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- Dose #109: Tactics to Convert More Subscribers
Dose #109: Tactics to Convert More Subscribers
Two things you can do to get more subscribers
Matt here with your weekly Subscription Prescription đ
This week, we cover two things that I donât see happening enough to boost subscriber acquisition. The first is better design, with contrasting options between âone-timeâ and âsubscribe and save.â The second is not defaulting to the subscribe and save option. In this weekâs dose, I share some great design examples and make the case for how you can be more successful at converting subscribers.
This weekâs dose includes an interview with Aaron Argueta, the cofounder of Baileyâs CBD. Get links to the interview at the bottom of this newsletter.
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Take a moment and check out their platform to see something different in the loyalty space!
Retaining subscribers is great, but to become a killer subscription brand you need to acquire new subscribers.
How to do so is the question at the heart of every brand. When you start to find success, growth comes, and retention becomes even more important.
In this weekâs dose, I want to focus on two things I advise all the brands I work with to improve subscription conversions. Youâll see a few visual examples, because thatâs some of what you need to make this work.
Design Improvements on Your PDP
In past doses and a lot of my social media content I talk about the offer. This is what people buy, what they pay, and how you can improve it to make it a no-brainer for potential subscribers.
While that is still something you should work on, and you can read specific tips for that in this past dose, this bit of advice is all about how you position what youâre selling.
The subscription option needs to be incredibly clear for people to see the value difference. When I see product pages that donât do this well, itâs no surprise they struggle to convert subscribers.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/b60fc2f1-7245-4fe4-8abe-e4efad05ec72/Zight_2024-06-09_at_3.59.07_PM.jpg?t=1717970397)
In this example, pulled from a growing brand here in Utah, if you look closely you can see a price difference on the two options. But thatâs it. Whatâs worse is that the color highlights the selection, so you have nothing to draw attention to the subscription discount.
Letâs look instead of two examples from product pages I love.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/a363bb6b-a9b4-4eb5-9353-67c6f4067a1f/Zight_2024-05-08_at_11.41.48_AM.jpg?t=1717970523)
Obvi does several things well here. First, they default to the Subscribe & Save option (more on this below). Second, they have the discount amount (15%) in the option to subscribe & save. Finally, the text is highlighted pink so it contracts strongly with the one-time purchase price.
This one from Flaus is my favorite PDP for a subs offer right now. Take a look and letâs break it down.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/a56842d8-81d1-4e66-b695-46e29f57202a/Zight_2024-05-08_at_11.52.04_AM.jpg?t=1717970578)
First, I love the list of âIncludesâ and the checkmarks highlighting what the product gives you. This spells out just what youâre getting for your money.
Second, Flaus put some effort into a Subscribe and Save option so that it is much more than just a line of text. You see the âFree Shipping + 20% offâ button right next to the option. âMost Popularâ also highlights that option.
Third, the prices have clear strike throughs to show value.
Finally, you see the â90 floss heads delivered every 3 months for $15 (thatâs 17 cents a day). Putting that price breakdown so clearly makes it feel obvious for anyone that thinks flossing better is worth $0.17 a day!
Making the option clear to see, eye-catching, highlighting benefits and whatâs most - contrasting pricing, is the key to increasing subscription conversions.
Default to the Subscribe and Save Option
This one is a bit controversial, but bear with me for the argument. I know brands have tried this in the past, so Iâm not saying it will work for everyone, but I have seen it be a total game-changer when done well.
The two examples I showed above both default to the subscribe and save option. Brands that complain about this strategy mention an increase in chargebacks, customer support tickets, and generally overall negative attitude from customers.
I havenât seen their data, but I will point out two things to consider when making this decision.
First, from a design perspective, you should make it abundantly clear that this is the subscribe and save option (like the examples above). Shopify even requires people to check a box at checkout that they understand they have a subscription. But making it very clear will reduce people feeling like they were tricked.
Second, if you could triple your monthly subscribers but only see a 50% increase in support tickets, would you do it? Most businesses would say yes.
At the end of the day, those are the types of results Iâve seen. 2x, 3, and even 4x increases in the amount of subscription conversions. Itâs nuts.
If you want to read more about the psychology behind why this approach works and dive deeper into how to do it well, please check out this past subscription dose.
Final Thoughts
No one thing done in a vacuum will completely transform your business. But when you default to the subscription offer and invest in better design, you can see dramatic changes in subscriber acquisition. Keep in mind that people need to see and understand at a glance what theyâre getting on a subscription.
Put some effort into better design to acquire more subscribers!
Thatâs it for this week! Stay tuned for next weekâs dose out on Tuesday.
- Matt Holman đ©ș
The Subscription Doc
This weekâs dose is one you need to follow along with: