Zumba · dance fitness brand and app
Run one instructor training and continue only if 60+ people show up
About 120 came, double the bar; became the core instructor business
What they did
What happened
- Stage
- early (DVD era)
- Effort
- One training event
In their words
Optimizing Funnels, Pricing, and Retention at Zumba — Nicole Page & Lucy Levy, Zumba
Lucy Levyand they disappear. So they were already starting to feel that that could happen, and they were already trying to think, "Okay, what else can we do?" So they decided, "Let's do a training in Miami to license instructors.
Lucy LevyLet's see how many people show up. If more than 60 people show up, we keep going with that idea. If not, we all have to start thinking about what is going to be our, you know, career path, because this DVDs were not necessarily very sustainable long term."
Lucy LevySo it ended up happening that about 120 people showed up to the training in Miami, super passionate, you know, very excited. And so they continue to replicate that situation. So they were training people all around the country.
Lucy LevyAnd long story short, a lot of those people wanted to take the training multiple times because they needed support, and they decided to create the Zumba Instructor Network, which is our core business and our biggest asset. It is our community. Our mission as a company is to make our ZIN members successful.
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More from this episode
- Ask each user's goal, then put them in a matching workout programProgram users watched 2x as many videos; month-2 retention about doubled
- Let people pick a plan in the app, then pay on a bare web pageSign-ups fell 25% (35% at first) but lifetime value rose 17%
- On the web checkout, show Apple Pay or Google Pay first when availableHelped conversion a little; no numbers given
- Make onboarding longer: ask about goals and level, show value, recommend a programMuch higher paywall conversion than the short flow; no numbers given
- Show the paywall right after onboarding, before people see the appHelped overall conversion; no numbers given
- Give non-payers one free beginner class, then show the paywall when they stopHundreds of thousands of views; that paywall converts well, but no numbers
- Push new users to finish 3 classes: default weekly goal of 3 and a counterUsers who reach 3 classes are much more likely to stay
- After each class, celebrate, ask how hard it was, and suggest the next classMore people come back for their next class; no numbers given
- Send workout reminders at the day and hour each user usually works out
- Add chat threads where users talk about classes and their health journeyUsers didn't engage; feature turned off
- Drop the free trial on the monthly plan and cut it from $19.99 to $14.99Great results per the guest; annual mix rose from ~30% to ~60% (other changes too)
- Give only a 7-day free trial on the annual plan, priced at $99Trial-to-paid rose from the 30s to ~56%; no drop in trial starts
- Interview people who quit after one class, not just your biggest fansFound many churners leave for live classes; shaped the beginner focus
- Build the app for shy beginners with easy, high-quality classes70-75% of new users say they're beginners; credited as a big retention shift
- Treat every launch as a test and check the numbers every morningGuests credit it for fast iteration; no numbers
- Label the paywall button "Start Today"Won an A/B test of several button labels; no numbers
- Test sending paywall taps to a web checkout pageRealized LTV down 6% at first; fewer web subscribers turned off auto-renew
Tags: go-no-go-threshold, instructor-training, customer-pull