PLG Is Cool, But Some of Us Have to Work for a Living
If you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn lately, you’d think product-led growth (PLG) was the only game in town.
Just build a magical self-serve product, sit back, and let it go viral. Who needs marketing? Who needs sales? The product sells itself!
Except... not all of us work at Slack, Notion, or Figma. Some of us are out here grinding in industries where free trials don't make sense, self-serve onboarding is wishful thinking, and our “network effect” is an account executive who knows a guy.
PLG is great if you've got the right product and motion. But for the rest of us, growth still takes work. And guess what? We still build momentum. A lot of it. We just have to be a little more strategic and a little scrappier.
Marketing-Led Growth: The Overlooked Workhorse
PLG is flashy, but Marketing-Led Growth (MLG) has been bringing in results for decades. It just hasn't been as trendy. It's about knowing your audience, optimizing every touchpoint, and testing like your job depends on it because it does.
So if PLG isn't carrying the weight for you, how do you actually move the needle? Here's how you make growth happen in the real world:
Your Website Is Your Best Sales Rep, So Make It Work
A good chunk of your traffic isn't ready to buy yet. They're lurking. Comparing. Reading five case studies and then leaving without a trace. If you're not thinking about conversion rate optimization (CRO), you're leaving money on the table.
Borrow from PLG where it makes sense. Can you offer an interactive demo instead of just a contact form? Can you reduce hesitation with a no-pressure consultation? Think of your website like a product, not just a brochure.
Content Marketing That Actually Converts
PLG companies love their top-of-funnel SEO plays. It works when you've got a giant audience and a low-friction entry point. But if your deal sizes are six figures and your buyers need six approvals, your content needs to do more than rank.
The goal isn't just traffic, it's influence. What insights can only you provide? What objections can you address before they come up? Forget the generic “10 Ways to Improve X” listicles. Give your audience something they can take straight to their CFO and say, “See? We need this.”
Treat Growth Like Science, Not a Guessing Game
No, you can't A/B test your way to PLG. But you can systematically test messaging, landing pages, nurture sequences, and pricing structures to see what changes matter.
Enterprise buying journeys are long, but that doesn't mean you have to wait months for a signal. Look for early indicators. Are sales cycles getting shorter? Are demo requests coming from buyers who are more prepared? Are reps closing deals faster? Growth isn't just about bringing in leads, it's about making the whole process smoother.
Make It Stupidly Easy to Buy
Enterprise sales is full of unnecessary friction. Unclear pricing, endless approval loops, demos that feel like interrogations. None of it helps.
Take a page from PLG and remove barriers where you can. Transparent pricing? If possible, yes. Clear paths for different buyer personas? Absolutely. A way for smaller teams to get value before making a long-term commitment? Worth exploring. The less effort it takes to get started, the better.
PLG or Not, Growth Is Growth
At the end of the day, growth is growth. Whether it comes from a viral sign-up loop or a well-oiled sales machine, the goal is the same: predictable, scalable revenue.
So if you're feeling a little left out of the PLG hype cycle, don't sweat it. Some of the most successful companies in the world are marketing-led, sales-driven, and built on strong foundations instead of just freemium hope and dreams.
We may not get the flashy headlines, but we get results. And results pay the bills, PLG or not.