15 Product-Led Growth Metrics Every SaaS Needs to Monitor

In the fast-paced world of SaaS, Product-Led Growth (PLG) is emerging as a game-changing strategy for scalable and sustainable success. By placing the product at the core of the customer experience, PLG allows companies to grow by creating impactful user interactions that drive engagement and adoption. Unlike traditional sales-led approaches, PLG thrives on delivering product value directly to users, and its success hinges on understanding and leveraging the right metrics.

Product-Led Growth metrics are key performance indicators (KPIs) designed to assess how well a product-centric approach drives user acquisition, activation, retention, and expansion. These metrics provide crucial insights into user behavior, highlight valuable product features, and reveal any friction in the user journey. By tracking these metrics, SaaS companies can gain a deeper understanding of growth drivers and discover opportunities for optimization.

PLG metrics are typically grouped into four categories:

• Acquisition Metrics: These help you understand how users discover and sign up for your product. Key metrics include Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Product Qualified Leads (PQLs).
• Activation Metrics: These metrics gauge how effectively users reach the first value milestone within the product. Examples include Activation Rate and Time to Value (TTV).
• Retention Metrics: Retention is vital for sustainable growth. Metrics like Churn Rate, Retention Rate, and Daily Active Users (DAU) to Monthly Active Users (MAU) ratio are critical here.
• Expansion Metrics: These track revenue growth from existing customers. Important metrics include Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), Expansion Revenue, and Net Promoter Score (NPS).

Why Tracking PLG Metrics is Important

Tracking PLG metrics is essential to understanding the entire customer journey, from acquisition to expansion. By focusing on the metrics that matter, you can continuously refine the user experience, address bottlenecks, and make informed decisions that lead to improved customer satisfaction and sustained revenue growth. For instance, monitoring the Activation Rate can reveal how effectively users are onboarded, while Retention Metrics provide insights into long-term engagement.

The following step-by-step guide will help you implement PLG metrics in your strategy, covering the tools needed, how to track effectively, and how to leverage insights for growth.

Key Product-Led Growth Metrics to Track (Listicle Format)

Metrics for Early-Stage SaaS Companies

1. Activation Rate

• Definition: Explain different definitions of activation for various products.
• Tracking Tips: Tools to track and optimize activation.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Specific events or milestones that define activation for your product.
  • How to Measure: Tools such as Mixpanel, Google Analytics, or Amplitude.
  • How to Improve: Recommendations to improve activation rate.

2. Product Qualified Leads (PQLs)

• Definition: Describe PQLs and how to identify them based on user behavior.
• Example: How SaaS companies leverage PQLs to grow revenue.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: User actions indicating high intent, such as usage of premium features.
  • How to Measure: Use PQL scoring with tools like HubSpot or Intercom.
  • How to Improve: Personalized outreach based on PQL scores.

3. Time to Value (TTV)

• Definition: Explain what TTV is and why it’s crucial.
• How to Optimize: Provide strategies to reduce TTV for improved onboarding experiences.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Time taken from signup to reaching the first meaningful outcome.
  • How to Measure: Customer journey mapping and user interviews.
  • How to Improve: Streamline onboarding flows to reduce TTV.

4. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

• Definition: Measuring the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of acquisition efforts.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Total marketing and sales cost divided by new customers acquired.
  • How to Measure: Track marketing expenses and customer acquisition data.
  • How to Improve: Optimize marketing channels with higher returns.

5. Daily Active Users (DAU) / Monthly Active Users (MAU)

• Definition: Tracking product stickiness and engagement.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Number of active users over a specific period.
  • How to Measure: Use product analytics tools like Amplitude or Mixpanel.
  • How to Improve: Increase engagement by introducing valuable features or campaigns.

6. Churn Rate

• Definition: Explain how to calculate churn rate.
• Minimization Strategies: Techniques to minimize churn.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Percentage of customers lost over a specific time.
  • How to Measure: Calculate churn using cohort analysis.
  • How to Improve: Address reasons for churn with customer feedback.

7. Retention Rate

• Definition: Explain retention rate and how it impacts long-term growth.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Percentage of users retained over time.
  • How to Measure: Use cohort analysis and retention reports.
  • How to Improve: Implement loyalty programs or personalized communication.

Metrics for Growth-Stage SaaS Companies

1. Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)

• Importance: Discuss the importance of MRR in evaluating steady growth.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Monthly revenue from active subscriptions.
  • How to Measure: Financial tracking through CRM or accounting software.
  • How to Improve: Upsell higher-tier plans or add-ons.

2. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

• Definition: Explain how to calculate CLV for a PLG company.
• Use Case: Example of using CLV to prioritize high-value user segments.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Average revenue from a customer over their lifetime.
  • How to Measure: Use LTV formulas or customer cohort analysis.
  • How to Improve: Enhance retention through customer success initiatives.

3. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

• Definition: Explain NPS and its role in measuring user satisfaction and advocacy.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: User responses to NPS surveys.
  • How to Measure: Conduct surveys with tools like SurveyMonkey.
  • How to Improve: Use feedback to improve product features.

4. Feature Adoption Rate

• Definition: How to measure feature adoption and its significance.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Number of users adopting a specific feature.
  • How to Measure: Use in-app analytics to monitor feature use.
  • How to Improve: Highlight feature benefits during onboarding.

5. Expansion Revenue

• Definition: Techniques to monitor revenue expansion through upsells or cross-sells.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Additional revenue from existing customers.
  • How to Measure: Analyze subscription upgrades and add-ons.
  • How to Improve: Develop and promote add-on features.

6. Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)

• Importance: How ARPU can guide your pricing strategy and product development.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Total revenue divided by the number of users.
  • How to Measure: Use MRR data to calculate ARPU.
  • How to Improve: Increase ARPU by upselling and cross-selling.

7. Lead to Customer Conversion Rate

• Definition: Measure how effectively leads convert into paying customers.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Number of leads versus successful conversions.
  • How to Measure: Track lead progress in CRM software.
  • How to Improve: Enhance nurturing campaigns to drive conversions.

8. Trial-to-Paid Conversion Rate

• Definition: Measure the percentage of trial users that convert to paid plans.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Trial users versus those who converted to paid plans.
  • How to Measure: Track user journey through CRM.
  • How to Improve: Optimize trial experiences to highlight core product value.

Metrics for Mature SaaS Companies

1. Gross Margin

• Definition: Measure profitability by calculating the difference between revenue and cost of goods sold (COGS).
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Revenue minus COGS.
  • How to Measure: Use accounting software.
  • How to Improve: Optimize operational efficiency.

2. Net Retention Rate (NRR)

• Definition: Explain how NRR measures revenue growth from existing customers, including upgrades and downgrades.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Revenue at start versus end of a period, including upgrades.
  • How to Measure: Use CRM and financial tracking tools.
  • How to Improve: Reduce downgrades and improve customer engagement.

3. Annual Contract Value (ACV)

• Definition: Track the average value of customer contracts to monitor sales performance.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Average value of all annual contracts.
  • How to Measure: Use CRM data.
  • How to Improve: Develop targeted sales strategies for larger contracts.

4. Customer Health Score

• Definition: Assess customer satisfaction and engagement based on multiple metrics, including product usage, support interactions, and feedback.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Composite score of various customer satisfaction indicators.
  • How to Measure: Use a combination of product analytics and survey data.
  • How to Improve: Proactively address low scores with targeted support.

5. Expansion Rate

• Definition: Monitor the percentage increase in revenue from existing customers through upsells or cross-sells.
• Analysis Template:
  • What to Measure: Percentage increase in customer revenue.
  • How to Measure: Track upgrades and cross-sells in CRM.
  • How to Improve: Develop upsell campaigns for existing users.

How to Implement PLG Metrics in Your Strategy

Step 1: Define Your Key Metrics

• Identify Relevant Metrics: Start by determining which Product-Led Growth (PLG) metrics are most relevant to your company’s current stage (e.g., early-stage, growth-stage, or mature).
• Align Metrics with Business Goals: Choose metrics that align with your overall business goals, such as increasing user engagement, reducing churn, or growing Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR).
• Prioritize Metrics: Focus on a few key metrics that will have the biggest impact, rather than overwhelming your team with too many data points.

Step 2: Set Clear Objectives for Each Metric

• Specific and Measurable Goals: Establish specific, measurable goals for each metric. For example, aim to increase Activation Rate by 20% within the next quarter.
• Define Success Criteria: Define what success looks like for each metric, so that your team has a clear target to work towards. Use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals to ensure clarity.

Step 3: Create a Tracking Plan

• Tracking Schedule: Outline a plan for how each metric will be tracked, including the frequency (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly) and responsible team members.
• Identify Key Events: Identify the key events and milestones that will be tracked for each metric, such as signups, activation milestones, or feature adoption.

Step 4: Implement Tracking Tools

• Select the Right Tools: Choose the right tools to effectively collect and analyze data. The tools you choose should be based on your specific metrics and business needs.

Tool Recommendations

• Amplitude: A powerful product analytics tool that helps track user behavior and visualize data trends. Ideal for tracking Activation Rate, Feature Adoption Rate, and other key PLG metrics.
• Mixpanel: A tool focused on user analytics that provides insights into how users interact with your product. Useful for tracking engagement metrics such as Daily Active Users (DAU) and Monthly Active Users (MAU).
• Google Analytics: A popular tool that provides web analytics and can help track acquisition metrics such as Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and website traffic.
• HubSpot: For managing Product Qualified Leads (PQLs) and tracking the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
• Customer.io: Useful for automating user engagement workflows, such as onboarding sequences and re-engagement campaigns.

Step 5: Set Up Data Collection

• Integration: Integrate the chosen tools with your product to start collecting data.
• Define Events and Attributes: Clearly define the events to be tracked, such as user signups, feature usage, or upgrades, and the attributes that provide context to the data (e.g., user type, location).
• Testing: Run tests to ensure that all events are being accurately captured, and address any discrepancies.

Step 6: Analyze and Interpret the Data

• Review Metrics Regularly: Set up a schedule to review collected data, either weekly or monthly, to identify trends, bottlenecks, and opportunities.
• Use Dashboards for Visualization: Create dashboards that visualize your key metrics, making the data more accessible for your team and easier to understand at a glance.
• Segment Data for Insights: Segment your data by different user groups (e.g., free vs. paid users) to gain more specific insights and identify which segments need more attention.

Step 7: Iterate and Improve

• Use Data for Iterative Improvements: Based on the insights gained from your data, make adjustments to your product, onboarding process, or marketing strategies to improve key metrics.
• A/B Testing: Run A/B tests on different features or onboarding flows to see which version performs better.
• Continuous Optimization: Make PLG an ongoing process by continually optimizing and testing strategies to enhance user experience and growth.

Step 8: Communicate Insights Across Teams

• Share Findings with Stakeholders: Share findings with relevant teams, such as product, marketing, and customer success, to align everyone on growth opportunities and areas for improvement.
• Actionable Insights: Present data in a way that provides actionable insights, highlighting what the team can do to improve specific metrics.
• Foster Data-Driven Culture: Foster a culture of data-driven decision-making by keeping all stakeholders informed about metric performance and how their work contributes to achieving goals.

Step 9: Automate Reporting

• Automated Reports: Set up automated reports for key metrics to save time and ensure that the data is consistently reviewed.
• Alerts for Significant Changes: Create alerts for significant changes in metrics (e.g., a sudden drop in Activation Rate) so that your team can take timely action.

Step 10: Revisit Metrics Periodically

• Assess Relevance: As your company grows, revisit your metrics to ensure they are still aligned with your current business goals.
• Update Goals: Update your goals and focus areas based on new business priorities or changes in user behavior.
• Adjust Tracking: Make any necessary adjustments to your tracking setup to capture new events or metrics that have become relevant.

Case Studies

Case Study 1: How Bonjoro Boosted Activation Rates by 30%

Company Profile: Bonjoro, a mid-sized SaaS company offering personalized video messaging for customer engagement.

Challenge: Bonjoro struggled with a low activation rate—new users weren’t effectively reaching the initial point of value in the product. This lack of engagement was directly impacting customer retention and overall growth, leaving potential users disconnected from the product’s value.

Solution: To tackle this challenge, Bonjoro put the spotlight on reducing Time to Value (TTV) by completely revamping their onboarding process. They introduced an interactive guided tour that walked users through the product’s core features step-by-step, helping them quickly understand how to create and send personalized video messages. Bonjoro also tailored onboarding sequences for different user segments, making the experience more relevant and engaging for every type of customer.

Result: These strategic changes led to a 30% increase in activation rates. By eliminating friction points during onboarding and delivering value faster, Bonjoro managed to enhance user engagement and improve overall customer satisfaction. The positive onboarding experience contributed to Bonjoro’s rapid adoption among small businesses and customer success teams, making it easier for users to embrace and advocate for the platform.

Case Study 2: How Livestorm Increased Conversion Rates by Targeting High-Intent Users

Company Profile: Livestorm, an early-stage SaaS startup providing a browser-based webinar and meeting platform.

Challenge: Livestorm faced the challenge of identifying which users were most likely to upgrade from the free tier to a paid plan. With limited resources, it was crucial for Livestorm to focus their energy on users who showed strong buying signals to maximize conversion rates effectively.

Solution: Livestorm decided to leverage Product Qualified Leads (PQLs) to target users who showed high engagement with the platform. By analyzing user behavior, they identified key actions—such as hosting multiple webinars and using advanced features like integrations—that indicated strong intent to convert. Livestorm used tools like Intercom to assign PQL scores and prioritized personalized outreach to users with the highest scores, ensuring that their sales efforts were directed toward the most promising prospects.

Result: This targeted approach led to a 20% increase in conversion rates. By focusing their efforts on high-intent users, Livestorm made their marketing and sales activities more efficient and effective. The results were significant—Livestorm successfully grew their paid user base, proving the value of a data-driven approach to identifying and nurturing PQLs.

Case Study 3: How Qwilr Reduced Churn by 15% with Enhanced User Engagement

Company Profile: Qwilr, a small SaaS company providing a tool to create interactive sales and marketing documents.

Challenge: Qwilr was grappling with high churn rates—many users were discontinuing their subscriptions after just a short period. This high churn was hindering their ability to grow sustainably and retain loyal customers.

Solution: To combat high churn, Qwilr zeroed in on enhancing user engagement. They launched personalized email campaigns to highlight the unique benefits of their interactive documents, making sure users understood how Qwilr could help them stand out. Additionally, in-app messages offered real-time tips on effectively using features, while gamification elements like usage milestones and badges motivated users to stay engaged. Qwilr also set up a customer feedback loop to understand user pain points and proactively address any concerns.

Result: These efforts led to a 15% reduction in churn. By focusing on keeping users engaged and ensuring they continuously experienced the product’s value, Qwilr successfully increased retention and built a more loyal customer base. This helped Qwilr establish itself as a preferred tool for sales and marketing teams looking to create visually compelling proposals and documents that make an impact.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Focusing Solely on Acquisition

What Happens: It’s easy to get caught up in the thrill of acquiring new users—seeing those sign-up numbers climb can feel like the ultimate success.

Why It’s a Mistake: Focusing only on acquisition without paying attention to retention is like pouring water into a leaky bucket. High acquisition rates mean nothing if users aren’t sticking around. Retention is often more cost-effective than acquisition, and loyal users become advocates who drive organic growth.

How to Avoid It: To achieve sustainable Product-Led Growth (PLG), it’s crucial to keep users engaged long after they’ve signed up, ensuring your product continues to deliver value over time.

Mistake 2: Not Incorporating User Feedback

What Happens: Many companies fail to leverage user feedback, missing out on valuable insights.

Why It’s a Mistake: Ignoring user feedback is like flying blind—you’re missing opportunities to improve and evolve your product. PLG relies on delivering a fantastic user experience, and the only way to truly know if you’re meeting user needs is to listen to them.

How to Avoid It: Gathering feedback helps you identify pain points, make meaningful improvements, and build a product that users love. Consistent feedback loops aren’t just helpful—they’re essential for creating a product that meets and exceeds user expectations, ultimately boosting satisfaction and retention.

Mistake 3: Overlooking Churn Metrics

What Happens: Focusing only on acquisition might give you a false sense of growth, while users quietly slip away.

Why It’s a Mistake: Ignoring churn metrics means you’re missing the opportunity to understand why users are leaving. Churn is a key indicator of user dissatisfaction. If you’re not tracking it, you could be losing users just as quickly as you’re gaining them.

How to Avoid It: By proactively tracking and analyzing churn metrics, you can identify patterns and take action to address issues before they lead to lost customers. Reducing churn isn’t just about keeping users—it’s about creating long-term relationships, increasing customer lifetime value, and driving sustainable growth.

FAQ Section

What is the best way to track activation rate?

Answer: The best way to track activation rate is by defining clear activation events that signify when a user has reached a meaningful point of value in your product. For example, activation can be when a user completes onboarding, creates their first project, or engages with a core feature for the first time. Once you’ve defined this event, use analytics tools like Mixpanel, Amplitude, or Google Analytics to track how many users reach this milestone. Segment your users to understand how different user groups experience activation and identify areas for improvement.

How do PLG metrics differ from sales-led metrics?

Answer: Product-Led Growth (PLG) metrics focus on how users interact directly with the product to drive growth. Metrics like activation rate, product qualified leads (PQLs), retention, and feature adoption measure user engagement, satisfaction, and organic growth driven by the product itself. On the other hand, sales-led metrics are more focused on lead generation, conversion rates, and sales cycle efficiency, emphasizing activities led by sales and marketing teams. PLG metrics provide insights into the user’s journey within the product, while sales-led metrics revolve around pushing users through the sales funnel.

What is a good churn rate for SaaS companies?

Answer: A good churn rate for SaaS companies can vary depending on the stage and type of the business. Generally, a monthly churn rate of under 5% is considered acceptable for early-stage SaaS companies, while mature SaaS businesses aim for a monthly churn rate below 1-2%. The lower the churn rate, the better, as it indicates higher customer satisfaction and product value. To achieve low churn, focus on delivering value quickly, ensuring a great user experience, and keeping customers engaged through regular updates and personalized communication.

How can I reduce the Time to Value (TTV)?

Answer: Reducing Time to Value (TTV) involves streamlining the onboarding process so that users can experience the core value of your product as quickly as possible. This can be achieved by simplifying the user interface, providing guided walkthroughs, offering educational resources like videos or tutorials, and focusing on the features that deliver immediate value. Personalizing the onboarding experience based on user segments can also help reduce TTV by making it more relevant to individual needs.

What are Product Qualified Leads (PQLs) and how do I identify them?

Answer: Product Qualified Leads (PQLs) are users who have experienced meaningful value from your product and show signs of being ready to upgrade or purchase. PQLs are identified by tracking key user behaviors, such as frequent use of premium features, high engagement, or reaching specific milestones that indicate a strong interest. Tools like HubSpot, Intercom, or custom scoring models can be used to evaluate and score leads based on their actions within the product.

What metrics should I track to measure user engagement?

Answer: To measure user engagement, track metrics such as Daily Active Users (DAU), Monthly Active Users (MAU), session duration, feature adoption rate, and Net Promoter Score (NPS). These metrics help you understand how users interact with your product, which features they find valuable, and how often they return. Combining these metrics provides a comprehensive view of user engagement and helps identify areas for improvement.

How do I know if my onboarding process is effective?

Answer: To evaluate the effectiveness of your onboarding process, track metrics like activation rate, Time to Value (TTV), and drop-off points during onboarding. High activation rates and low TTV suggest that users are quickly realizing value from your product. If you notice significant drop-offs during onboarding, it indicates friction points that need to be addressed. Conducting user interviews or surveys can also provide qualitative feedback to improve the onboarding experience.

What is the difference between activation and retention?

Answer: Activation refers to the moment when a user first experiences meaningful value from your product—often during onboarding. It’s the point where they understand why your product is beneficial. Retention, on the other hand, measures whether users continue to return and engage with the product over time. Activation is about getting users to value quickly, while retention is about ensuring they keep coming back to derive ongoing value.

How do I track feature adoption?

Answer: Feature adoption can be tracked using in-app analytics tools like Amplitude or Mixpanel. Identify key features that contribute to user success and measure how many users engage with those features. Feature adoption rate is typically calculated by dividing the number of users who have used a specific feature by the total number of active users. Understanding which features are popular helps you prioritize development and improve less-adopted features.