Matt here with your weekly Subscription Prescription 💊

This week’s dose is nothing but subscription gems. Pulled straight from the floor of SubSummit, we talk processing, post-purchase surveys, loyalty, surveys, community… it’s an incredible list. Let’s dive in!

This week’s dose is 14 quick tips from some of the subscription space’s smartest people. A must-watch or listen on your favorite platform:

📦 Special Edition: 10 Winning Tactics from SubSummit You Should Actually Use 💊

Coming out of SubSummit, I felt like I’d been handed a cheat sheet for scaling subscriptions—from the operators and founders actually in the trenches. I had the chance to sit down with some of the best in the space and ask them one question: What tactic is underutilized right now in subscriptions?

Here are ten of the smartest answers I heard—plus a little of my own perspective on why these aren't just good ideas, but things every retention-minded brand should be prioritizing.

Want all of the tips I recorded? Be sure to watch or listen using the links above.

1. SMS Isn’t the Problem—Your Experience Is

Paul Chambers (SubSummit)

Paul reminded me how overlooked SMS still is. Yes, some brands are hesitant to lean into it because they fear it’ll trigger churn. But that’s the wrong way to think about it. If you’re scared that a reminder will make a customer cancel, it’s not the SMS—it’s the product or the experience.

The truth is, SMS continues to be one of the most high-leverage channels in retention. If your house is in order, SMS should work with you, not against you.

2. Post-Purchase Surveys Should Drive Creative, Not Just Data

Bryan McDonald (Oma’s Pride)

Bryan shared how his team has been mining post-purchase survey data—not just to look smart in meetings, but to actively shape ad creative and new acquisition offers. By asking simple questions like “What made you finally decide to purchase?”, they’re able to speak more directly to customer motivations.

From my perspective, this is gold. So many brands collect feedback they never use. But the best brands take that raw insight and feed it right back into the funnel.

3. Loyalty Isn’t Sticky Until You Surface It

Lydia Farmer (Dime Beauty)

Lydia talked about a simple loyalty tactic that’s working wonders: texting customers about how many loyalty points they have to redeem.

This is the kind of creative execution retention leads should be thinking about—but it requires space to test and iterate. If your team is still buried building flows, they’re not thinking this way.

4. Your Tech Stack Might Be Holding You Back

Vanessa Lopez (Recharge)

Vanessa flagged how many brands are overcomplicating acquisition because they’re using scattered tools across the customer journey—from PDP to cart to checkout. Recharge now offers more out-of-the-box features than most merchants realize, and consolidating can not only simplify ops but improve performance.

I’ve seen this firsthand. When you have all the tools under one roof they can work together more seamlessly.

5. You’re Losing Money at the First Charge

Gina Perrelli (Stay AI)

Gina had a stat that should make every brand flinch: 8–15% of first-time subscription charges fail—and many brands aren’t even looking at that number. Failed payments aren’t just a back-office problem; they’re a growth limiter.

Dunning isn’t sexy, but it’s critical. If you’re not actively optimizing for recovery, you’re not serious about retention.

6. Talk to Your Subscribers Before You Try to Sell

Brice Douglas (Zaymo)

Brice pointed out something simple but true: most brands aren’t talking to their subscribers enough. They’re afraid of being annoying, so they go silent. But silence kills retention. The best-performing brands are the ones that educate, enable, and engage early and often.

What I loved about Brice’s take is that it aligns with something I’ve seen time and time again: education unlocks LTV. But you have to start before the upsell. Build the relationship first.

7. Look for the Churn Spike—and Intervene

John Roman (BattlBox)

John shared a brilliant tactic: dig into your cohort waterfall and find the charge cycle where churn spikes—month 2, 3, 4, etc.—then preempt it with a surprise-and-delight campaign. For them, it’s a $10 credit before that renewal hits. And it’s flattening churn.

This is the kind of play most brands overlook. It’s surgical, proactive, and smart. And it’s exactly the kind of tactic that turns one-time triers into long-term subscribers.

8. Give New Customers a Reason to Relax

Thomas Lalas (The Art of Ecom)

Thomas said something I wish more brands understood: just because someone made a purchase doesn’t mean they’re confident. They’re still figuring out if your product is worth it. His focus is on over-delivering before delivery—educating and delighting right after purchase so people don’t panic and cancel.

This is such an important mindset shift. Your job doesn’t start at delivery. It starts the moment they hit “buy.”

9. Store Credit Beats First-Time Discounts

Andrew Winter (True Classic)

Andrew’s go-to incentive isn’t another 15% off coupon—it’s 20% store credit on the next purchase. That shift in psychology—from discount to credit—nudges people toward purchase two and makes them feel like they’re getting added value, not just spending less.

Retention doesn't start with a sale. It starts with creating a reason for the next order. Store credit is a subtle but powerful motivator to build a habit.

10. Sometimes the Box Is Secondary to the Community

Savannah Thompson (My Cheer Box)

Savannah told me about their “ambassador chats”—where teen customers in the cheer and dance space collaborate, create content, and stay connected. The real hook? The relationships, not just the products.

This one hit differently. Community isn't just a nice-to-have. For brands like Savannah’s, it is the value prop. And it’s why those subscribers stick around.

Wrap-Up: Execution > Ideas

Every one of these tactics is practical, repeatable, and grounded in results. But here’s the thread that ties them together: they require creativity. Creativity takes time. If your retention team is underwater managing campaigns, you’ll never get these kinds of plays into motion.

The most successful brands I saw at SubSummit weren’t doing more. They were doing smarter.

Until next Tuesday, that’s your Subscription Prescription. 💊

 - Matt Holman 🩺

The Subscription Doc