[PLGrowers #28] Why friction can help users convert quicker
+ 🤣 Some good ol’ PLG memes
Hey there, it’s Yaakov from Valubyl. Welcome to another edition of Product Led Growers, my newsletter that simplifies product activation and adoption.
In this week’s newsletter, we’ll look at:
🤔 Frictionless onboarding: Why it’s not the way to go
🤣 Some good ol’ PLG memes
One last thing before we begin…
📌📌 Be sure to join 91+ product legends on the waitlist for 'The Product Led Onboarding OS' 👇
Link to join 👉 https://yaakovcarno.ck.page/onboardingwaitlist 🔥
Alright, let’s dive in!
🤔 Frictionless onboarding: Not the way to go
If you want to increase your product's activation, you have to understand this:
Getting rid of all friction is a BAD thing.
Removing every onboarding question, guided product action, or additional step just so that users land in the product a little bit quicker is NOT the way to go.
Yes, time to value is critical.
And yes, you want them to get them inside your product and run free as quickly as possible.
But.
And this is a big BUT.
You need to understand 2 things:
1. Why different users sign up. (What they're trying to solve)
and
2. What they need to do in the product to achieve that goal.
Most of the time, users will need a little bit of product hand-holding to successfully find and do what they need to.
A little bit of friction in the beginning can actually pave the way for a seamless path towards activation (which is them experiencing the value they were hoping for)
Think twice before trying to cut your user journey in half just for the sake of making it quicker.
Not all friction is bad.
🤣 Some good ol’ PLG memes
2023 was rough, I get it... but don't be one of these 🤣
It's not just about growth strategies anymore.
Times have changed.
Users need more than "Book a demo" to hook their interest.
PLG needs to be an underlying standard in the way products are built, marketed, and sold.
This doesn't mean flipping things around tomorrow and adding a freemium or free trial.
That might not be the right timing or the right fit for your product.
But if you're not incorporating it's key principles into your company's strategy in some shape or form.
You WILL fall behind.
Users, not buyers, are leading the way.
You need to build, market, and sell accordingly.
Just remember that it's not going to solve all of your problems over night.
On a similar note…
Stop thinking that companies like Figma, Slack, Dropbox, Calendly, Miro... succeeded because of PLG.
They succeeded because they solved real problems exceptionally well.
Product-led growth won't fix a broken product, it will probably make you fail a lot quicker.
There's no way around it. If you want to win, you need to build a great product.
When you have a great product, PLG can help you win the market.
Lastly… to all the product leaders that think ChatGPT can do your user research for you:
Wake up from dream land and start speaking to real people.
Nothing can replace real user interviews and actually engaging with your existing/potential customers.
Nothing.
That’s all for today :)
See you next time!