Why Your PLG (Product-Led Growth) Isn’t Scaling & Frictions Worth Fixing
Jul 3
3 min read
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We all love the idea of product-led growth.
“Let the product sell itself.”
“Funnel-less, sales-less, viral.”
But here’s the ugly part: most of us hit a wall.
Not because the product sucks.
Because the friction points are invisible.
We think friction means “too many steps in sign-up.”
No. That’s surface-level.
PLG (product-led growth) frictions happen after someone signs up and then excitement turns into confusion, hesitation, or silence.
1. The “What now?” moment
A user lands, signs up, pokes around… and stops.
That pause is fatal. If people can’t reach value fast, they bounce.
Not later. Immediately.
We need to help users hit something rewarding in the first 10 minutes.
Don’t teach.
Don’t “tour.”
→Give them a quick win they create.
“Upload your first file.”
“Send your first message.”
“See your first insight.”
Aha!
2. The ghost trial
We get 1,000 signups. Great.
Now 950 never come back.
This isn’t a traffic issue, it’s an activation issue.
People didn’t form the habit.
They tried it, didn’t get why it matters, and moved on.
→Fix this by building triggers.
If the product only makes sense when a team joins, that should be part of onboarding.
If it needs data, ask for it right away.
Guide them to the second and third action, not just the first login.
3. The “I’d pay… but I don’t get your plans” problem
Bad pricing design feels like a wall.
If users can’t see what they’re buying or why it’s worth it, they’ll stall, or worse, stay free forever.
→Align price with value checkpoints.
Don’t hide features behind tiers.
Show how usage grows value: “More seats, more automation, more results.”
Let upgrades feel like progress, not punishment.
4. The dead invite loop
We build a collaborative tool, but no one invites teammates.
Classic. Why?
Because inviting feels like work.
→Make it stupid-simple:
Share link → click → done.
No permissions, no setup drama.
Show why inviting helps them, not us: “Projects move 2× faster when you collaborate.”
Or add a small reward: credits, extended limits, or a free feature unlocked.
5. The “great idea, wrong workflow”
Users love the concept but can’t make it fit into their day.
They need extra setup, missing integrations, or manual steps.
That’s workflow friction, the most underestimated one.
→Solve it by fitting into their process, not forcing ours.
Pre-built templates, native integrations.
Quick-start presets for common use cases.
Let people start from “ready to go,” not “figure it out.”
6. The silent resistance
Sometimes, the tool’s fine, the org isn’t.
The champion wants it, but the team’s busy, skeptical, or overloaded.
That’s organizational friction. We can’t “market” our way through it, but we can smooth it out.
→Give internal advocates something to show: templates, playbooks, before-and-after metrics.
Make their job easy when they pitch it internally.
They’re our best salespeople.
7. The growth-by-force mindset
Last one, and maybe the biggest.
We push for signups, not for success.
We can’t brute-force PLG. We have to design it.
Real growth happens when users pull themselves through the journey.
Our job is to remove friction until momentum takes over.
Quick check
Can a new user find value in <10 min?
Does onboarding guide them to use, not just explore?
Is our pricing clear enough to upgrade without talking to us?
Can they invite teammates without friction?
Do we fit into their workflow, or ask them to change it?
If the answer is “no” to any of these, that’s where the next 10%+ growth is hiding.
PLG is smoothness.
Every bump slows compounding.
Every hesitation kills momentum.
So, let’s not just add features or campaigns, let’s start removing friction.
That’s where real growth hides.
