Headspace · B2C · meditation app
Email lapsed subscribers 40% off if they come back within 7 days
Unknowncancellation-flowemail
What they did
Headspace emailed the host, a lapsed subscriber: 'Come back, 40% off, 7 days only if you re-subscribe'. Guest's caution: discounts work but cap margin and can attract low-intent subscribers; consider holding discounts until a user passes the average number of renewals.
- Stage
- Scale (scaling)
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · How to Boost Retention with Subscription Lifecycle Messaging — Alice Muir, Phiture“I got an email of like, "Come back, 40% off, you know, 7 days only if you re-subscribe,"”
Get tactics like this every Monday
New tactics from the week's founder interviews, each linked to where it was said.
More from Headspace
All 22 Headspace tactics- Add a free trial: 7 days on monthly, 14 days on yearlyDouble-digit conversion lift; rolled out end of 2019
- Lock the whole content library behind a free trial, for new and old usersHigh double-digit lift in paid subscribers; trial users engaged more than free users
- Raise monthly from $9.99 to $12.99 and cut annual from $99 to $69.99More total revenue and higher conversion on both plans; more users chose annual
- Lock 90-99% of the free library, keeping 1-2 favorites free per categoryMuch higher free-to-paid conversion; far fewer complaints than feared
- Label the yearly plan 'best value' instead of showing the dollars savedThe simple 'best value' label beat showing the dollar savings
- Let new users pick several reasons they came, not just oneSignificant lift: fewer drop-offs at that question and more trial starts
More from this episode
- Right after someone subscribes, show a message linking straight to their first premium reportFixed a wave of instant cancellations, consultant says; no numbers
- Plan a message for each free-trial day, aimed at getting users to try premium
- Headspace: Email free users a small discount, then raise it every few days until they upgradeSaw some good results, consultant says; no numbers
- Phiture: Test paywalls by building them as full-screen in-app messagesWorks, and banners converted surprisingly well; messages sometimes fail to load
- Build one paywall message that shows each user the price for their regionPretty good success, consultant says; results can't be split by region
- Keakr: Find which features buyers used first, then nudge similar users toward themAdvanced-editing users were more likely to subscribe; no numbers
- Survey users who start opening the app less often than normal to learn whyFound many drifting users were pregnant; advised content to keep them
- Headspace: Ask why people joined, then remind them of it laterQuite effective at reinforcing the habit, consultant says; no numbers
- VSCO: Remind people who cancel which features they'll lose, e.g. '7 days left of this filter'Called one of the coolest campaigns seen; no numbers
- When users screenshot a premium creation, offer the high-resolution download with premiumWorked nicely for both new and lapsed users, consultant says
- Show lapsing members photos they made in the past to celebrate their membership
- Headspace: Add new uses, like sleep and exercise, so users don't outgrow the appConsultant calls it smart; no numbers
- MyFitnessPal: After each day's log, show where the user will be in 5 weeks if every day is like todayGuest, a 3-year user, credits it for a brilliant retention strategy; no numbers
- MyFitnessPal: Show lapsed subscribers pop-ups that point to features they've never used