Co-Experience: Non-Users Use Your Product Before Signing Up

Co-experience is a PLG acquisition pattern where product usage naturally exposes non-users to your product. Every scheduling link, shared video, or meeting invite is product marketing at zero cost. Calendly links, Loom videos, and Zoom invites demonstrate the pattern.

The critical difference from other viral patterns: value is demonstrated BEFORE signup. The recipient already knows the product works because they just used it. And unlike referral programs where users actively promote, co-experience requires no user effort:

When co-experience works

Best Fit Products

Co-Experience Examples

Calendly: $3B on a Single Pattern

$70M ARR on just $550K in external funding. Calendly ($3B valuation) achieved this because every scheduling link sent is a product demo.¹ Recipients experience frictionless booking and think “I need this for my meetings.”

How It Works

Lessons

1. The link IS the product. Everyone schedules meetings, and the shareable link is both the feature and distribution mechanism. The core action is inherently shareable.
2. Optimize for the recipient, not just the user. Recipients see value immediately without signup. The booking flow is designed for the NON-user, which is why zero friction exposure works.
3. Remove all friction from sharing. High frequency use (daily/weekly) only compounds if sharing is effortless: one-click copy, email integration, calendar sync.
4. B2B context matters. Professional recipients are potential buyers with budget authority.
5. Users generate impressions through normal work. Calendly doesn’t buy ads. Every scheduling link sent is a product demo that cost nothing to distribute.

Loom: 200M Users Through Shared Videos

Record and share a video in 30 seconds. Loom turns every shared link into a product demo: recipients watch on the branded player and think “I could use this instead of meetings.”²

How It Works

Lessons

1. Optimize the recipient experience. Loom’s video player is clean, fast, and branded. Every view shows Loom. The async-friendly format lets recipients watch on their time.
2. Reduce time to share, not just time to create. Recording takes 30 seconds, sharing takes one click. The faster users share, the faster the growth loop spins.
3. Make the value prop obvious to recipients. “Replaces meetings” is immediately clear to anyone watching. One click from viewer to creator means easy signup after experiencing value.
4. Make the CTA visible. “Record your own Loom” appears after viewing. Don’t hide the conversion path.

Zoom: 300M Users Through Meeting Invites

300M daily meeting participants at peak. Zoom got there because invitees join meetings without needing an account, experience quality firsthand, then become hosts themselves. Free group calls capped at 40 minutes convert users at peak engagement.³

How It Works

Lessons

1. Let non-users experience without accounts. Zoom join links work without signup. Invitees experience quality firsthand, then become hosts themselves.
2. Quality is the conversion mechanism. Zoom’s reliability sold itself. The product experience, not marketing, drove adoption.
3. Design free tier limits strategically. Zoom allows unlimited 1:1 calls (full value experience) but caps group calls at 40 minutes. This creates urgency in group settings and converts at peak engagement.
4. Limit at peak value, not at frustration. The 40-minute cutoff works because users WANT more Zoom after experiencing superior quality. It converts through desire, not desperation.

DocuSign: Every Signer Experiences the Product

130,000 new users daily through viral loop alone. DocuSign turns every document that needs signing into a full product demo. After optimizing the signer-to-sender flow, they increased conversion by 10%.⁴

How It Works

Lessons

1. Two-party transactions spread naturally. E-signatures can’t happen alone. If your product inherently requires interaction with external parties, co-experience is built in.
2. High-stakes context creates memorable impressions. Contracts are important moments. Recipients pay attention and remember the experience.
3. Convert at the peak moment. After signing, the user is engaged, understands value, and needs an account for their signed copy. Natural flow to signup.
4. Guide explicitly. Don’t assume recipients will become senders. DocuSign prompts “Send your own document” because explicit guidance increases conversion.

Granola.ai: Meeting Attendees Experience Value

Meeting ends. Summary lands in every attendee’s inbox. Granola auto-shares enhanced notes to everyone, who experience the benefit without installing anything, then want it for their own meetings.⁵

How It Works

Lessons

1. Expose value through output. Notes auto-share to all attendees. Passive exposure means recipients experience value without any action on their part.
2. Remove friction to experience. No install needed to see the benefit. The clear improvement over manual notes is immediately obvious.
3. Multi-party activities multiply reach. Every meeting exposes all attendees. More people per session = more potential conversions.
4. Create a natural adoption path. Recipients go from attendee to host. They experience the value, then want it for their own meetings.

Find Where Users Already Share

People were already emailing “here are my available times” before scheduling tools automated it. DocuSign didn’t invent signatures; it made the existing behavior digital and trackable. Loom didn’t invent screen recording; it made recording + sharing take 30 seconds. Find where users already share, then own that moment.

Action Items

1. Map your external touchpoints: Where does your product touch non-users? Every email sent, link shared, embed displayed, or export downloaded. List them all. Your touchpoint might be a scheduling link, a shared document, or a signed contract.
2. Audit the recipient experience: Sign out and experience your product as a non-user would. Click a shared link. Is value obvious in 5 seconds? If recipients need explanation, you’ve lost them.
3. Measure recipient-to-signup rate: What percentage of non-users who experience your product sign up? This is your co-experience conversion rate. DocuSign optimized this single metric and saw 10% lift.
4. Reduce sharing friction: Time how long it takes to share from the moment of intent. One-click copy? Calendar integration? Every second costs conversions. Loom’s 30-second record-to-share is the benchmark.
5. Add clear conversion paths: When non-users experience your product, is there a visible path to signup? “Record your own Loom” after watching. “Create your own Calendly” after booking. Don’t hide the CTA.