| name | paywall-upgrade-cro |
| description | When the user wants to create or optimize in-app paywalls, upgrade screens, upsell modals, or feature gates — "convert free to paid," "freemium conversion," "trial expiration screen," "limit reached," "free users won't upgrade." Covers in-product upgrade moments where the user has already experienced value — distinct from public pricing pages (see page-cro). For pricing decisions, see pricing-strategy. |
| category | marketing |
| tier | on-demand |
Paywall and Upgrade Screen CRO
Convert free users to paid — or users to higher tiers — at moments when they've experienced enough value to justify the commitment.
Initial Assessment
Product context: If .agents/product-marketing-context.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing-context.md in older setups), read it first and tailor output to it; only ask for what it doesn't cover.
Understand first:
- Upgrade Context - Freemium → Paid? Trial → Paid? Tier upgrade? Feature upsell? Usage limit?
- Product Model - What's free? What's behind paywall? What triggers prompts? Current conversion rate?
- User Journey - When does this appear? What have they experienced? What are they trying to do?
Core Principles
- Value Before Ask — user has experienced real value first; upgrade feels like the natural next step. Timing: after "aha moment," not before.
- Show, Don't Just Tell — demonstrate paid-feature value, preview what they're missing, make the upgrade tangible.
- Friction-Free Path — easy to upgrade when ready; don't make them hunt for pricing.
- Respect the No — don't trap or pressure; easy to continue free; maintain trust for future conversion.
Paywall Trigger Points
- Feature gates (user clicks a paid-only feature): explain why it's paid, show what the feature does, quick path to unlock, option to continue without.
- Usage limits (user hits a limit): clear indication of limit reached, show what upgrading provides, don't block abruptly.
- Trial expiration: early warnings (7, 3, 1 day), clear "what happens" on expiration, summarize value received.
- Time-based prompts (after X days of free use): gentle reminder, highlight unused paid features, easy to dismiss.
Paywall Screen Components
- Headline - focus on what they get: "Unlock [Feature] to [Benefit]"
- Value Demonstration - preview, before/after, "With Pro you could..."
- Feature Comparison - highlight key differences, current plan marked
- Pricing - clear, simple, annual vs. monthly options
- Social Proof - customer quotes, "X teams use this"
- CTA - specific and value-oriented: "Start Getting [Benefit]"
- Escape Hatch - clear "Not now" or "Continue with Free"
Specific Paywall Types
Feature Lock Paywall
[Lock Icon]
This feature is available on Pro
[Feature preview/screenshot]
[Feature name] helps you [benefit]:
• [Capability]
• [Capability]
[Upgrade to Pro - $X/mo]
[Maybe Later]
Usage Limit Paywall
You've reached your free limit
[Progress bar at 100%]
Free: 3 projects | Pro: Unlimited
[Upgrade to Pro] [Delete a project]
Trial Expiration Paywall
Your trial ends in 3 days
What you'll lose:
• [Feature used]
• [Data created]
What you've accomplished:
• Created X projects
[Continue with Pro]
[Remind me later] [Downgrade]
Timing and Frequency
Show: after value moment (activation/aha), before frustration; when hitting genuine limits.
Don't show: during onboarding (too early), mid-flow, repeatedly after dismissal.
Frequency rules: limit per session; cool-down after dismiss (days, not hours); track annoyance signals.
Upgrade Flow Optimization
Paywall to payment: minimize steps, keep in-context if possible, pre-fill known information.
Post-upgrade: immediate feature access, confirmation and receipt, guide to new features.
A/B Testing
Test: trigger timing, headline/copy variations, price presentation, trial length, feature emphasis, design/layout.
Track: paywall impression rate, click-through to upgrade, completion rate, revenue per user, churn rate post-upgrade.
For comprehensive experiment ideas: See references/experiments.md
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Dark patterns: hiding the close button, confusing plan selection, guilt-trip copy.
Conversion killers: asking before value delivered, too-frequent prompts, blocking critical flows, complicated upgrade process.
Task-Specific Questions
- Current free → paid conversion rate?
- What triggers upgrade prompts today?
- What features are behind the paywall?
- What's your "aha moment" for users?
- Pricing model? (per seat, usage, flat)
- Mobile app, web app, or both?
Related Skills
- churn-prevention — cancel flows, save offers, reducing churn post-upgrade
- page-cro — public pricing page optimization
- onboarding-cro — driving to aha moment before upgrade
- ab-test-setup — testing paywall variations
