| TL;DR – With most SaaS products, signups come easy, but users churn just as fast. The real challenge is keeping them hooked. ElevenLabs, which hit $200M ARR and attracted millions of users in record time, cracked the product adoption code. In this post, we’ll break down the strategies they used to make users stick and the lessons SaaS CMOs can steal to fuel lasting growth. |
ElevenLabs secured its first $100M ARR in 20 months. The next $100M in just 10 months.
That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident.
Sure, timing, funding, and the AI wave all helped. But what really stood out to me was how ElevenLabs turned product adoption into momentum. Hype may have driven signups, but adoption is what converted attention into loyalty and long-term revenue.
I decided to dig deeper into it.
Instead of looking at product mechanics, I broke product adoption down into the marketing levers that matter most for SaaS CMOs: Learn → Believe → Trust → Stay. (Interesting, right? 😉)
What I found is that ElevenLabs didn’t just build adoption — they amplified it. And there are clear content marketing lessons here that SaaS CMOs can use to not just win signups, but keep users coming back.
So let’s just get straight into it.
Source: https://giphy.com/
#1. Learn: Support Content That Removes Product Adoption Friction
Signups are easy. Adoption is where most SaaS teams fail.
A new user signs up, tries to launch their first project, and gets stuck — setting up a workflow, connecting an integration, or fixing an error. If the only way to get help is by email and waiting hours for a reply, momentum dies. Small problems turn into churn before the product shows value.
ElevenLabs solved this by investing in deep, self-serve learning resources. They offer 20+ product guides covering workflows like Text to Speech, Voice Changer, Projects, and Dubbing. Developers get SDKs and API references that return working results immediately. Troubleshooting content tackles real product adoption blockers — from adding pauses to changing voices to cleaning noisy audio — so users keep moving.
On top of that, the data backs it up. In search, ElevenLabs ranks for direct adoption keywords like “how to add pauses in elevenlabs.” They also capture indirect, aka Job-to-be-Done (JTBD) keywords such as “how to create voice of characters” (ranking through their blog on AI-generated character voices for games), “how to change voice with ai,” and “how to use elevenlabs api” (ranking through their Quickstart documentation). In total, they rank for more than 4,000 adoption-focused keywords — proof that this kind of learning content doesn’t just sit in a help hub, it actively drives adoption demand.
Source: Ahrefs for Keyword Research
| 💡JTBD (Job-To-Be-Done) keywords are search terms that reflect the specific tasks or problems users are trying to solve, rather than the product itself. For example, instead of searching for “AI audio tool,” users might search “how to remove background noise from audio.” These keywords capture real user intent and drive product adoption by meeting people where their needs begin. |
The takeaway for SaaS CMOs: Don’t rely on slow support queues. Build precise, self-serve learning resources that solve post-signup roadblocks, then target JTBD keywords to make them discoverable. That’s how you create stickiness and stickiness is what grows ARR.
#2. Believe: Proof of Value That Reinforce Product Adoption
Trying a tool once isn’t enough to believe in it. If the first result feels average, users wonder, “Is this really worth my time?” That’s where adoption stalls.
ElevenLabs makes the case with proof you can’t ignore. They have customer success stories. One is where a leading US retailer used their tech with AudioStack to run AI-powered ads that drove real store visits. Brazilian star Fábio Porchat partnered with them to license his voice, showing the platform works in new markets.
Their Iconic Voices campaign brought back legends like Judy Garland and James Dean — proof that even major estates trust ElevenLabs.
Source: elevenlabs.io/iconic-voices
And their big launch news, like for a recent Eleven Music, show the product keeps evolving, not standing still.
The takeaway for SaaS CMOs: Product adoption isn’t built on one demo. It’s built on proof that others are succeeding and the product is growing. Share customer wins, partnerships, and launches so users see sticking around is the smart move.
#3. Trust: Positioning & Messaging That Turn Product Adoption Into Proof
Product adoption doesn’t just need to happen, it needs to be visible. When prospects land on your homepage or pricing page, they’re looking for proof that others already trust you at scale.
ElevenLabs makes this obvious. Their homepage leads with “Trusted by leading developers and enterprises” and “Used by millions of the best creators.” Investor logos add credibility, while a Latest Updates section signals continuous improvement. And CTAs like “Create, Dub, Share” focus on usage, not abstract features. The message is clear: people are already succeeding here, and you can too.
Source: Elevenlabs Website Homepage
The takeaway for SaaS CMOs: Don’t bury adoption signals. Prominently display proof like customer logos, user counts, investors, and product updates. Adoption stats and trust markers remove doubt and boost adoption further by showing your product already works at scale.
#4. Stay: Retention Marketing That Extends Product Adoption
Product adoption doesn’t survive on its own. Without reminders, nudges, and fresh reasons to log back in, even the best users drift away. Retention marketing is how you keep adoption alive and turn it into loyalty.
ElevenLabs shows how it works. Frequent feature launches like Iconic Voices, Eleven Music, and the AILAS safeguards in Japan aren’t dropped quietly. Each one is wrapped in a story — preserving cultural legends, protecting voice actors’ rights, or unlocking new creative tools — so updates become reasons to return.
And through community engagement on X, ElevenLabs runs ai voice contests, shared dubbing projects, and creator spotlights. These campaigns make adoption feel collective, not solitary, keeping users emotionally invested.
Source: x.com/elevenlabsio
The takeaway for SaaS CMOs: Don’t let features fade into release notes. Wrap every update in a story that connects to your users’ needs and values. A good story lasts longer than a launch. It reinforces why adoption matters, keeps users emotionally engaged, and turns them into loyal advocates.
If this breakdown gave you new ideas, you’ll want to check out Newsletter Alpha. It’s our weekly round-up for SaaS teams, packed with practical growth insights and examples you can put to work right away. Think of it as your shortcut to sharper content and stronger adoption.
Ready to Make SaaS Product Adoption Stick?
ElevenLabs proved that adoption is what drives real growth. But you don’t need a $200M ARR rocket ship to apply these lessons. You just need the right content strategy to keep users learning, believing, trusting, and staying.
That’s what we do at Concurate. We help SaaS teams turn content into adoption fuel — so signups stick around, and stickiness turns into ARR.
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👉 Want to see how this could work for your product? Book a call with us and let’s make it happen.
