Are you waiting for an inspiration to build your PLG strategy? 

Or you might be wondering these:

"What's the secret ingredient for a successful Product-Led Growth (PLG) strategy?"

"How do the top players in the industry do it right?"

If those thoughts resonate with you, you're not alone.

In fact, many businesses are struggling with the same questions. Largely because PLG is a new way of doing business that requires a mindset shift and a different set of tools. But don't worry! We've got you covered.

While industry giants like Canva have taken Product-led growth to the next level with affordable pricing plans and countless templates, there are many lesser-known stars in the SaaS universe effectively leveraging PLG. 

In this article, we will explore the top SaaS companies that achieved exceptional growth with their innovative SaaS PLG strategies. We will look at their game plans, tactics, and key factors that led to their outstanding growth.

Let's dive in.

What Is PLG Marketing in SaaS? A Quick Recap!

PLG marketing is a customer acquisition strategy focusing on the product and its value proposition to drive sales. It's all about delivering what they want before realizing they are craving it!

The goal of PLG marketing is to create a memorable experience for your customers by delivering the highest quality product possible. This will help you build long-lasting relationships with your users, which can lead to higher revenue over time.

If you're new to the concept of product-led growth (PLG), check out our comprehensive guide, where we break down the various aspects of PLG marketing and how you can apply it to your business right off the bat!

Best PLG Companies in SaaS Industry and What They are doing Right

Here are the 8 PLG SaaS companies that are excelling in PLG marketing. 

We chose these companies because they have proven results and are some of the best PLG examples to grow your business.

So, let's dive in.

1. Figma

The first name on our list of top PLG companies is Figma. Figma made its grand entrance in 2013, shaking up the design space with its innovative web-based design tool.

Figma stood tall against its competitors, such as Sketch and Invision owing its success to its strategic implementation of PLG (Product Led Growth). 

Figma offered a free plan, including functionalities that their competitors charged for, such as multiple-image export and unlimited storage for up to three projects.

Figma offered more features in the free plan compared to some of its biggest competitors, like InVision, which focused on basic prototyping and collaboration. Figma's comprehensive functionalities, such as real-time collaboration and flexibility, made it a stronger choice for many users, setting it apart in the market.

Figma also had a rich template library that plays a huge role in user engagement. This library encourages users to interact with the tool, understand its capabilities, and explore new design possibilities. 

Furthermore, by continually updating the library with fresh content, they maintain user excitement and create reasons for repeated visits.

Key Takeaways:

2. Wordtune

The next name in our list of PLG examples belongs to Wordtune, a fast-growing PLG startup. It is an AI writing assistant offering multiple automated features like paraphrasing, summarizing, rewriting, AI-content detector and so on 

The three pillars of Wordtune’s PLG strategy are - a simple UI, comprehensive resources and Freemium plans. Let’s break them down in detail: 

Simple UI 

Wordtune typically targets writers, journalists, students and agencies. One challenge that is common for all these three audience groups is lack of time. They prefer a tool that reduces the excess amount of time they need to spend in switching between multiple apps. And Wordtune does exactly that. 

Notice how within a single dashboard, you will have access to all the tools that you are looking for:‍‍

That means, you can create new content, summarize existing content, rewrite parts of a content piece, in short complete your entire writing, editing and formatting activities within one dashboard and schedule your content directly for publishing once done. 

Comprehensive resources 

Wordtune’s Blog section is highly targeted towards its target audiences. Wordtune has detailed guides for topics like Proofreading, Writing & Editing, social media writing etc. For each of these areas, Wordtune creates in-depth listicles and product-led how-to guides to help its potential customers scale their content creation process.

Freemium plans 

Wordtune is killing it when it comes to the Freemium SaaS PLG strategy. Notice how this brand offers a humble Free plan. The paid plans are also affordable as the price is clearly set for the financial capabilities of students, writers and marketers. The plans are tiered in a way that any Free Plan user will gradually opt for the paid plans to experience the benefits at a broader scale.

Key Takeaways:

3. Otter 

When was the last time you were able to note all action items from a meeting without missing even a single one? Can’t remember right? 

Otter literally solves this problem and how! Otter’s automated bot transcibes your meetings, highlights action items and records the entire call. 

Otter is on our list of top PLG SaaS companies for the following reasons: 

Super-effective and flexible product 

Otter changes your perspective when it comes to meeting note taking. Within a single dashboard, you can: 

• Find your meeting summaries 
• Get the relevant screenshots from the meeting 
• Access the meeting recordings 
• Find keywords relevant to the meetings 

And guess what? All these features are available within the Free Plan.

Highly beneficial Free Plan 

Otter’s Pricing plans are extremely pocket friendly. The Free Plan is carefully designed so that the users can get an essence of all the unique features of the product. The restrictions are mostly in terms of number of users. 

Key Takeaways: 

4. Clay 

Clay helps sales representatives create creative outbound campaigns with a set of personalized tools. Some of the best features offered by Clay include - creating auto-generated emails, scoring your leads, enhance your HubSpot CRM and so on. 

We particularly liked two things about Clay’s PLG strategy - Interactive product demo and comprehensive templates. 

Let’s dig deeper: 

Interactive Product Demo

You can find self-guided product demos in Clay’s Homepage, Solution Pages and other relevant landing pages. These demos empower the website visitors, enable them to explore the product at their own pace and help them articulate the benefits of Clay’s various features.

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Efficient templates 

Clay’s template library is filled with use-case specific templates and download them for free. All you have to do is sign-up with your email ID to access these templates. You know what’s the best part? Clay adds interactive product tours in each of these templates to help users understand the proper usage of these templates.

Key Takeaways 

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5. Airtable

The next name on our list of PLG SaaS companies is Airtable. Airtable made a breakthrough in the database management world with its debut in 2012. Airtable's success is deeply rooted in its efficient employment of PLG (Product Led Growth).

The platform's comprehensive free plan, user-focused features and use-case specific templates, particularly set Airtable apart. Airtable’s robust free plan includes some of the most demanded features, like solutions to centralize information, real-time collaboration, and customized workflows to their unique needs.

One of Airtable's key strategies contributing to Airtable’s successful PLG is an extensive resource library that consists of highly-effective templates, categorized based on use cases (See below image). 

 This tactic, paired with astute SEO optimization, has helped attract a broad user base, promoting organic growth.

Another pillar supporting Airtable’s PLG success is the excellent help documentation and tutorials. These learning resources are Comprehensive, and user-friendly, and help users in navigating the platform faster. With these tutorials, first-time users can grasp the product quickly and leverage it to its maximum potential- a significant factor in user retention and satisfaction.

‍Key Takeaways:

‍From Airtable’s success, we understand the following:

6. ClickUp

ClickUp achieved success in the project management space by bringing in a fresh and modern approach to managing tasks, for different teams, at one place. Introduced in 2017, ClickUp delivered an adaptable and user-friendly interface with a comprehensive free plan, wooing users across sectors.

Just like Figma and Airtable, ClickUp's success is also visibly tied to its careful implementation of the Product Led Growth (PLG) model.

A highlight of ClickUp's free plan is the multitude of features it provides at no cost, including unlimited tasks, unlimited users, and 100MB storage, a strategy that aligns perfectly with the PLG model.

Two of ClickUp's key SaaS PLG strategies have incredible impact on their user acquisition and retention:

Interactive Courses: ClickUp offers interactive courses designed to onboard users quickly and effectively. These courses help users learn how to navigate the platform, utilize its features, and get the most out of the tool, increasing user engagement and satisfaction.

Interactive Demos: ClickUp's interactive demos are another valuable strategy to drive growth. By allowing users to explore the platform in a practical, hands-on manner before fully committing, ClickUp effectively lowers barriers to entry, boosts user confidence, and demonstrates the utility of their offerings.

Key Takeaways:

From ClickUp's growth, we learn the following:

7. Miro

One of the top PLG companies is Miro. Miro introduced a transformational visual collaboration platform. Integrating manifold features with an easy-to-navigate interface, Miro has created an appealing proposition for teams of all sizes across diverse sectors. This interactive workspace's demand is amplified by its comprehensive yet free basic plan.

Miro's remarkable growth trajectory is attributed to its strategic Product Led Growth (PLG) model, namely, prioritizing the user-product interaction, making it the primary driver of user acquisition, conversion, and expansion.

The cornerstone of Miro's PLG strategy is its Freemium model. It not only engages users with a high degree of functionality and adaptability but also helps users quickly realize the value of the platform by addressing primary needs such as real-time collaboration and information centralization.

Another fundamental aspect of Miro's user growth strategy is the massive library of preset templates. These templates provide a way for users to fast-track project initialization and illustrate the product's versatility, encouraging organic growth.

Complementing its user-acquisition strategy, Miro enforces user retention by relentlessly focusing on User Experience (UX) optimization and Fast Time-to Value. Aiming to make the product easier to use and more efficient, Miro ensures users derive the maximum value from the product as quickly as possible. This user-centered approach, paired with a constant UX improvement initiative, has notably driven user engagement and satisfaction.

Key Takeaways:

8. LinkTree

The final name on our list of PLG examples is LinkTree. Launched as a small side project in 2016, Linktree has revolutionized the way internet users connect with their followers' various online spaces.

Linktree's primary draw is its user-friendly free version, a boon to individual content creators and small businesses.

Linktree broke the "one link in bio" rule on social media sites like Instagram, making it easy for its users to direct followers to numerous online channels.

Its appeal is in its simplicity – anyone can create a functional and appealing listing page with all essential links, without any technical expertise or spending a penny.

Its free plan is accessible to everyone, easy to use, yet offering sufficient flexibility for users to customize their Linktree to mirror their personal brand or business.

Linktree's ingenious strategy was to create a product that is useful and indispensable for its users. Encouraging organic growth through word-of-mouth, Linktree has grown exponentially by giving away its service for free—a key factor in their success

The company's forethought in providing educational resources and templates further bolsters its service.

Offering an enhanced user experience, it helps content creators in optimizing the benefits derived from their Linktrees. Nurturing a positive user experience and encouraging customer loyalty, Linktree has created a snowball effect of sustainable and scalable growth.

Key Takeaways:

How Rivia Can Help with SaaS PLG?

How often do you taste a sample food before you buy it? If you're like most people, the answer is "always." 

Why?

Because, you want to ensure that what you buy at the store is fresh, delicious, and worth your money. 

The same goes for your website visitors: They want to know what's in store before deciding whether to sign up.

That's where the role of Rivia comes in. With Rivia you can capture, edit and create interactive demos that give you the flexibility to show off your app's features in a way that’s tailored to each visitor. 

You can also share these demo links with potential customers and partners, who will be able to view and interact with them on any device.

SaaS growth focused on the product can be a great perspective for B2B companies to standout in the crowd competitors who are charging a bomb to the users. 

So, what are you waiting for? Book a Product Demo!

Start building your growth strategy without making any PLG mistakes.

FAQs 

What is a PLG model? 

A PLG model is a go-to-market strategy where the product is designed to be self-serve and easily adoptable by users.

Why do PLG companies succeed? 

PLG companies succeed because they prioritize user experience, leverage viral loops, and drive rapid product adoption.

What does PLG stand for? 

PLG stands for Product-Led Growth, a business strategy that focuses on using the product itself as the primary driver of customer acquisition, conversion, and retention.