Case study · PLG launch

Productiv: from 0 to 1,750+ high-value self-serve signups in under 3 months

The short answer

We led the launch of Productiv's self-service offering end to end: a full-feature free trial that steps down to a basic plan, an in-app signup, a Segment-based data structure, role-based A/B tests and a Bowling Alley communication plan across in-app and email. Signups went from 0 to 1,750+ in under 3 months, and form-to-completed-onboarding conversion rose 21 percentage points.

The numbers
1,750+
High-value signups, from 0, in under 3 months
+21 pts
Form submission to completed onboarding
5
Tools integrated: Segment, Intercom, Amplitude, Marketo, Salesforce
0
Email confirmations required at signup
from a standing start
The case in one line

Client type to numbers, in order

01
Client type
B2B SaaS company launching self-serve
02
Problem
No self-service motion; signup flow lost users before onboarding
03
System built
Free trial design, in-app signup, Segment data structure, A/B tests, Bowling Alley comms
04
Stack
Segment, Intercom, Amplitude, Marketo, Salesforce
05
Timeline
Under 3 months
06
Numbers
0 to 1,750+ signups; +21 pts onboarding conversion
Key takeaways
  • We owned the self-service launch from requirements to go-live, working with Product and Engineering.
  • The free trial showed the full feature set, then stepped users down to a basic plan to keep them engaged.
  • Moving signup in-app (no email confirmation) cut onboarding drop-off.
  • Role-based A/B tests personalized onboarding; the Bowling Alley framework kept in-app and email in step.
The problem

Launching a self-serve motion from zero

Productiv needed a self-service offering: a way for high-value users to sign up, see the product and convert without a sales cycle. There was no existing self-serve funnel to optimize, so every piece had to be designed and built.

The two risks were the usual PLG killers: users dropping off between form submission and completed onboarding, and a trial experience that did not show enough of the product to earn the next step.

  • F-01Email confirmation steps add friction between signup and onboarding.
  • F-02Onboarding needed to differ by user role and function.
  • F-03Trial users needed a path that kept them engaged after the trial ended.
The system we built

A self-serve funnel designed with Product, run on clean event data

Seven workstreams across product, data and lifecycle messaging. The diagram shows the user path, the engagement layer and the data layer underneath.

SegmentAmplitudeIntercomMarketoSalesforce
  • 1

    Launched the self-service offering

    Led the launch end to end, from requirement gathering to go-live.

  • 2

    Designed and built the data structure

    A data structure integrated with Segment so data flowed cleanly into marketing automation for personalization.

  • 3

    Cross-functional collaboration

    Worked with Product and Engineering to design the free trial for a premium user experience.

  • 4

    Infrastructure and communication strategy

    The underlying data infrastructure plus messaging and pricing strategy.

  • 5

    Optimized free trial

    A trial that showed the full feature set, then moved users to a basic plan to keep them engaged.

  • 6

    Bowling Alley communication plan

    In-app messaging and email outreach combined so users got consistent nudges at each step.

  • 7

    Streamlined signup and A/B testing

    Signup moved in-app; A/B tests personalized onboarding by user role and function.

Scroll the diagram sideways to see all of it.
Productiv self-serve funnel: in-app signup, role-based onboarding, full-feature trial, basic plan, with Bowling Alley comms and Segment data layerUSER PATHENGAGEMENT LAYERDATA LAYERIn-app signupno email confirmationRole-based onboardingA/B tested by roleFull-feature trialwhole product on showBasic planafter trial endsPaidBowling Alley communication planin-app messaging + email, in step with the user pathPricing + messaging strategyclear trial-to-plan storySegmentevent structureAmplitudeIntercomMarketoSalesforce1,750+ signups
Funnel map: the user path (top), the Bowling Alley engagement layer guiding it (middle), and the Segment-based data layer feeding Amplitude, Intercom, Marketo and Salesforce (bottom).
Interactive

What a 21-point onboarding lift does to your funnel

Enter your signup volume and onboarding completion rate. We add the same 21 percentage points this launch recorded and carry it through to revenue.

Added MRR from each month of signups
$0
Onboarded per month, today
Onboarded per month, after lift
Added paid accounts per month
Added ARR after 12 cohorts

Defaults are illustrative; 580 signups per month is roughly the pace of 1,750 in 3 months. The ARR line assumes no churn across 12 monthly cohorts.

Results

1,750+ signups and a 21-point onboarding lift

Results as recorded for the launch window of under 3 months.

MetricResultContext
High-value signups0 → 1,750+In under 3 months
Form submission to completed onboarding+21 ptsPercentage points, after moving signup in-app and A/B testing by role
Onboarding drop-offReducedIn-app signup captured intent without email confirmation
Role-based engagementImprovedA/B insights used to customize user journeys
Stack integration5 toolsSegment, Intercom, Amplitude, Marketo, Salesforce
What to copy

Three PLG launch decisions worth copying

1.

Show the whole product in the trial

The trial exposed the full feature set, then stepped users down to a basic plan instead of a hard stop. Users kept a reason to stay.

2.

Remove every step between intent and product

In-app signup with no email confirmation captured intent at its peak. That is where the 21-point onboarding lift came from.

3.

Instrument before you launch

A Segment-based data structure meant every A/B test and every Bowling Alley message ran on clean events from day one.

FAQ

Questions about this case

How did Productiv get 1,750+ signups in under 3 months?

We launched a self-service offering from scratch: a full-feature free trial stepping down to a basic plan, in-app signup without email confirmation, role-based onboarding tested with A/B experiments, and a Bowling Alley communication plan across in-app and email, all on a Segment-based data structure.

What is the Bowling Alley framework?

Our framework for sequencing in-app messages and email so users keep moving toward activation. See the Bowling Alley framework.

What does a 21 percentage point improvement mean?

Conversion from form submission to completed onboarding rose by 21 points; for example, from 40% to 61%. It is an absolute change in the rate, not a 21% relative change.

Why remove email confirmation from signup?

Every extra step loses users. Moving signup in-app captured higher intent and kept users engaged without the email confirmation step, which reduced onboarding drop-off.

What stack did the launch use?

Segment for event data, Amplitude for product analytics, Intercom for in-app messaging, Marketo for email and Salesforce as the CRM.

Can JayOh run a PLG launch for us?

Yes. See our PLG growth team, and pricing for how pods are structured.

Next step

Launching self-serve or fixing activation?

We will walk your signup-to-onboarding path and show you where users drop and why.

30 minutes with a GTM systems engineer. You leave with a read on where your system is breaking, whether or not we work together.