Next-Gen Product-Led Growth: How AI, Community, and Personalization Are Redefining PLG in 2025

Welcome and Introductions

Cynthia Petti | 00:00–02:21
Hi everyone, and welcome to today’s webinar, “Next-Gen Product-Led Growth.” I’m Cynthia Petti from Productside, and I’m thrilled to see so many of you joining us from all over the world. Please go ahead and drop in the chat where you’re calling in from. We love seeing the variety of product managers, growth leaders, and founders who join our sessions.

We’ll give everyone a moment to settle in before we get started. Today’s topic is one of my favorites because PLG has evolved so much over the last few years—and the role of AI, community, and personalization is completely redefining how it works. So you are in for a great session.

With me today is Tom Evans, one of our principal consultants and trainers here at Productside. Tom’s been working with some of the most successful SaaS companies on implementing and scaling PLG strategies. Tom, welcome—so glad to have you here!

Tom Evans | 02:21–02:44
Thanks, Cynthia! Excited to be here with everyone. We’re going to unpack a lot today—everything from how PLG has evolved to how you can use AI and community-led tactics to make your product the growth engine for your business.

About Productside and Webinar Logistics

Cynthia Petti | 02:44–06:05
For anyone new to Productside, we’re an outcome-driven product partner. That means we don’t just train teams—we help you design the systems and habits that make your product organization thrive. Whether that’s coaching, transformation, or upskilling your teams in areas like PLG, predictive analytics, or AI-enabled discovery—we’ve got you covered.

You’ll get the full recording of this session afterward, so no need to worry about taking furious notes. Use the Q&A tab to send us questions, and we’ll answer as many as we can live. We also love seeing your thoughts in the chat—so keep that going!

We’ll start with a few quick polls today, and then Tom will take us through key insights, examples, and trends that every modern PM and product leader should know about.

Introduction to Product-Led Growth (PLG)

Tom Evans | 06:05–08:44
Let’s start with the basics. Product-Led Growth—or PLG—is a go-to-market strategy where the product itself drives user acquisition, activation, retention, and expansion. In simple terms, the product does the selling. Users experience value quickly, fall in love with it, and that drives growth.

Now, what’s interesting in 2025 is that PLG is no longer a startup-only play. We’re seeing enterprise adoption, with 58% of SaaS organizations saying PLG is now a formal component of their GTM strategy.

Evolution of PLG and Its Modern Relevance

Tom Evans | 08:44–11:03
Historically, PLG started with freemium and self-service models—think Dropbox or Slack. But now, it’s about building viral loops and continuous engagement. It’s data-driven, customer-led, and powered by experimentation. The shift from “sales-assisted” to “product-assisted” growth is massive—and it’s only accelerating as AI and personalization mature.

Poll: Where Are You in Your PLG Journey?

Cynthia Petti | 11:03–12:41
Alright, let’s take a quick pulse check. I’m launching our first poll—where are you in your PLG journey? Are you exploring, piloting, scaling, or optimizing? Go ahead and vote, and we’ll share results in just a minute.

Tom Evans | 12:41–13:15
And for those exploring, you’re not behind. This is actually the best time to get started. The frameworks are clearer than ever, and the tools are mature enough to support even small teams.

Trend #1: AI-Driven Personalization in PLG

Tom Evans | 13:15–22:55
Let’s talk about our first big trend: AI-driven personalization. In PLG, personalization is the bridge between adoption and expansion. AI lets us tailor experiences based on real behavior—things like recommended next steps, personalized onboarding, and even dynamic pricing. The best companies are combining user telemetry with machine learning to predict what users need before they ask for it.

Netflix does this with viewing patterns, Grammarly with writing style, and modern B2B tools are following suit—surfacing value automatically through predictive signals.

Building the Foundations for AI in PLG

Tom Evans | 22:55–25:33
You can’t personalize without the right data. That means building strong telemetry early—tracking who’s using what, when, and why. Start by mapping your activation points, then layer on AI models to forecast user outcomes. This is the foundation of next-gen PLG.

Discovery and Onboarding with AI

Tom Evans | 25:33–28:17
Think of onboarding as discovery. AI can help users find value faster by adapting flows to their context. Instead of “click here to start,” it’s “based on what you’ve done, here’s your next best step.” Adaptive tutorials, contextual tips, and personalized support all shorten time-to-value.

Feature Recommendations and Dynamic Segmentation

Tom Evans | 28:17–31:11
Dynamic segmentation is one of the most powerful applications of AI in PLG. Rather than building static personas, you use real-time signals—engagement, usage, and outcomes—to adjust what features you recommend. It’s how Spotify curates playlists, but for your product roadmap.

Retention, Churn Prevention, and Upsell Opportunities

Cynthia Petti | 31:11–32:03
This is where AI really shines—retention. Predictive models can surface users likely to churn before they actually do, helping PMs and CS teams act fast.

Tom Evans | 32:03–36:14
Exactly. And beyond retention, AI can identify expansion opportunities—when a user is primed for upsell based on their success patterns. That makes PLG not just about acquisition, but lifetime value growth.

Case Studies: Grammarly, Notion, and Real-World AI in PLG

Tom Evans | 36:14–41:23
Let’s look at real examples. Grammarly uses AI to personalize writing insights—it’s a daily feedback loop. Notion, on the other hand, uses in-app recommendations to drive multi-user collaboration. Both embed PLG deep in the product DNA. These companies show how personalization and community together can unlock sustainable, compounding growth.

Poll: Biggest Challenge to PLG Success

Cynthia Petti | 41:23–44:30
Let’s launch another poll. What’s your biggest challenge in PLG? Culture? Sales alignment? Product readiness? Or data maturity? Go ahead and respond—these insights help us understand where the real friction points are.

Tom Evans | 44:30–45:02
And no matter where you fall, that’s okay. PLG is iterative. The goal is progress, not perfection.

Trend #2: Community-Led Growth

Tom Evans | 45:02–52:16
Community is the new growth engine. It’s where adoption becomes advocacy. PLG companies like Figma, Miro, and Salesforce tap into user communities for learning, feedback, and product evolution. Community-led growth is about co-creating value—with your customers, not just for them.

Managing and Scaling Community Engagement

Cynthia Petti | 52:16–55:47
A big question we get is—how do we keep community authentic as it scales? The answer: empower ambassadors, encourage cross-pollination, and celebrate contributions. Community thrives when users feel ownership, not when it’s overly branded or controlled.

Commercial Break: Upcoming Productside Courses

Cynthia Petti | 55:47–57:02
Quick plug for our upcoming Productside courses—we’ve got sessions in London, Austin, and New York this fall. These focus on PLG, AI in product management, and advanced product operations. Spots fill quickly, so check them out on our site.

Trend #3: Embedding PLG from Day One

Tom Evans | 57:02–01:03:25
If you’re building a new product, embed PLG from the start. That means designing self-service flows, viral loops, and outcome-based pricing into your MVP. Retrofitting PLG later is painful—build for it early, and your growth compounds faster.

Poll: What Will You Do Differently?

Cynthia Petti | 01:03:25–01:05:47
Final poll! What will you do differently after today? Implement AI-driven onboarding? Improve telemetry? Start a community experiment? Let us know in the poll—we love hearing your next steps.

Closing Remarks and Next Steps

Tom Evans | 01:05:47–01:08:10
PLG isn’t a tactic—it’s a mindset. It’s about letting your product tell the story and enabling users to succeed on their own terms. Start small, iterate fast, and measure what matters.

Cynthia Petti | 01:08:10–01:09:32
Thank you all for joining us today! Keep an eye out for our next webinar, “Predictive Analytics for Product Managers.” You’ll get the recording of today’s session, plus all slides and templates. On behalf of Tom and the entire Productside team—thanks for spending your hour with us. See you next time!