about democratizing decision-making to build better products.

Examples

📊 Zoom — A prime example of successful PLG, with a rapid user base growth and a market cap of $15.9 billion at IPO.
💼 Airtable — Demonstrates PLG with $142 million in revenue in 2022 and the creation of Airtable Universe to scale use cases.
💬 Slack — Known for its PLG approach, allowing users to experience the product without a traditional sales process.

Benefits

🕒 Shorter Sales Cycle — PLG can reduce the time-to-value and sales cycle by letting users onboard themselves.
🌟 Better User Experience — Focusing on the product leads to a more intuitive and valuable user experience.
💰 Lower CAC — A self-serve model can lower customer acquisition costs by allowing users to upgrade without sales interactions.
👥 Higher RPE — Product-led companies can achieve higher revenue per employee due to scalable operations.

Adoption Process

🆓 Freemium Model — Many PLG companies offer a free version of their product with the option to upgrade for advanced features.
🔄 Trial Experience — Free trials allow users to experience the product before committing to a paid plan.
📈 Virality — PLG strategies often leverage the virality of the product to attract new users and drive growth.

Market Evolution

📉 Shift in Demand — Users now expect a consumer-grade experience, driving the need for PLG in B2B and B2C markets.
🔀 Consumerization — The trend towards consumer-like experiences in enterprise software is a key driver of PLG adoption.
📚 History of PLG — The term 'product-led growth' was coined in 2016, but the approach has been evolving over the past decade.

Additional Reading

📈 Definition — Product-led growth (PLG) is a business methodology where user acquisition, conversion, and retention are primarily driven by the product itself.
🔄 Company Alignment — PLG creates alignment across teams, focusing on the product as the main source of sustainable business growth.
💻 User Experience — PLG emphasizes a consumer-grade user experience, often through freemium or free trial models, to drive adoption and retention.
🔍 Democratization — PLG is not about product managers leading but about democratizing decision-making to build better products.

Examples

📊 Zoom — A prime example of successful PLG, with a rapid user base growth and a market cap of $15.9 billion at IPO.
💼 Airtable — Demonstrates PLG with $142 million in revenue in 2022 and the creation of Airtable Universe to scale use cases.
💬 Slack — Known for its PLG approach, allowing users to experience the product without a traditional sales process.

Benefits

🕒 Shorter Sales Cycle — PLG can reduce the time-to-value and sales cycle by letting users onboard themselves.
🌟 Better User Experience — Focusing on the product leads to a more intuitive and valuable user experience.
💰 Lower CAC — A self-serve model can lower customer acquisition costs by allowing users to upgrade without sales interactions.
👥 Higher RPE — Product-led companies can achieve higher revenue per employee due to scalable operations.

Adoption Process

🆓 Freemium Model — Many PLG companies offer a free version of their product with the option to upgrade for advanced features.
🔄 Trial Experience — Free trials allow users to experience the product before committing to a paid plan.
📈 Virality — PLG strategies often leverage the virality of the product to attract new users and drive growth.

Market Evolution

📉 Shift in Demand — Users now expect a consumer-grade experience, driving the need for PLG in B2B and B2C markets.
🔀 Consumerization — The trend towards consumer-like experiences in enterprise software is a key driver of PLG adoption.
📚 History of PLG — The term 'product-led growth' was coined in 2016, but the approach has been evolving over the past decade.

Additional Reading

📈 Definition — Product-led growth (PLG) is a business methodology where user acquisition, conversion, and retention are primarily driven by the product itself.
🔄 Company Alignment — PLG creates alignment across teams, focusing on the product as the main source of sustainable business growth.
💻 User Experience — PLG emphasizes a consumer-grade user experience, often through freemium or free trial models, to drive adoption and retention.
🔍 Democratization — PLG is not about product managers leading but about democratizing decision-making to build better products.

Examples

📊 Zoom — A prime example of successful PLG, with a rapid user base growth and a market cap of $15.9 billion at IPO.
💼 Airtable — Demonstrates PLG with $142 million in revenue in 2022 and the creation of Airtable Universe to scale use cases.
💬 Slack — Known for its PLG approach, allowing users to experience the product without a traditional sales process.

Benefits

🕒 Shorter Sales Cycle — PLG can reduce the time-to-value and sales cycle by letting users onboard themselves.
🌟 Better User Experience — Focusing on the product leads to a more intuitive and valuable user experience.
💰 Lower CAC — A self-serve model can lower customer acquisition costs by allowing users to upgrade without sales interactions.
👥 Higher RPE — Product-led companies can achieve higher revenue per employee due to scalable operations.

Adoption Process

🆓 Freemium Model — Many PLG companies offer a free version of their product with the option to upgrade for advanced features.
🔄 Trial Experience — Free trials allow users to experience the product before committing to a paid plan.
📈 Virality — PLG strategies often leverage the virality of the product to attract new users and drive growth.

Market Evolution

📉 Shift in Demand — Users now expect a consumer-grade experience, driving the need for PLG in B2B and B2C markets.
🔀 Consumerization — The trend towards consumer-like experiences in enterprise software is a key driver of PLG adoption.
📚 History of PLG — The term 'product-led growth' was coined in 2016, but the approach has been evolving over the past decade.

Additional Reading

📈 Definition — Product-led growth (PLG) is a business methodology where user acquisition, conversion, and retention are primarily driven by the product itself.
🔄 Company Alignment — PLG creates alignment across teams, focusing on the product as the main source of sustainable business growth.
💻 User Experience — PLG emphasizes a consumer-grade user experience, often through freemium or free trial models, to drive adoption and retention.
🔍 Democratization — PLG is not about product managers leading but about democratizing decision-making to build better products.

Examples

📊 Zoom — A prime example of successful PLG, with a rapid user base growth and a market cap of $15.9 billion at IPO.
💼 Airtable — Demonstrates PLG with $142 million in revenue in 2022 and the creation of Airtable Universe to scale use cases.
💬 Slack — Known for its PLG approach, allowing users to experience the product without a traditional sales process.

Benefits

🕒 Shorter Sales Cycle — PLG can reduce the time-to-value and sales cycle by letting users onboard themselves.
🌟 Better User Experience — Focusing on the product leads to a more intuitive and valuable user experience.
💰 Lower CAC — A self-serve model can lower customer acquisition costs by allowing users to upgrade without sales interactions.
👥 Higher RPE — Product-led companies can achieve higher revenue per employee due to scalable operations.

Adoption Process

🆓 Freemium Model — Many PLG companies offer a free version of their product with the option to upgrade for advanced features.
🔄 Trial Experience — Free trials allow users to experience the product before committing to a paid plan.
📈 Virality — PLG strategies often leverage the virality of the product to attract new users and drive growth.

Market Evolution

📉 Shift in Demand — Users now expect a consumer-grade experience, driving the need for PLG in B2B and B2C markets.
🔀 Consumerization — The trend towards consumer-like experiences in enterprise software is a key driver of PLG adoption.
📚 History of PLG — The term 'product-led growth' was coined in 2016, but the approach has been evolving over the past decade.