Product-led growth: 7 traits successful companies share

In this episode of Datadrivet, Joni Lindgren and Jasmin Yaya go through seven things that product-led companies tend to have in common. Joni pulled the list together from existing analyses, and each trait comes with a company that does it well.

The seven traits:

1. A way to try the product first. Product-led companies let people experience the product before they buy, whether through a free trial, a freemium tier, or a reverse trial.
2. Strong onboarding. They keep investing in a clear onboarding flow and keep improving it. Typeform is the example here.
3. Knowledge resources. Good documentation and FAQs so users can help themselves, with Etsy cited as an example.
4. A demo environment. A place to test and experiment before committing, illustrated by Amplitude.
5. Transparent pricing. They communicate what the product costs plainly, without making you ask.
6. Built-in virality. Sharing is part of the product itself, the way Uber spreads through use.
7. Frictionless buying. Customers can purchase without going through a salesperson; the product experience comes first.

The thread running through all seven is that the product does the selling. When trying it is easy, onboarding actually works, and the next step is obvious, a user can get to value and pull out their card without anyone pushing them. The hosts treat the list as a checklist worth holding your own product up against rather than a guarantee.

Listen to the full episode of Datadrivet for the company examples behind each trait and how they fit together.