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A time-based trial allows potential customers to access a specific plan (or the entire product) for a limited duration (e.g., 7, 14, or 30 days) without an upfront payment. At the end of the trial, they can choose to subscribe to a paid plan, be downgraded, or have their access end.

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Why Use Time-Based Trials? The Benefits

Offering a time-based trial can significantly impact your customer acquisition and conversion funnels:
  • Reduces Barrier to Entry: Users can experience your product’s value firsthand without immediate financial commitment.
  • Increases Conversions: A positive trial experience is a strong motivator for users to upgrade to a paid plan.
  • Showcases Premium Features: Allows users to test out the full capabilities of your paid tiers, understanding the benefits they would be paying for.
  • Gathers User Feedback: The trial period is an excellent opportunity to collect feedback from engaged users about your product and onboarding process.
  • Qualifies Leads: Users who actively engage during a trial are often more qualified and likely to become long-term customers.
  • Drives Urgency: A limited-time trial encourages users to explore the product actively within a defined timeframe.

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Common Use Cases for Time-Based Trials

Here are several ways you can leverage time-based trials:
  1. Standard SaaS Free Trial: Offer a 7, 14, or 30-day free trial of your core paid plans (e.g., “Starter,” “Pro”) to all new sign-ups.
  2. New Feature Promotion: Grant existing users on lower tiers a temporary trial of a higher-tier plan that includes a newly launched premium feature.
  3. Upgrade Incentive: Offer a trial of a more advanced plan to users who might be hitting the limits of their current plan.
  4. Win-Back Campaigns: Offer a trial to previously subscribed users who churned, showcasing new improvements or features.
  5. Event/Campaign-Specific Trials: Run marketing campaigns offering special, perhaps longer, trial periods for a limited time.

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Step-by-Step Guide: Setting Up a Time-Based Trial

Let’s walk through setting up a common scenario: Offering a 14-day free trial for a “Starter Plan.” Prerequisites:
  • You have already created a Product (e.g., “My Awesome App”).
  • You have an existing Paid Plan (e.g., “Starter Plan”) configured with its standard recurring charges.

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Step 1: Navigate to Your Plan’s Pricing Configuration

  1. From the side navigation menu, go to Product Catalog > Products.
  2. Select the Product that contains the plan you want to offer a trial for.
  3. In the “Plans” section of the Product page, find your “Starter Plan” and click on it to open its details.
  4. Click on Set price (or Edit price if pricing is already configured for the plan).

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Step 2: Enable and Configure the Free Trial

  1. You’ll be in the pricing configuration modal for your “Starter Plan”.
  2. Locate the checkbox labeled Provide free trial and check it. [cite: 122]
  3. Once checked, options for the trial duration will appear.
    • In the Trial period field, enter 14.
    • From the dropdown next to it, select days. [cite: 122]

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Step 3: Configure Post-Trial Actions

Decide what happens when the 14-day trial ends if the user hasn’t provided a payment method or actively subscribed.
  1. You will see options like: “Pause, cancel, or downgrade subscription if trial ends without payment method.” [cite: 122]
  2. Select the desired outcome from the available choices[cite: 123]:
    • Downgrade to free plan: Automatically moves the user to a predefined free plan.
    • Pause subscription: Pauses their access until they provide payment.
    • Cancel subscription: Terminates their access.

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Step 4: Save and Publish

  1. Once you have configured the trial period and post-trial actions, click Save (or the primary action button to save the pricing configuration).
  2. If the plan (or these changes) haven’t been published yet, make sure to Publish the plan so the trial offer becomes active.
Your “Starter Plan” will now offer a 14-day free trial to new subscribers of that plan.

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Important Considerations for Time-Based Trials

  • Clear Communication: Ensure your users clearly understand the trial terms: its duration, what’s included, and what happens when it ends. Use your website, in-app messages, and emails for this.
  • Onboarding During Trial: A good trial experience often involves effective onboarding to help users discover the product’s value quickly.
  • Trial Expiry Notifications: Remind users before their trial expires, encouraging them to add a payment method or choose a plan.
  • Data & Analytics: Track trial sign-ups, engagement, conversion rates, and feedback to optimize your trial strategy.

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Conclusion

Time-based trials are a powerful tool in ParityDeals to attract new users and convert them into paying customers. By carefully configuring the trial period and post-trial actions, you can create compelling introductory experiences that align with your business goals.
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