Surfline · B2C · surf forecast and cam app
Keep adding paid features and new surf cams for free users to upgrade to
Short spike from early adopters, then a higher baseline conversion
Workedfeature-developmentpaywall
What they did
Launch new premium products or add cams in new areas. Early adopters subscribe quickly; once that normalizes, baseline free-to-paid conversion settles higher than before. Goal is slightly better freemium conversion every year without the free audience shrinking.
What happened
Each launch gives a quick uplift that fades, leaving a higher baseline; no overnight doubling.
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · How to Succeed with Freemium and Hybrid Monetization — Paul Ganev, Surfline“Typically, the way it works is like if you launch a new product or we add new cams to a certain area, you'll see an uplift pretty quickly, and then it'll slow down over time. But your baseline conversion over time continues to improve.”
“So that's kind of the model, is over time, you're hoping that every year your freemium conversion's a little bit better and a little bit better and a little bit better, but the size of your free audience has not gone down.”
Related topics
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More from this episode
- Surfline: Give surfers free daily forecasts, then sell the full version to the keen onesGrows with zero paid ads; free-to-paid conversion up a lot over five years
- Surfline: Publish a surf report page for every beach so searchers land on youSEO is the biggest channel after word of mouth; no numbers
- Surfline: Let free users use a few features without limits instead of capping visitsTested both; guest prefers unlimited use of free features, no numbers
- Surfline: Play a short video ad before free users can watch the surf camEarns from free users; host remembers an ad years later
- Surfline: Get brands to give subscribers exclusive discounts instead of showing them adsWell received; outperforms banner ads for brands, no numbers
- Surfline: Cut market research down using your own free users' data and surveys
- Surfline: Aim the paid plan at surfers who go often; leave casual ones to free apps