Keeping pace with new PLG statistics, tools, examples, templates, integrations, shifting industry trends, and market updates help you master product-led growth.
As a go-to-market (GTM) strategist, staying updated is not a choice — it’s a necessity.
To achieve success in a non-stop evolving PLG world, we need access to the latest strategies and unfiltered insights from SaaS and PLG experts.
That’s why we want to share 10 PLG experts to follow on social media, primarily on LinkedIn and Twitter. If you haven’t followed them already in 2023, you should definitely do so in 2024.
By following these experts, you can:
- Gain insights into the PLG strategy and overall business growth.
- Stay informed about PLG-related events, webinars, and online/offline communities
- Receive daily updates and valuable business tips on the go.
But first, what is PLG?
Product-led Growth (PLG), a term first coined by OpenView’s Blake Bartlett in 2016, has revolutionized B2B SaaS marketing a lot. The product takes center stage in this strategy, serving as the primary trigger for customer acquisition and retention.
In a world where three out of four buyers prefer to self-educate before purchasing, PLG proves to be a powerful growth strategy.
If you’re eager to learn from recognized professionals in the field, we’ve made a list of influential PLG experts that you can follow on social media.
These experts generously share their knowledge, experiences, and unique insights that can help you in growing your SaaS business.
Let’s jump right in.
10 PLG Professionals to Follow on LinkedIn and Twitter
LinkedIn and Twitter are global hubs of professional discourse. Experts from various corners of the world come together to share their firsthand experiences and insights into the latest advancements in product-led growth.
However, their voices are not limited to LinkedIn and Twitter; they also share their expertise in various formats on Substack, Spotify, and even in printed books
Here are 10 PLG experts to follow on social media:
1. Wes Bush
Wes Bush is one of the most influential voices on product-led growth. Along with his flagship website, blog, and podcast, Wes offers consultancy to SaaS brands seeking to transition towards a PLG-driven growth strategy.
On LinkedIn, Wes delves deep into customer acquisition and retention through premium models. He shares case studies and uses memes, graphs, and visuals to simplify complex concepts.
The ProductLed Podcast is an invaluable resource for both product-led growth marketers and SaaS founders alike.
Wes’ bestselling book, ‘Product-Led Growth,’ which is available for free on his website.
For juicy chops and knowledge bombs on PLG, give Wes a follow on LinkedIn and Twitter.
2. Kyle Poyar
Kyle Polar is the Operating Partner at OpenView Venture Capital and a leading guru in the PLG arena. Before joining OpenView, Kyle worked as the Director of Simon-Kucher & Partners.
Kyle’s passion for PLG comes from his decades-long experience of working with stakeholders. He emphasizes that PLG isn’t just about snagging users – it’s about keeping and growing with them.
He uses social media to uncover all the juicy secrets of PLG profitability, and how the right freemium model can supercharge your business’ growth and profits.
His weekly newsletter, “Growth Unhinged,” has deep dives on trending topics like SaaS revenue growth, startups, venture capital, and what it takes to be a leader in this market.
For a fresh perspective and key industry insights on PLG, give Kyle a follow on LinkedIn.
3. Elena Verna
Elena Verna is a seasoned professional, with two decades in the game and several former titles like Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). She also serves as Growth Advisor to companies like MongoDB and Krisp.
Well known for her advocacy of freemium models over traditional trial plans, Elena uses LinkedIn to offer valuable guidance on transitioning from product-led growth to product-led sales. She whips up memes and cool visuals that break down complicated ideas, so you actually get what she’s saying.
Check out her Newsletter, Elena’s Growth Scoop, for unfiltered industry insights.
If you want to gain real-time insights from the expert herself, follow Elena on LinkedIn.
4. Ben Williams
Ben Williams is a self-professed product-led geek. Since his days as the Product Lead of IBM, Ben has been a champion of product-led growth. After taking over Snyk’s product team, he was instrumental in soaring their revenue to a jaw-dropping 160%!
He’s the go-to guru for B2B SaaS startups to help them crack the PLG code, nail product development, and supercharge their growth game. With over two decades of hustling in the industry, he dishes out actionable advice to thousands of followers every week.
If you’re in the B2B SaaS world and want advice that’s worth its weight in gold, Ben Williams is the guy you want on your timeline. You can follow him on LinkedIn.
5. Alexa Grabell
Alexa Grabell co-founded Pocus, a product-led sales and revenue platform, while she was getting her business degree from Stanford.
She’s used LinkedIn to share her founder journey and spill the beans on what works and what doesn’t in PLG SaaS and PLS.
When she talks PLG, she’s not just scratching the surface; she’s diving deep. If you’re into PLG and PLS or want to know what being in a senior leadership role is really like, Alexa Grabell is the one to follow.
Catch her on LinkedIn here.
6. Ramli John
Ramli John is a B2B industry veteran. He is a leading authority in the field of user onboarding and product-led growth strategies. As the Product-Led Growth Coach at Product Led, Ramli guides product and customer success teams in growth acceleration.
On his social media, Ramli shares expert interviews with industry leaders like Ryan Law (Director of Marketing, Ahrefs), Amanda Natividad (VP of Marketing, SparkToro, and many more).
He is also the author of the bestseller “Product-led Onboarding,” which details his approach to acquiring customers by focusing on the product.
For expert insights and spicy PLG takes, you can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
7. Dave Boyce
Dave Boyce is the Executive Chairman of Winning by Design.
He wears many hats, including entrepreneur, investor, advisor, and a true champion of Product-Led Growth.
Boyce has played a pivotal role in building and selling five SaaS companies.
He uses LinkedIn to share deep insights into the world of product-led growth, and it compounds over time.
He also talks about start-up culture, team leadership, and the secret sauce behind self-service products that bring in and keep customers.
As a professor in Product-Led Growth, Dave is actively teaching and inspiring the next crop of business leaders.
If you want to learn from the best, follow him on LinkedIn.
8. Blake Bartlett
Blake Bartlett has been at the forefront of the PLG revolution since day 1. Since his arrival at OpenView in 2013, he has taken the lead on investments in some pretty notable companies like Highspot, Calendly, etc.
He shares a venture capital perspective on everything startup-related, B2B SaaS trends, and, of course, product-led growth, on his YouTube channel, PLG123.
On LinkedIn, he keeps his followers in the loop with the latest investment news in Product-Led Growth companies from all corners of the globe.
You can follow him on LinkedIn here.
9. Kieran Flanagan
Kieran Flanagan, the Chief Marketing Officer of Zapier and former Senior Vice President of Marketing at HubSpot, is a prominent figure in the realm of marketing and product-led growth.
He champions product-led growth and actively shares insights on AI integration in marketing practices across all levels at Zapier.
Kieran emphasizes the critical importance of maintaining an ongoing dialogue with customers to better understand their needs and preferences.
He shares a clear pathway to building a successful and “unsquishable” (his own words) product-led company in simple steps:
- Start with an incredible freemium product.
- Continuously expand its functionality.
- Introduce PRO and enterprise plans.
- Focus on increasing the Lifetime Value (LTV) of your customers.
Get a daily dose of Kieran’s expertise and strategic insights by following him on LinkedIn.
And if you’d like to read his candid thoughts on marketing, PLG, and remote work, you can subscribe to his newsletter here.
10. Leah Tharin
Last but not least; I finally want to mention Leah Tharin, another great PLG expert who is specialized in product-led growth in B2B and talks about #growth, #business, #strategy, #leadership, and #productledgrowth, overall.
She has been in tech for over 2 decades and she founded 4 startups and crashed two of those. She is currently the Head of Product at Jua and leads the core product at Smallpdf scaling to over 50 million monthly active users per month in 3 years.
Leah shares her experience, insights, and knowledge on LinkedIn, along with interviews with other influential and successful characters.
She also hosts a series of podcasts “Productea with Leah”, and shares her experiences with actionable and operationalizable guides on leahtharin.com.
You can follow Leah on LinkedIn and Twitter.
PLG Expert Podcasts on the Go 🚘
Marketing and sales podcasts are booming, and PLG content is in high demand. Dive into the world of Product-led Growth with these leading podcasts to supercharge your knowledge:
- Product-Led Podcast
Product-Led Podcast is a podcast by Wes Bush, Mario Araujo, and Maja Voje. Together, they explore how global product leaders leverage their products for business growth. The trio also breaks down top marketers’ strategies, leadership styles, and best practices worldwide.
Check out the Productled podcast.
- The Growth TL;DR Podcast
Industry veterans Kieran Flanagan and Scott Tousley dissect the business processes behind successful product-led businesses. Tune in to learn how user activation is the key to starting a thriving business.
Check it out here.
- Product-to-Product Podcast
The Product-to-Product podcast, brought to you by Roadmunk, delves into the success and failure stories of teams driving product-led growth. You can gain deep insights into topics like onboarding flows and user activation.
Check it out here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best example of PLG?
Zoom is one of the best examples of a PLG (Product-led growth) company. The freemium model, which allows non-registered users to join meetings and experience the platform firsthand easily, is a key component of its success in driving user acquisition.
What are PLG companies?
PLG or Product-led growth companies prioritize using their product as the main driver for customer acquisition. Rather than relying on lengthy sales cycles, they optimize their product to engage and activate customers. Prominent examples of PLG companies include Slack, Spotify, Calendly, and Canva, which rely on the product experience to onboard users.
What is the difference between PLG and SLG?
Product-led growth (PLG) relies on the product as the primary driver of customer activation and acquisition. It emphasizes a user-friendly and accessible product experience to attract and engage customers. In contrast, sales-led growth (SLG) follows traditional models of longer sales cycles to market products and acquire customers.
