How to Turn Trial Users into Paying Subscribers

It silently drains resources and potential revenue, often costing much more than companies realize.

Out of every 100 people who try out your service, only about 25 end up sticking around and becoming paying customers. That leaves 75 who just disappear into thin air. 

If you're in the SaaS industry, things look a little brighter with a 36% conversion rate, but there's still plenty of room for improvement. Those trial users who don't stick around represent missed growth opportunities and wasted dollars. 

So let's look into some proven tactics and review how successful companies have turned things around.

1.  Personalize your content to provide more value to users

Spotify nails this tactic perfectly. They offer a 30-day free trial with full premium access. But here’s how they stand out:

• Their AI analyzes your listening habits to create personalized playlists like Discover Weekly.
• They recommend new artists and songs based on what you already like.
• At the end of the year, they provide wrapped summaries showing your listening stats.

This approach makes the experience so personalized that users find it hard to leave. The AI-curated playlists and recommendations get better and better, making the service feel more valuable over time. 

Results:

46% of free users converted to paid subscribers in just one year.

2. Show off premium features in a smart way to drive conversions

Grammarly’s free version covers basic spelling/grammar checks, but locks advanced features behind the premium version.

They highlight parts of the users’ text that could benefit from these upgrades and explain how they would make a difference.This makes it extra tempting to upgrade.

Free users also get weekly emails with their writing stats and a peek at how much more they could improve with the premium version.

Results:

Grammarly's conversion rate increased by 26% using this strategy.

3.  Offer multiple payment options, including crypto

Different people have different payment preferences, so it's a wise choice to offer a variety of options to make it easy for everyone to pay.

Consider including crypto payments to attract privacy-conscious and tech-savvy customers. Crypto is growing in popularity and can save on transaction fees.

Take ProtonMail, for example. As a privacy-focused, end-to-end encrypted email service, accepting crypto payments fits perfectly with their brand. 

They started accepting Bitcoin for recurring payments in 2017 and later added Ethereum and Monero.

Results:

Within a year, crypto payments made up 25% of their recurring revenue.

4. Provide good customer support before they even ask

Show customers that you really care. Answer the question they might have while trying your services or products. 

Slack implemented a proactive support bot that responds to user behavior. The bot notices when users haven't taken key actions, such as creating a channel, and offers helpful guidance. It also provides timely tips about unexplored features.

Through this approach, Slack anticipates and addresses potential questions before users even need to ask.

Results:

Slack saw a 25% reduction in support tickets and a 15% increase in trial-to-paid conversions just by implementing this strategy. 

5. Use social proof and case studies

HubSpot knows that seeing real success can make a big impact. 

They’ve created a Customer Stories section on their website featuring diverse businesses and their success with HubSpot. 

By categorizing these stories by industry and company size, they make it easy for potential customers to see how similar businesses have thrived.

They also sprinkle testimonials throughout the trial experience to tackle any doubts users might have.

Results:

This strategy helped boost their trial-to-paid conversion rate by 20% over six months.

Grow your user base with a mix of tactics

These strategies work best in combination to create the best user experience. Start by offering flexible payment options, then upgrade the experience with more personalized features.

UniSub fits into this picture by handling recurring crypto payments to your subscription system. It’s a simple addition that can make a big difference. 

Curious about boosting conversions with crypto? Book a demo to explore UniSub’s potential for your business.