Trial Conversion Emails: Turn Free Users Into Paying Customers
Strategies and examples for email sequences that convert trial users to paid subscriptions. The highest-leverage email for SaaS.
Trial conversion email has the most direct revenue impact of any lifecycle sequence. Each percentage point improvement in trial conversion rate translates directly to MRR. This guide covers how to build trial conversion sequences that work.
Why Trial Conversion Email Matters
The math is simple. If you have 100 trial signups per month and 5% convert at $50/mo ARPU:
- 5% conversion = 5 customers = $250 MRR
- 7% conversion = 7 customers = $350 MRR
- 10% conversion = 10 customers = $500 MRR
A 2-point improvement doubles your growth from the same traffic. Trial conversion email is the lever.
The Trial Conversion Sequence
Email 1: Trial Start (Immediate)
Goal: Confirm trial, set expectations
This overlaps with onboarding. Key elements:
- Trial duration and what's included
- Immediate next step to get value
- What happens when trial ends
Email 2: Value Reinforcement (Day 3-5)
Goal: Highlight value received
Show users what they've accomplished:
- Usage statistics ("You've sent 5 sequences")
- Results achieved
- Comparison to what paid users achieve
Email 3: Social Proof (Mid-trial)
Goal: Build confidence through others
Share customer success stories relevant to their use case:
- Specific results and metrics
- Similar company size or industry
- Quote or testimonial
Email 4: Trial Ending Soon (3 days before)
Goal: Create urgency
Remind of upcoming deadline:
- Days remaining
- What they'll lose access to
- Simple conversion path
Email 5: Last Day (Trial end)
Goal: Final conversion push
This is your last chance:
- Clear deadline
- Summary of value delivered
- One-click upgrade path
- Offer help if they have questions
Email 6: Trial Expired (Day after)
Goal: Recovery
Not everyone converts on time:
- Acknowledge trial ended
- Easy path to reactivate
- Consider limited-time incentive
Billing Integration is Essential
Trial conversion email requires knowing trial status:
- When did the trial start?
- How many days remain?
- Has the user converted already?
- Has the trial expired?
Without billing integration, you're guessing. Sequenzy integrates natively with Stripe, Polar, and other billing providers to track trial status automatically.
Behavioral Triggers
The best trial conversion sequences adapt to behavior:
Engaged users
Users actively using the product need less convincing. Focus on:
- Pricing clarity
- Easy conversion path
- Premium features available after conversion
Inactive users
Users who signed up but haven't engaged need different messaging:
- Re-engagement before conversion push
- Help getting started
- Addressing common blockers
Incentives: Use Carefully
Discounts can boost conversion but train users to expect them:
- Only offer to users who wouldn't convert otherwise
- Use sparingly (last email only)
- Time-limited to create urgency
- Consider trial extension instead of discount
Measuring Success
Track these metrics:
- Trial conversion rate: Primary metric
- Conversion by email: Which emails drive action
- Time to conversion: When in trial do users convert
- MRR attributed: Revenue directly from email
Sequenzy provides revenue attribution natively - you see which sequences drive actual MRR.
Build Your Sequence
Trial conversion email is the highest-impact sequence you can build. Start with a platform that understands SaaS trials and billing.