Free Trials & Incentives

Offering free trials, discounts, or referral programs can encourage users to try your product and increase conversion rates. Incentives lower the barrier to entry and provide users with firsthand experience of your product’s value.

Why it's Important

Increases trial-to-paid conversion rates.
Provides a low-risk way for users to experience the product.
Encourages word-of-mouth marketing through referrals.
Creates urgency with limited-time discounts.
Reduces customer hesitation about pricing concerns.

How to Implement

Determine the optimal trial length based on time to value.
Offer limited-time discounts for early adopters.
Create a referral or incentive program to drive virality.
Automate trial expiration reminders and upgrade prompts.
Analyze trial user behavior to optimize conversion.
Test freemium vs. time-limited trial models.

Available Workshops

Trial Length Testing & Analysis to find the ideal timeframe.
Referral Program Brainstorming to encourage viral growth.
Upgrade Funnel Review to optimize the conversion path.
Pricing Sensitivity Testing to determine incentive effectiveness.
Churn Prediction Analysis to identify at-risk trial users.
Post-Trial Survey Sessions to gather insights from trial users.

Deliverables

Free trial onboarding and nurture sequence.
Referral and incentive program structure.
Discount strategy documentation.
User behavior analysis from trial data.

How to Measure

Trial-to-paid conversion rate – percentage of trial users who subscribe.
Referral program engagement – number of successful referrals.
Revenue uplift from discounts vs. regular pricing.
Churn rate post-trial – how many users leave after converting.
Engagement levels during trial – features used, time spent in-app.

Real-World Examples

Dropbox

Grew virally by offering extra storage for referrals.

Spotify

Uses a three-month free trial to convert users to paid.

Premium: Offers limited-time trials with personalized benefits.

Get It Right

Set a trial length that allows users to experience real value.
Use email and in-app nudges to encourage activation.
Offer exclusive discounts to trial users nearing expiration.
Create clear, frictionless upgrade paths.
Make referrals easy to share and reward both parties.

Don't Make These Mistakes

Offering a trial too short to experience the full value.
Making the upgrade process confusing or difficult.
Ignoring inactive trial users who may need re-engagement.
Failing to track user behavior during the trial.
Not highlighting premium features in the trial period.

Provided courtesy of Catherine St Clair, Product Marketing Manager, St Clair GTM Consulting