In-app tips, upgrade offers and a setup wizard: +150% trial sign-ups
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsBrainshark added targeted in-app and on-site messages plus a three-step setup wizard, and free-trial sign-ups for its enterprise product rose 150%.
Registrations for its freemium product, myBrainshark, rose 15%.
Brainshark ran this itself with the personalization vendor Evergage, and it was published as a MarketingSherpa case study; many changes went live together, so no single message gets the credit.
- +150% free-trial sign-ups for the enterprise product.
- +15% myBrainshark registrations, driven by content download and webinar offers.
- More than $1.1 million in sales pipeline influenced, as reported by Brainshark.
- These are campaign results, not a single controlled split test. No sample sizes or durations were shared.
Control
Freemium and free-trial users got no targeted guidance inside the product, and site visitors saw the same offers no matter what they had looked at.
Variant
Freemium users saw tips and prompts to upload content or add audio, plus upgrade offers. SlideShark trial users got a three-step setup wizard with checkmarks, and site visitors saw offers tailored to the solution area they browsed.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Brainshark used its usage data to find where new users got stuck, such as never uploading a presentation, and aimed messages at those points.
- A short wizard with visible progress helps trial users reach value before a time-limited trial runs out.
- Offers matched to what a visitor was already reading are more relevant than generic banners.
- Upgrade prompts shown to engaged free users reach people who already see the product's value.
Caveats: Bundled: in-app tips, upgrade prompts, a setup wizard and personalized site offers all launched as one program, so the result can't be pinned on one element. Figures are vendor-assisted and self-reported, and no test design or sample sizes were shared.
Who ran it
Brainshark ran this test and published the results (MarketingSherpa case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Brainshark →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we show new users a short setup checklist and targeted in-app prompts at the steps where they usually stall, then more will reach the key action and start a paid trial because they get value sooner.
- Primary metric
- Trial sign-ups or free-to-paid upgrade rate
- Guardrails
- Activation rate (first key action completed)
- Prompt dismissal rate
- Support tickets or complaints about pop-ups
- Who should test it
- SaaS companies with a freemium plan or free trial where analytics show clear drop-off steps. It is less useful if you have little traffic or no data on where users stall.
Questions
Do in-app onboarding checklists increase trial conversion?
They often help when users stall at a known step.
Brainshark's wizard was part of a bundle that lifted enterprise trial sign-ups 150%, though its own share isn't known.
What should in-app messages say to freemium users?
Start with tips that help them get value, such as finishing setup.
Bring in upgrade offers once they are active and can see what the paid plan adds.
Is it worth personalizing website offers for SaaS?
It can be, if you have clear audience segments.
Brainshark tailored offers to the solution area each visitor browsed.