Notion’s Secret Sauce: A Masterclass into Product-Led Growth
Notion’s $10B valuation isn’t magic. It’s a masterclass in PLG.
There’s 7 key elements to this motion.
Here’s a quick rundown of each ↓
I go much further — including screen-by-screen analysis — in this deep dive.
1. Core problem communication
Clear & cute messaging:
↳ Notion has its trademark cartoon style
↳ And it always pays close attention to the details of design
Community to get the word out:
↳ Notion’s creators and users spread the word
↳ It adds fuel to the fire
2. Information for decision
Plans for all:
↳ Its freemium forever plan attracts the price sensitive
↳ But it has all the functionality a big enterprise would need
Differentiation:
↳ Notion has great templates
↳ Notion is structure free, so it can be anything
3. Friction
Quick onboarding:
↳ Notion has almost no onboarding for invited users
↳ For starting users, it still goes incredibly fast to an empty page
Imports:
↳ Notion is slowly killing evernote and other apps
↳ Each new importer it creates is a new onboarding ramp
4. Time to Aha
Ease:
↳ Notion makes formatting available anytime you click, that makes formatting way easier
↳ Its overall minimal design gets out of your way
Integrations:
↳ Notion integrates with slack notifications
↳ And other apps like Notion & Miro for embedding
5. Repeatable Value
Unified workflow:
↳ Users develop operating systems for their
↳ This makes it the essential glue for users getting things done
Advanced features:
↳ Notion has a litany of advanced features
↳ This ‘forever’ learning curve keeps users engaged
6. Monetization
Unique trial:
↳ Notion allows you to request trials for business & higher plans
↳ But you have to talk to sales
Valuable free:
↳ Notion’s free plan is hard to beat, with unlimited blocks for individuals
↳ This creates a bunch of advocates for Notion
7. Flywheels
Community-led growth:
↳ Notion’s community is hard to understate
↳ They drive every step of the funnel, especially engagement and retention
Word of mouth triggers:
↳ Notion makes beautiful, shareable pages easy
↳ And they’re architected into every part
