Many companies still see growth as the job of marketing and sales. That approach can work for a time, especially in the early stages. But as user acquisition costs rise and competitors multiply, marketing-led growth can start to feel like an uphill climb. This is where product-led growth (PLG) comes in. Companies like Slack, Zoom, and Notion did not grow through massive ad spend. Their products became their best salespeople.

Product-led growth is not just a buzzword. It is a strategy that puts the product at the centre of acquisition, retention, and expansion. The idea is simple. A product that delivers value quickly and continuously will attract more users, keep them engaged for longer, and encourage them to deepen their relationship with your brand.

Why PLG matters now

In a competitive market, a strong product experience is one of the few growth levers you fully control. You cannot influence your competitors’ pricing or the latest ad auction rules, but you can design an experience that makes customers stay, upgrade, and recommend you to others.

PLG is not only relevant to SaaS businesses. Any startup or scale-up with a repeatable customer journey can use product-led principles to lower acquisition costs and increase lifetime value.

The core principles

1. Frictionless onboarding
   The first experience sets the tone. A clear path to the first moment of value is essential. Every extra step before that moment risks losing a user.
   
   

2. Ongoing value delivery
   Retention is built by making sure users continue to see benefits over time. This means evolving features, surfacing value in context, and reducing any friction that creeps in.
   
   

3. Guided expansion
   A well-designed product encourages deeper adoption. This could be an advanced feature that becomes essential, or a new use case discovered through the product itself.
   
   

4. Measuring and iterating
   PLG is driven by data. Tracking activation rates, feature adoption, and retention cohorts gives you the insight to fine-tune the experience.
   
   

The role of design and UX in PLG

Product-led growth only works if users can navigate the product with ease and understand its value quickly. This is where design and user experience become critical. From the clarity of the onboarding flow to the microcopy on an upgrade screen, every detail shapes the growth curve.

Strong design also strengthens the link between product and brand. A well-crafted product experience creates trust, which makes marketing more effective and referrals more likely.

Common barriers

In many startups and scale-ups, I often see design and UX improvements are seen as “nice to have” rather than growth-critical. The reality is that poor onboarding, unclear value, and inconsistent quality are often the hidden reasons for flat retention. Addressing these early can unlock growth without increasing marketing spend.

Another common barrier is the disconnect between teams. Marketing might focus on acquisition targets while product is shipping features in isolation. PLG thrives when teams share the same growth metrics and work together on the experience.

Taking the first step

Shifting towards product-led growth does not have to be disruptive. Often, the best starting point is to focus on one high-impact area, such as reducing drop-off during onboarding or improving adoption of a key feature.

This is where an outside perspective can help. By auditing your current experience, identifying friction points, and prototyping solutions, you can start to see measurable results quickly.

If you're looking to make your product a true driver of growth, let's explore what opportunities your current experience might be missing.