Airtable Embraces PLG With "Just Start Building" Homepage

Airtable's "Just Start Building" Homepage Strategy

Airtable's return to its product-led growth (PLG) roots has led to a powerful conversion strategy where the homepage immediately invites users to start building without friction. As CEO Howie Liu explains, they've transformed their homepage to focus on experiential value rather than descriptive marketing.

The approach is remarkably simple but effective: the homepage literally says "just start building right now" and asks visitors "what do you want to build?" Then it immediately starts building as users engage. This creates an instant demonstration of value that lets potential customers experience the product's capabilities firsthand rather than reading about them.

This strategy is particularly effective for AI-powered products because, as Liu notes, "the best way to get AI value out there is experientially." While you can demonstrate AI capabilities through sales demos or POCs, it's far more powerful when users can directly experience the magic themselves. This insight was inspired by ChatGPT's explosive growth to 700 million weekly active users—roughly 10% of humans on earth—achieved primarily through frictionless self-service adoption.

The execution involves making their AI agent (Omni) the default interaction method, transforming the entire product experience to be AI-centric. Rather than relegating AI capabilities to a secondary sidebar feature, they've made the agent the primary interface through which users interact with Airtable. As Liu describes it, "the Airtable app as you know it is almost like an artifact that's manipulated by and can be tool-used by the agent."

This approach represents a significant shift from Airtable's previous trajectory of moving upmarket with more sales-led execution. While enterprise sales remain important to their business, Liu has deliberately shifted focus back to builder-led adoption, showing value experientially rather than telling it through sales decks.

The strategy is working because it aligns with how people actually evaluate AI tools—through direct interaction rather than description. By removing barriers to initial product experience, Airtable creates more opportunities for those "wow moments" that drive adoption, while still maintaining the ability to convert these self-serve users into enterprise customers later in their journey.

Why It Works

The genius of this approach is that it leverages the inherent curiosity people have about AI capabilities while eliminating the friction that might prevent them from discovering the value. Instead of asking users to sign up, enter credit card information, or navigate complex onboarding, Airtable lets them immediately start experiencing the product's magic—creating a powerful emotional connection that marketing copy alone could never achieve.

The Implementation

1. Redesign the homepage to focus on immediate product interaction
2. Make the AI agent (Omni) the primary interface for all interactions
3. Allow users to describe what they want to build in natural language
4. Show the product building in real-time based on user input
5. Create a seamless path from this initial experience to deeper engagement

This strategy exemplifies how product-led growth can be reimagined for the AI era, where experiencing capabilities firsthand becomes the most compelling form of marketing.