How to Maximize Web Subscriptions for Sustainable Growth — Lucas Lovell, Paddle

Run paid ads on social platforms that land on a web funnel (personalization questions building buying intent), then paywall and web checkout, then push the paid user into the app. Works best for apps with a large personalization component and high-intent users: health and fitness, wellness, education/language learning. Less proven for productivity (e.g. note-taking) and media, where there is little to personalize. Experiment on the funnel, paywall and checkout end to end, cut friction, and study which routes through the funnel produce a buying signal. Content marketing landing pages are another entry point.

Keep cancel one click (FTC click-to-cancel rule) but, on click, show a cancellation flow that asks why they are cancelling and presents alternatives: a downgrade to a cheaper plan or a pause instead of a full cancel. Run reactivation and win-back campaigns for those who leave. Pair with transparent pricing at the paywall; no dark patterns. Track renewal at the end of the first subscription cycle alongside funnel conversion.

Collect an email during in-app onboarding. If the user doesn't subscribe, send an email (or text) within minutes, possibly while they are still in the app, offering e.g. 30-40% off if they subscribe on the web. Apple allows using contact info collected in the app for this; push notifications are riskier. Guest adds that companies also use discounted web prices in win-back campaigns and some price the standard web plan lower to pass on the smaller fees.

Games that never required accounts now ask for name and email so they can contact players outside the app, then push repeat in-game purchases (gems, tokens, items) to a web store with bundled products at discounted prices. Cited the Epic Games Store as a successful example; host received Pokémon GO emails advertising web-exclusive bundles.

Host, a long-time player, received an email highlighting web-exclusive bundles and the deals available on the web store.

For web subscriptions, charge upfront and promise a full refund within 30 days instead of a free trial, something the App Store doesn't allow (no guarantees or automatic refunds). Pausing and refunds on the web can also improve the customer experience.