Airtable built a no-code tool worth $11 Billion.

Their onboarding is a masterclass.

Steal these 8 tactics to activate new users (and reduce churn):

1) Bold Messaging

Airtable lets the visitor dream.

They focus on outcomes.

Not just features.

And they use imagery to back up their claim of "achieve anything".

They cleverly show their product in different contexts.

This helps to illustrate how versatile the tool is

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2) Customisation

Endowment effect is a psychological effect that says you value something more if you own it in some way.

The best onboarding flows get users to engrain themselves in the product.

Airtable gets you to create your own project.

And customise it's look & feel.

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3) Personalisation

Airtable asks what team you are on.

Then they personalise the experience later with relevant templates.

They know what use cases certain roles use Airtable for.

And they make the experience better based on this.

Good personalisation increases conversion

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4) Incentivising sharing

A huge value prop for using Airtable:

Building collaborative workflows.

Airtable is multi-player vs single player.

So they incentivise inviting teammates with free credits.

It's a powerful way to drive the viral loop.

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5) Letting users import data

Airtable wants the user to embed the tool into their workflow.

So they ask you to import your own data as one of the first steps.

That allows users to see their own data.

And start seeing the value in a useful context quickly.

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6) Goal-based Walkthrough

If you don't have data to import, Airtable still wants to get you to a real life goal.

They get you to Airtable to create your own project.

They guide you through the process.

And show outcomes in real-time.

Help the user achieve something early.

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7) Highlight unique value

Data in a grid is a spreadsheet.

But data in a Kanban style is a project management tool.

Airtable shows you that automating tasks and visualising data differently is possible.

This makes the tool stand out.

Showcase your unique features early on.

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8) Reverse trial

New users get a free trial period with premium features.

They can build out complex workflows and see full value.

If they don't upgrade, they move to the free plan.

Many won't want to lose what they built with those features.

And so decide to upgrade.  

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Airtable's value proposition is no longer a better spreadsheet or database.

It's now about creating workflows and connecting data.

And they get new users to its value fast.

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