Talk

Community-generated content as sales assets that convert

Tuesday, 19 May 2026 @ 16:25 - 16:30

Last year Grist did three things to get more content from free community users:

• Held a virtual GristCon where most talks were given by community members.
• Started offering free activation keys, which helped surface use cases and produce case studies.
• Made custom widgets even easier to build, and started maintaining a database of community widgets.

These have turned into surprising inbound lead magnets. On discovery calls with new inbound inquiries, prospects often reference GristCon videos, community widgets, or case studies from these efforts, including product champions inside organizations who arrive already knowing the product well enough to run the demo themselves.