Product-Led Growth (PLG) Examples + Comparison of Different PLG Strategies

Product-led growth (PLG) is a strategy that leverages a company’s product as the primary driver of customer acquisition, retention, and expansion.

It's a customer-centric approach that emphasizes the product experience as a means of fueling sustainable growth. PLG focuses on the customers' experience with the product as the key factor in driving sustainable growth. Companies can leverage their product to attract new customers, retain existing ones, and ultimately grow their business in a sustainable way.

In this article, we will explore the importance of PLG in driving sustainable growth and some of the best examples of companies that have successfully implemented this strategy.

Best Product-Led Growth Examples

Slack

Slack is a prime example of a product-led growth company. Slack was designed to simplify team communication and replace the need for email. From the start, Slack was designed to be self-serve and easy to use, with no need for training or implementation services.

The product's user-friendly interface and intuitive design have enabled Slack to attract millions of users, many of whom have recommended the platform to others.

Slack’s freemium model is an integral part of its product-led growth strategy. The free version of Slack has limited features, but it's enough to get a team started. Once a team grows and needs more functionality, they can upgrade to a paid plan.

Slack’s pricing strategy is transparent, with clear pricing plans and no hidden fees. This transparency has helped the company to build trust with customers, which has fueled its growth.

Dropbox

Dropbox is another PLG example that has grown rapidly by focusing on delivering a great product experience. Dropbox's primary product is cloud-based file storage and sharing.

The company's initial success came from its free service, which enabled users to store and share files with others. Dropbox's free service became popular due to its ease of use, reliability, and cross-platform compatibility.

Dropbox's product-led growth strategy was designed to drive virality. By making it easy to share files with others, Dropbox enabled users to grow the service organically. When users shared files with non-Dropbox users, those users were invited to join Dropbox, driving new signups.

Dropbox's referral program has also been a key part of its product-led growth strategy. Users who referred new users were rewarded with additional storage space, which encouraged them to invite others to use the service.

Zoom

Zoom is a prime example of how a product-led approach can drive growth in an industry that is notoriously difficult to break into. Zoom's video conferencing product was designed to be easy to use, reliable, and accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

The product's simplicity and reliability have helped Zoom to gain a foothold in the market and attract a large number of users.

Zoom's freemium model has been a critical part of its product-led growth strategy. The free version of Zoom enables users to have unlimited one-on-one video calls and group calls with up to 100 participants. This has enabled Zoom to attract a large number of users, many of whom have recommended the product to others.

When users need more features or additional participants, they can upgrade to a paid plan. Zoom's pricing is transparent, with clear pricing plans and no hidden fees.

Calendly

Calendly, a scheduling and appointment management software company, is a prime example of the Product-Led Growth (PLG) model. Calendly's success can be attributed to their focus on building a product that solves a significant pain point for users - scheduling meetings - and making it easy to use and integrate with other software tools that teams use on a day-to-day basis.

Calendly's PLG approach has been incredibly effective in attracting and retaining users. By offering a free version of their software, Calendly has made it easy for anyone to try out their product and experience its benefits. They also provide a seamless onboarding process that guides new users through the features of the product, making it easy to get started.

Calendly's user-friendly design and ease of use have made it a popular choice for individuals and businesses of all sizes, leading to significant growth in their user base. In addition to their free plan, Calendly offers paid plans with additional features and integrations, which have further contributed to their revenue growth.

Overall, Calendly's success with the PLG model can be attributed to their focus on delivering an exceptional product experience. By prioritizing user needs and constantly innovating to provide new features and integrations, they have become a leader in the scheduling and appointment management software space.

Their approach to PLG has enabled them to attract and retain a loyal user base, as well as drive revenue growth through their paid plans. As a result, Calendly has established itself as a prime example of how the PLG model can be used to achieve significant business success.

Airtable

Airtable is a cloud-based database platform that has embraced the product-led growth (PLG) model. One of the key contributors of Airtable's PLG motion is its pricing structure. Airtable offers a free plan that allows users to create an unlimited number of databases with up to 1,200 records per database. The free plan also includes a basic set of features, including the ability to create forms, use templates, and access integrations.

However, to access more advanced features like revision history, advanced filtering and sorting, and custom branding, users will need to upgrade to one of Airtable's paid plans. Airtable's paid plans are structured based on the number of records and the features required, making it easy for users to scale their usage as their needs grow.

Airtable's PLG motion is created through a combination of its intuitive interface and its flexible use cases. Airtable's platform is designed to be used by individuals and teams across a wide range of industries, from creative agencies to engineering teams.

Its easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface allows users to create custom databases without the need for technical expertise. The platform also offers a wide range of templates and integrations, making it easy for users to get started quickly. This ease of use has made Airtable a popular choice for individuals and small teams, who can quickly start using the platform for free and then upgrade to paid plans as their usage grows.

Additionally, Airtable's platform is highly customizable, allowing users to create databases that suit their specific needs, making it a powerful tool for larger teams and organizations. This flexibility has helped Airtable to grow its user base and become a leader in the PLG space.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Product-Led Growth (PLG) model is an effective strategy for companies to drive sustainable growth by focusing on delivering a great product experience. This customer-centric approach emphasizes the product's user experience as the key driver of acquisition, retention, and expansion.

The success of companies such as Slack, Dropbox, Zoom, HubSpot, and Calendly is attributed to their PLG approach, which has enabled them to attract and retain a loyal user base, drive revenue growth, and establish themselves as leaders in their respective industries.

As more companies adopt the PLG model, we can expect to see a shift towards a more user-centric approach to growth, with a focus on delivering exceptional onboarding and product experiences.

If you are planning to adopt the PLG model or looking for inspirations, be sure to check out Inflection.io, we help you build personalized onboarding, adoption, retention, and expansion campaigns effectively using real-time product activity data.