Clear 30 · B2C · app to quit or cut down weed
Open the paywall with a day-by-day plan for the first 7 days, not features
Paywall conversion rose from ~20% to 30% with only this change
What they did
What happened
In their words
Asher Herbstman & Thatcher Clough - I Built a $30k/mo App That Helps You Quit Smoking
Thatcher CloughMhm.
Asher Hirschmanand we went from 20% conversion to 30% conversion. So what we showed here is like what you're actually going to get within the trial, what your days are going to be looking like, so this is the, you know, day zero, day one, we wanted to display it more as a program, this is a system that will help you, so we realized that outlining our actual days and showing them clearly what's going to happen worked started to work a lot of like, hey, this is what you're going to get. And then we thought about this beautiful equation again, and so, you know, we're going through this and we wanted to put little dream outcomes within this, and extra points for them like sounding like studies, these are objective, they apply to everyone, but your CB1 receptors begin to bounce back with weed from weed within 48 hours, so your brain is healing, that is like a a little dream outcome, and this is a part that's really important is like we're thinking about time delay here. People don't want to feel like, oh, the app is called Clear 30, it's going to take 30 days before I feel any type of better. No, we're going to get these wins quickly.
Thatcher CloughWe also are not claiming, "Hey, you're going to be solved of your weed problem tomorrow," because realistically, that's not true, but I think that sort of outlining this and saying, "Hey, this is what it's going to be like for the first 7 days, like yes, not like everything is going to be fixed tomorrow, it's going to take longer than 7 days, but this is what the next 7 days are going to look like, and how we're going to help you through there, …
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More from this episode
- Grow with paid Meta and TikTok ads once the app converts wellBecame the growth engine; founders say they 'cracked paid ads' and are scaling
- Try organic posts, influencers, Reddit and SEO to get first usersUseful for early feedback, but hard to convert; the first $1K was the hardest
- Film your own funny ads that call out a very specific momentSpecific callouts grab attention; calm ads with an older speaker convert best
- Check which ages and quit reasons pay most, then aim ads at them26-30 year olds convert at almost double the 18-20 rate
- Ask users where they found the app, and also run proper ad trackingShows cost per trial by platform to rebalance spend daily; founders call it very helpful
- Track users from the first screen, not only after they sign inRevealed drop-offs; intro screen passes 85-90%
- Make onboarding a conversation: use their name, echo goals, show proof and quick winsPart of the 2-month push that took revenue from $10K to $30K a month
- Keep the slow 'what do you want to achieve?' questions in onboardingUsers spend 20-30 seconds on them with almost no drop-off
- Give users a free personal report on their habits before asking them to payFounders call it a big point of value; no numbers
- Ask new users which features they'd use, to show them off and learn
- Say up front the app costs money, next to what the habit costs themOnboarding conversion up about 3%; fewer 'it's paid' complaints
- Ask for a star rating during onboarding, right before showing reviewsReviews went from ~50 to almost 1,000 and keep climbing
- Sign users up by phone number and text them funny, personal messagesNo results given; founders cite ~95% of texts read within 5 minutes
- Tell users 'no payment due now' and remind them 2 days before the trial endsMost users choose the yearly plan with the 3-day trial; no conversion numbers
- Test $30, $40 and $50 yearly pricesSettled on $30/year; no test numbers shared
- Run ads inviting people to take a quiz about their weed habitDidn't work; tried half-heartedly while onboarding was weaker
- Study which ads Meta and TikTok spend most on, and reuse their hooksAd with a woman beat one with a man; camera-shot look beat polished
- Offer the app to universities and addiction services, and add paid extras
Tags: paywall-first-screen, program-outline, quick-wins, time-delay