Product-Led Growth: cheatsheet for busy founders

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

Giustino Borzacchiello
Giustino BorzacchielloFeb 26, 2024
Having a clear plan with defined objectives helps focus a UX audit on high impact issues and avoid wasted effort on low value findings
Having a clear plan with defined objectives helps focus a UX audit on high impact issues and avoid wasted effort on low value findings
  • 📈 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.

Additional Reading

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right product

The first step is a quick chat

Donux srl © 2026 Via Carlo Farini 5, 20154 Milano P.IVA IT11315200961

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