A lead who has demonstrated buying intent through actual product usage — for example, a free-trial user who hits a usage limit or engages heavily with a premium feature — as distinct from a lead qualified purely by marketing engagement (MQL) or by sales conversation (SQL).
Why it matters
In product-led growth motions, product usage is often a stronger buying signal than a content download or a form fill. PQLs let sales and marketing prioritize the people already experiencing value, rather than treating every lead the same regardless of how they engaged.
In a sentence
"We flag a user as a PQL the moment they hit the free-tier scan limit twice in a week — that's a much stronger signal than someone who just downloaded a guide."
Related terms
- Often confused with: MQL / SQL (a PQL is qualified specifically by product behavior; an MQL is qualified by marketing engagement like content downloads; an SQL is qualified through direct sales vetting — the three represent different qualification methods, and a single company might use one, two, or all three).