Do I need to offer a trial for My Membership Site? | Member

Sep 16, 2022

Do I need to offer a trial for My Membership Site?

The trial for membership websites is a marketing tactic that has been used by many others before your. Yes, you should definitely consider using free trials in your advertising campaign. This could make money for you. But, it is essential, obviously, that you use it in a proper manner.

Trial offer has proven to be a success for many subscription-based firms, both online and offline.

Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, YouTube Premium, Audible, PlayStation, and LinkedIn Premium are a few of the most well-known subscription-based firms that provide a free trial for their service.

The catch is that trials for free offer are not suitable for all. Like all other strategies for marketing, it is not foolproof and comes with the pros and cons of each.

To help you decide whether offering trial periods is the best option for your website, here are some of our suggestions in this article:

Do Trials of Membership Sites a Good Idea?

trial for membership site

Yes. for many sites that offer membership trial offers are an excellent method to try. It's been proven that.

It's an effective and incredibly profitable way to use your subscription-based services or website to create new revenues. Not to mention how it lowers your customer acquisition costs.

It is, however, an appropriate choice for you?

The solution to this depends completely on your personal preference, budget, and marketing strategies.

The trial period gives the prospective customers the services you give them instead of simply telling them.

Instead of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars in advertisements, just offer them a live demonstration or demo of your product.

Place yourself in your customer' shoes. Are you willing to buy something because the salesperson tells you it's great? Or would you rather see it for yourself first?

Would you buy a car without having a test drive? And what about clothes you don't fit?

It's the same thing with subscription-based businesses. Your clients will see your product or service in the same way as investments.

This is the reason that almost all of them is likely to want to experience the experience for themselves.

Almost every membership site owner would agree that offering an opportunity for trial periods can increase leads, and also converts more sales faster and at a more rapid percentage. And it increases customer satisfaction.

Not all trials are created equal. same. We'll look at every type of trial offer , and see the ways they differ from one another.

The different types of Trials for membership sites

Here are a few examples of the trials that you can test:

  • Trial offer for a limited time
  • Limited access trial offer
  • Free trial deal
  • Offer to trial at a discounted rate
  • Trial offer based on service.

It's the best thing about it is that there is no need to choose one among these. You can try a combination of two or several.

           Limited-Time Trial Special Offer          

With this type of trial offer, you can give the potential clients access to all the content on your membership site for a short period of time.

You can offer a one-week, two-weeksor 30 days of a free trial, to let them try your product or services for free.

Furthermore it is also possible to create a limited-time trial offer at an affordable price. You can also provide free services throughout their trial period if they commit to buying the membership.

           Limited Access Trial Deal          

Like the time-limited trial, you may also use limited access in combination with other deals.

As an example, if you're offering a course online it is possible to allow participants to test access to only some lessons.

If you're providing an opportunity for a test of the product or service you offer or product, you may give the users access to only a handful of the most basic features.

Pro Tip: you can use CourseCure to easily create a fully-customizable online course.

           Free Trial Deal          

free trial for membership sites

This is one of the most popular trials that you will see in the present. It is often used as a complement to limited-time or limited-access offers.

As the name suggests, free trials are--well... cost-free.

           A Discounted Rate Test Offer          

discounted rate trial for membership site

It doesn't require it to be completely free. You could also make it available for a discount.

           Service-Based Trial Deal          

free service trial for membership site

Additionally, there are service-based trial offers where you offer your clients access to your product for free or for a reduced price during a specific period of time.

Naturally, you'd like them to sign up for your membership site following the trial period, so ensure that the offer that you offer is appealing enough for them to stay hooked.

And make sure that you don't overdeliver when they join.

Advantages as well as Cons Trials on Membership Sites

Like any other type of advertising, tests of membership sites come with positives and negatives. Let's take a look at some of them.

           Pros of Trials for membership sites          

           Get $$$ back on the Customer Acquisition          

customer cost per acquisition

If someone decides to go for a test period, their feet are already at the halfway point. It is now up to you how you will deliver on what you promised to get them all the way in.

Most of the time it is possible to let your product or service sell itself during the test period.

The good news is that when they're already in the trial period this will help you save hundreds of dollars because it's not necessary to do any additional marketing. But, this is only if what you're offering attracts enough people to allow the person want to join as a full-time member.

           Higher Customer Satisfaction          

customer satisfaction

Few people who take advantage of a free trial are dissatisfied after making the switch because they know exactly what to expect based on the trial they had.

A level of honesty will give your customers more information and stops the customers from having unreasonable expectations. That also means fewer claims and cancellations.

           Reducing their Fear of Commitment          

letting go of fear of commitment

A membership agreement is a binding. And most of the time clients have the fear of committing themselves to a monthly or annual fee.

By providing a free or trial at no cost, you empower your market to understand the things they're not seeing and lessen the anxiety of committing to showing them what they're losing out on.

           Gather Feedback          

gathering reviews

Tests of membership websites are great for collecting comments on your service as well as your products.

It's the perfect chance to get market feedback and valuable insight so you can make better and better business decisions.

           Better Leads to Your Email List          

building email lists

The other benefit is that you can gain more leads. These people have already taken the time to view your product and test it for themselves.

This means that they already know you, and will likely consider becoming an active member following the trial, or later nearer the time.

           Pros and Cons of Trials for Membership Sites          

Although the risks are minimal for offering trials, there are still some that you should consider.

           Risk of losing Time Resource, Money and Time          

Before offering a trial for your membership site, be certain to determine whether your budget will allow it.

Also, you should consider people who want to get in the trial period for free however they are not planning on becoming an active member.

You can try to minimize these dangers through implementing one or a combination of the following tips:

  • Offer a discounted fee trial which means you still get a portion of sales as a reward for access.
  • You can filter who is included in the trial period - You can ask your clients to fill out a form or a quiz so it is possible to filter out who will be able the chance to take part in the trial.
  • The trial time limit is set at a minimum It is going to take quite a bit of testing, but if you can find the perfect duration to aid your customers in making an informed choice, it will be extremely beneficial to you.

Is It Better To Use A Free Or Paid Trial?

free or paid trial for membership site

Most trial offers to run without cost. That doesn't mean you can't do the same.

It is possible to choose to pay the reduced rate or offer a trial for the cost of a small amount.

Instead of simply providing them with a free trial, think about charging a small charge to boost their mental "buy-in" to your membership site.

The idea of charging a small fee is also an excellent option if you want to filter out those just looking for something to be no cost and also those actually interested in signing up to become members.

The final decision will always be up to you.

What is the reason you should not offer a Free Trial of Your Member Site?

The answer will depend upon what you're offering.

For instance, if you're running an online course the trial duration may not be the most appropriate option. This is due to the fact that your students might finish the whole course before the trial is completed.

However, there is always a way to get around the issue. You can protect, or drip-feed the latter or a certain section of your course to remove it from your test.

An additional example would be when you're offering a service. For instance, you're offering a free garage door repair for those who are currently on trial.

It is possible to think about a different strategy than an initial trial. You could also set a minimum fee to balance out the costs.

It is also possible to offer you a base level of your website where members who are trial users are able to access a scaled-back version of your entire offering.

In the simplest sense, it gets people inside your site's membership and communityto inspire them to buy the full version following the trial.

Questions to ask yourself prior to offering an Opportunity to Try

questions to ask yourself

Before jumping the gun on that trial offer, here are some questions to consider. Answers to these questions will assist you in making an informed decision.

  • How long should the trial period be? Your audience will need enough time to truly test the waters and decide if what you're offering is something they can't endure without. At the same time you must make sure that it's not "too long ."
  • Do you have the money to do this? You should definitely consider giving users free access to your product or service is something you can afford and will be beneficial to you over time.
  • What is the time frame for conversion when it comes to managing a business, time is money. Take into consideration the time that it will take for your trial members to become paying members.

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