Practitioner pattern · Nick Godwin (Works at Superwall, the paywall platform demoed and recommended)
On the paywall, show one great review or an App of the Day badge
Guest says these work well across apps; results vary by app
Workedpaywall
What they did
Tested accolades (App of the Day, Editors' Choice), ratings volume, recent signups, and a single killer testimonial over lifestyle imagery. App of the Day badge works really well; one killer review beats a carousel of reviews. Imagery must match the rest of the onboarding (lifestyle vs illustration).
What happened
Guest finds App of the Day and a single killer testimonial work well; says it depends and must be tested.
“I find just showing one killer review or killer testimonial works better than showing a carousel”
“but I I find App of the Day works really well”
Related topics
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More from this episode
- Use a 3-page paywall: try it free, we'll remind you, people love it~19% ARPU lift vs a one-page paywall, across many apps
- Test one strong testimonial against star ratings on the paywallThe single testimonial did a little better
- Let people pick: 3-7 days free, or 30 days for $4.99, both on yearly~11% pick the paid trial; first purchases jump; fails if priced $2.99 or less
- Offer the first month for $1.99Didn't beat the control; guest says $1.99 is priced too low
- Add a paid intro offer to the paywallARPU up ~30%, conversions up ~25%
- When someone closes Apple's payment sheet, offer 7 free days instead of 3~20% more ARPU than a discount offer
- Send yearly buyers to web checkout; keep weekly and monthly in the appAvoids the billing failures and fraud seen on short web plans; no numbers
- Once Apple takes 30%, send paywall purchases to a web checkoutAt least ~11% more ARPU; fewer buy up front but more stay
- Headway: Have the paywall's Continue button open a web checkout, with an in-app option
- Drop the free plan; offer 3 paid tiers, each with a free trialPeople mostly pick the biggest tier; guest says it beats freemium
- Make sure 80-90% of new users see a paywall in their first sessionRevenue rises in step with the share who see a paywall
- Price lifetime at least 3.5 times the yearly plan so yearly looks goodGuest's rule; says cheap lifetime just adds a decision
- Test price and plan layout first, and never test two kinds of change at onceGuest says price tests are fastest and have outsized impact
- Charge about $40 for lifetime access in party game appsHost says $40 works best for these games in App Masters' experience
- Add a dark version of the paywall for people using dark modeLost: the light-only paywall converted better
- Change the paywall headline based on what the user said in onboardingNo difference vs a standard headline
- RoboKiller: Appeal App Store rejections by explaining why your app needs the featureApple approved the contacts permission after the appeal