HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Add the Right Friction, Not Zero Friction

Add the Right Friction, Not Zero Friction is a product-led growth tactic for getting your first users: Counterintuitively, well-placed steps can raise conversion and completion rather than lower them. The goal is to remove annoying friction that adds nothing while keeping the steps that set users up to succeed.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS teams, and works especially well for B2B SaaS, considered-purchase products, complex tools. As a product-led growth play, plan for medium effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 2 linked primary sources.

Product-led growthMedium effortSlow

Why does product-led growth work for this?

Most cancellation happens in the first hours and days, so small improvements to a high-quality onboarding flow have outsized effects on retention and completion far beyond what stripping steps achieves.

The exact steps (4)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

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Sources

Works for
B2B SaaS

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Add the Right Friction, Not Zero Friction" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Add the Right Friction, Not Zero Friction" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 2 primary sources — real founder write-ups and interviews, not generic advice. They are linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original accounts yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is medium effort, and results tend to be slow.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Head of Growth (Anthropic): Anthropic is automating its own growth and The surprising advice from a founder who built 2 unicorns (Jason Cohen), is in the paid library.

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