Free trials or freemium

How to use Outseta to acquire customers using a free trial model

Free trials are one of the most effective strategies for acquiring new customers, and Outseta offers all the tools you need to make them seamless and successful. Who doesn’t want to try before they buy?

Offering free trials often requires significant integration work between payment systems and authentication tools. Outseta eliminates this complexity by providing both features in a single platform, enabling seamless free trial workflows without extra coding or development.

Here’s how it works:

• During the free trial, users can fully access your product.
• When the trial ends, Outseta automatically blocks access for non-paying users.
• Users are prompted to pay if they try to login to their account—ensuring an effortless transition from trial to subscription.

What are free trials?

Free trials let potential customers experience your product firsthand before committing to a subscription—they give potential customers a taste of what you’re offering. They’re particularly effective for SaaS companies and membership sites, offering value upfront while reducing buyer hesitation. A well-optimized trial can significantly boost conversions and customer retention.

Outseta’s free trial management features

1. Custom trial periods that fit your product offering

Outseta allows you to offer free trials that run for a certain number or days, or until a particular date. Your goal is to offer trial durations that fit your product complexity and customer journey. For example:

• Short Trials (7 Days): Ideal for straightforward tools and services.
• Extended Trials (30 Days): Perfect for products requiring deeper exploration.

2. Flexible credit card requirements

Choose whether to require credit card details upfront. Each approach has its benefits:

• No-Credit-Card Trials: Reduce barriers for signups and build trust with new users. Go this route if you want to optimize for the number of leads.
• Credit-Card-Required Trials: Attract high-intent leads and streamline paid plan transitions. Go this route if you’re looking for a small number of leads that are evaluating your product more seriously.

3. Automatically start paid subscriptions at the end of the trial period

Outseta automates trial expirations and post-trial billing. You can:

• Auto-subscribe users to a paid plan at the end of their trial.
• Notify users of upcoming charges to avoid confusion.

4. Free trial analtyics and reporting

Track key performance indicators (KPIs) to optimize your free trial strategy:

• Monitor feature usage and user activity during trials.
• Identify behaviors that correlate with conversions.
• Segment trial users for tailored follow-ups.

5. Integrated onboarding and engagement tracking tools

• Automated Welcome Emails: Ensure users know how to get started.
• Nudge Campaigns: Send personalized reminders to inactive trial users.

Best practices for free trials

1. Shorter trial periods create urgency

Outseta aligns perfectly with businesses adopting a 7-day trial strategy, as discussed here. A shorter timeframe creates urgency while keeping engagement high. This is the approach we user ourselves at Outseta—this model fits particularly well if you are running a small, bootstrapped company.

2. Maximize conversions with personalized follow-ups

Outseta’s CRM and email automation tools allow you to tailor follow-ups based on user behavior, ensuring every touchpoint feels relevant and timely.

3. Offer transparent free trial policies

Transparency builds trust. Clearly communicate trial terms, billing policies, and how users can cancel or upgrade.

Why choose Outseta for free trial management?

Outseta is your one-stop shop for managing free trials. With flexible configurations, robust automation, and actionable insights, our platform ensures your trials not only attract users but also convert them into long-term customers.

Ready to build your customer acquisition process around free trials? Let Outseta handle the backend so you can focus on creating value for your users.