Headspace · meditation and mental health app
Lock 90-99% of the free library, keeping 1-2 favorites free per category
Much higher free-to-paid conversion; far fewer complaints than feared
Workedpaywall
What they did
In 2019, from a model with ~80% of content locked, tested 90%, 95% and 99% locked variants on new users first (who had no expectations of what was free). Kept one or two of the most popular items free in each category (meditation, sleep, fitness). Existing long-time free users were moved over only after 6-8 months of internal deliberation, with an incentive.
What happened
People converted at higher rates because they hit more locks, a pattern familiar from Spotify and others. Conversion lift was 'pretty high' and member support was not bombarded as feared.
- Stage
- scale
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · How Headspace Optimized Revenue by Gating Content — Shreya Oswal and Keya Patel, Headspace“And that's really when we started to play around with what we called these types of tests that were like 90% locked content, 95% locked, 99% locked.”
“So that was a priority for us to still have at least one or two pieces of content within the meditation category, within the sleep category, fitness category available for free entirely to be able to suit some of those customers.”
“So we did see, of course, that lift in conversion, which was a pretty high lift in conversion.”
Related topics
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- Email free users a small discount, then raise it every few days until they upgradeSaw some good results, consultant says; no numbers
- Ask why people joined, then remind them of it laterQuite effective at reinforcing the habit, consultant says; no numbers
- Bundle the news subscription with Headspace for readers overwhelmed by newsGuest cites business results but warns partnerships are very hard
- Email lapsed subscribers 40% off if they come back within 7 days
- Ask the user's main goal and show different content for each
- Add new uses, like sleep and exercise, so users don't outgrow the appConsultant calls it smart; no numbers
More from this episode
- Headspace: 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
- Headspace: Let anyone share a 30-60 second clip of any meditation with a friend
- Headspace: 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
- Headspace: Show the yearly plan's per-month cost, with a cartoon character pointing at itHelped shift sign-ups toward annual alongside the price change; no separate numbers
- Headspace: Test 8 lower monthly prices to pull in less committed usersLost revenue: more people chose monthly without enough extra conversions; not rolled out
- Headspace: Label the yearly plan 'best value' instead of showing the dollars savedThe simple 'best value' label beat showing the dollar savings
- Headspace: Push the yearly plan hardest on the paywall, keeping monthly as an optionMore picked annual, but fewer paid after the trial; went back to equal plans
- Headspace: Add a free trial: 7 days on monthly, 14 days on yearlyDouble-digit conversion lift; rolled out end of 2019
- LinkedIn: Open free trials to everyone and let users pick their own planCalled a big win for revenue and for users picking the right plan; no numbers
- Headspace: Offer a student discount plan, then open it in the 7-10 countries asking mostSmall but positive revenue at first; international launch 'done really well'
- Headspace: Add a family plan so members keep each other using the appBest retention of any plan, monthly and annual; brought in new users and raised ARPU
- Headspace: Let new users pick several reasons they came, not just oneSignificant lift: fewer drop-offs at that question and more trial starts
- Headspace: Test a 10-15 screen onboarding against a 3-4 screen one straight to the upsellLong raised week-1 use but cut conversions; short converted but felt off-mission; settled in middle
- Headspace: Promise a prize for sticking with it the first month, with on-track reminders
- Headspace: Give referred friends a 30-day free trial instead of 14, with no cash rewardHigh trial redemption and good conversion from referred friends; no numbers
- Headspace: Reward the top referrers with a 1:1 session with their favorite teacher