Paywalls are hard to get right. That might be surprising to read in a blog post from Superwall, but also — that drives home a big reason as to why Superwall exists at all. Testing paywalls is critical, apps simply can’t do without it. You figure out what’s working by pulling from your past experience, seeing what’s successful in the industry, and then putting all of that data together in the form of tests.
To that end, I asked one of our growth experts, Nick, for feedback on the paywall I used in one of my own apps, Elite Hoops. After checking out the onboarding and paywall, he shared some insights on what he found:
(You can download the full .pdf here for easier viewing)
Here are four quick lessons we can take from Nick’s insights.
1. Consider simplifying pricing tables
A cluttered feature comparison table might lead to analysis paralysis. If it’s hard to understand, then it’s twice as hard to figure out what to buy, the value proposition, and other important consumer choices. Nick flagged this one quickly on my paywall:
The solution, though, is simple: try to condense tables like this down to their core elements. What’s valuable and different here? Highlight those things, and callout why they can't live without them. While a table is a strong choice for listing a lot of choices, this could be a situation where less is certainly more.
Think of it this way — users don't need every feature listed on a silver platter; they need just enough to understand why upgrading makes sense for them. By stripping down the table, I could eliminate cognitive overload and help users focus on what matters most.
2. Optimizing for conversion
Paywall design is all about making the upgrade decision attractive. While a comparison can help with that, they also can tend to fall a bit flat. Nick’s next suggestion was to experiment with a horizontal feature carousel instead, adding a little bit of an interactive element. Plus, it solves the same job — showing off features or benefits:
Another significant tip? He mentioned to try offering a simplified two-tier pricing model. Again, we come back to attempting to reduce the decision-making process. Going with two options like “Basic” and “Pro” is fairly clear and obvious. So, tip two basically comes down to a simpler, visually engaging design and user experience (i.e. a table to a carousel) paired with fewer choices. In short, make decisions easy to make by making them understandable.
3. Crafting clear and aspirational CTAs
Copy that’s written for call-to-action (CTA) buttons play a crucial role in driving those much-needed conversions. Nick often looks at CTA copy when suggesting quick-wins, and for Elite Hoops he called out phrases like "Get Started Today" could be a bit stronger.
To get started, he mentioned I should look at rewording things to be more aspirational and motivational to my target audience (i.e. basketball coaches). Phrasing like "Elevate Your Game." might work a bit better. A small subtle shift like that can tap into a coach's intrinsic desire for self-improvement (i.e. "This will help me be the best coach I can be"), which can be enormously powerful in terms of conversion.
You’re selling the dream, and the app and its feature show them how to achieve it. This is a lesson about making the CTA not just about the transaction, but about the transformation, that they could experience through the product.
4. Pricing based on the user's job
One piece of advice that immediately struck a chord with me was this note from Nick:
When Elite Hoops launched, I had originally priced subscriptions based on the industry-standards:
Have an annual SKU.
A monthly one.
And, while not so much a standard but a common option, a "one time" purchase.
While it worked okay, it never occurred to me to think of pricing in terms of the job it solves for the user who will download the app. In this case — basketball coaches. While coaches at different levels have different "season" lengths (due to recruiting, staffing up, etc.) overall they have similar patterns:
They are in-season.
They are at a tournament (especially youth coaches).
They are at it all year long.
By thinking in terms of the user, I was able to tweak my pricing to better reflect what their day-to-day actually looks like. Along with going with a seven day trial from a three day one, I ended up here:
Annual: For the coaches who are coaching all year, at any level.
Season Pass: Elite Hoops Pro, but just for the basketball season (i.e. about three months).
Tournament Pass: Originally I called this "Weekly", but in reality it was for coaches who only need Elite Hoops for an immediate event — tournaments. Going with "Tournament Pass" makes this clear and obvious.
One Time Purchase: And, I kept the existing option of buying Elite Hoops with a one-off payment.
These changes paid immediate dividends — annual subscriptions jumped up and so did overall trial starts:
Wrapping up
All of these ideas are just that, ideas. I used some of them right away, and others I'm still considering. There is no assurance that any of these ideas would move the needle, the only way you find out is by running tests. That's the core message here, never be afraid to test things.
Over to you! What would you try? Anything you agree or disagree with? We'd love to hear from you, and if you want to do a teardown post with us and have Nick look at your app's paywall — feel free to reach out to Jordan to submit your app ([email protected]). Thanks for reading, and to get started testing your paywalls with design changes like these, sign up for free today.
