# 'Become a subscriber' vs 'Start your free trial': CTR down up to 20%

- Outcome: Lost
- Page type: Other (SaaS)
- Elements: Cta copy, Popup
- Test run by: [Encyclopaedia Britannica](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/encyclopaedia-britannica/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://wingify.com/success-stories/britannica/
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/britannica-cta-subscriber-vs-free-trial/

Encyclopaedia Britannica replaced 'Start your free trial' on its subscription popup with 'Become a subscriber' or 'Become a member', and both versions lost, with click-through falling by as much as 20%. Britannica's own team ran the test, published as a VWO case study. The team kept the free trial wording.

## Result

**CTR down up to 20%**

- CTA click-through: both variants did worse than 'Start your free trial'. This is a loss.
- In some cases click-through dropped by as much as 20%. Per-variant numbers were not shared.
- Britannica kept the original free trial wording.

## Control

A subscription popup on the Britannica site with the button text 'Start your free trial'.

## Variant

Two versions swapped the button text for 'Become a subscriber' and 'Become a member'. The team expected words suggesting a community to do better.

## Why it likely lost (our reading)

- 'Free trial' tells people they can try at no cost. 'Subscriber' and 'member' point to an ongoing commitment, and probably payment.
- Visitors reading an article are often casual. A low-risk first step is easier to say yes to than joining something.
- The idea of community may simply not matter much to people who came for a quick answer.

## Caveats

Exact per-variant results, sample size and test duration were not shared. The metric is button clicks, not paid subscriptions.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we frame the subscription button around belonging ('Become a member') instead of a free trial, then more visitors will click, because identity can motivate more than a free offer.
- Primary metric: Click-through on the popup button
- Guardrail: Trial starts
- Guardrail: Trial-to-paid conversion
- Guardrail: Popup dismissal rate
- Who should test it: Subscription content and SaaS products with a free trial. If you offer a free trial, expect it to be hard to beat; this fits better if your trial isn't free or your product has a real community.

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Credit: Encyclopaedia Britannica ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/britannica-cta-subscriber-vs-free-trial/).
Usage: Free to use, quote and build on, with credit and a link: name the practitioner or organization that ran the test and link to its LiftArchive page. The results belong to the practitioners who ran and shared them; the summaries and commentary are LiftArchive's.