Dose #124: Examples of Irresistable Offers (And Why They Work)

Matt here with your weekly Subscription Prescription 💊

Offers are why people subscribe in the first place. IMO the most important part of the subscription funnel, we can talk strategy/tactics all day, but this dose is about examples. I give you 11 sites to look at (and why) their offers are compelling. Grab some inspiration for what to build next to convert more subscribers! Plus, another bonus with an ebook on how to make offers that convert.

Listen or watch this week’s dose as a full podcast episode:

Referrals in the palm of your hand

We all want our customers to refer new customers to our business. But how easy is that to do if they have to log in, grab a code, and then text or email that?

It should be much simpler. Run into an old friend, catch up, tell them about something new - and then, within 2 seconds, they make a referral to your brand.

There is a new movement in loyalty that leverages digital loyalty cards. These sit inside Apple or Google Wallet, can be pulled up in seconds, and allow you to send push notifications directly to customers. With a simple download by your customers, you can now:

• Use location-based push notifications

• Boost customer-led referrals (they just show a friend the digital card!)

• Exclusive member-only offers

• Works with Shopify POS

• Personalized promotions through push notifications

This is a true game-changer for loyalty - drive more sales and referrals! See how Upzelo can improve your loyalty and referral game.

As a special offer to all my subscribers, you can get 25% off for your first 3 months AND they will setup the entire program for you (use code DRSUB when booking a call). Migrating your loyalty customers over is easy! Go see how Upzelo can change your loyalty program and get ready for BFCM.

Irresistible Offers and Why They Convert

Keeping subscribers is difficult, and keeping subscribers you don’t have is impossible. That’s why I come back to the offer over and over again for the brands we work with. Spending time on a compelling offer allows your business to grow in a profitable and sustainable way.

This week I’m sharing actual websites so you can see how they’re doing it, so let’s dive in!

Why Great Offers Matter

I’ve seen hundreds of businesses either flourish or flop based on how well they structure their offers. A compelling offer is not just about discounts—it’s about creatively offering value in ways that make subscribing feel like a no-brainer.

Here are the main components of an offer:

• What they get: the physical product and anything that comes with it.

• Price: Is there a special price, discount, or tiered options for subscriptions?

• Value positioning: How are you showcasing the value to potential subscribers, both in copy and design?

Discounting Isn't the Only Option

Yes, discounts are common and effective, but they’re not the whole story. Over-discounting can sometimes hurt your margins or lead to churn when customers cancel after grabbing a one-time deal. Instead, think outside the box with other ways to add more value to subscription offers.

1. Starter Kits

One of the most powerful ways to get new customers on board is with a starter kit. This is like an ‘introductory offer’ where your new subscriber gets everything they need to enjoy your product and change some part of their life.

Dollar Shave Club offers a deeply discounted first box that includes razors, shaving cream, and accessories.

Tenzo Tea bundles a rechargeable tin, an electric mixer, and other tools in their starter kit. The goal here is to give customers a full experience from the get-go, which increases the likelihood of retention.

Starter Kits can feel special because a lot comes with it, so the price makes it feel valuable. But in addition to price, what is included feels like a kit that you need to be successful.

2. Gifts with Purchase

People love free stuff, and offering a gift with purchase is a great incentive. What’s more, a gift is often better margins than giving a discount would be. Think about it - 10% off a $50 AOV is $5. Do you have products you could use - or even create - that have a landed cost lower than $5?

In addition to that, our research shows consistently that people who opt for a gift are more likely to retain than with a deeper discount.

Instant Hydration gives a bottle of vitamins on every subscription. Not just a gift, but their vitamins improve your ability to stay hydrated with their product!

The Meatery gives an A5 Wagyu steak for subscribers (it’s delicious to prepare at home if you haven’t tried it - I have!).

HelloFresh in the incredibly competitive meal space is offer a free breakfast meal in every box, 10 free meals spread out over several orders, AND your first box ships free!

Gifts can protect your margin and give more value than just price for your subscribers. It helps to still include a discount on the overall purchase, but you don’t need to go as steep this way.

3. Prepaid Bundles

Prepaid subscriptions can boost average order value while lowering customer acquisition costs. I’ve seen this time and time again with our clients and is something we’re working on with several because of how effective it can be.

Respire - probably my most shared PDP to show how you can position prepaid subscriptions alongside monthly or one-time options. They convert well for the 3-month prepaid.

Learning with Kelsey - this page CRUSHES compared to their old method. Showing people different ways to buy is just better CX and drives better LTV (higher AOV, better retention).

Prepaid bundles typically retain better over time too, so you can keep more profitable customers longer!

4. Stacked Bundles

A strategy I don’t see enough: stacking products together. This is more common in the supplement space, but the idea is grouping commonly used products together to make the subscription offer more compelling.

Legion Athletics - has a variety of these depending on what customers are trying to make happen, like bulking or weight loss.

Stacking bundles is all about use cases - if you know the reasons why someone is buying your product(s) you can put them together to sell more at once.

5. Buy More, Save More

If someone wants to buy 1 cup of coffee, maybe they’ll buy a 2nd for a better discount overall? Buy more save more strategies is all about incentivizing a higher AOV.

Javy Coffee makes it easy to select more coffee concentrate up front. They also only do it on a subscription, so that’s the only way to buy!

Drink Magna creating an incentive for you to go from 1 box to 2.

Aglae Barn gives you the option to buy up to 8 at once, which drops the price per unit to HALF of what it was to buy 1!

A great strategy to increase AOV, you want to ensure you have subscription frequencies lined up with how they’ll use it. If they buy 6 months worth, for example, a monthly subscription may not be the best fit.

Bonus Offer: Replenishment

One of my all-time favorite PDPs is from Flaus. If you’re selling a device or item that has parts as the subscription (filters, heads, stuff like that) then you need to model what they’ve done.

Easy to see what you’re getting on a subscription, so there is NO confusion. Beautiful design. Just love this one.

The Key Takeaway

The ultimate goal of your offer is to increase conversions and lifetime value while lowering your cost of acquisition. Experiment with different combinations of value—starter kits, gift incentives, prepaid bundles—and see what resonates best with your audience. Your offers should make subscribing feel like the best decision your customer will make that day.

One of the keys here is to make incremental tests - or use landing pages - to see which offers will motivate your new subscribers the most. You can also test many of these offers as upgrades to existing subscribers (like stacks or prepaid options).

Bonus: Offer Ebook

As a special thank you, you can download a free ebook I made recently on how to craft a great offer. You can grab that here.

That’s it for this week! Be sure to keep thinking through better ways to position your offer to customers. Feel free to hit reply and ask me for feedback on what you’re building.

See you next Tuesday with dose #125!

 - Matt Holman 🩺

The Subscription Doc