# In-product guided walkthrough in a free trial: 2x conversions

- Outcome: Won
- Page type: Free trial (SaaS)
- Elements: Onboarding, Guided tour
- Test run by: [Citrix](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/citrix/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/citrix-automated-guidance-system
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/citrix-gotowebinar-trial-walkthrough-guidance/

Adding step-by-step in-product guidance to the GoToWebinar free trial doubled the conversion rate (+100%) and lifted product usage by 40%. Citrix ran this A/B test on its 30-day trial using the WalkMe guidance platform, and it was published as a MarketingSherpa case study. Trial users in the treatment group also reached key setup steps more often.

## Result

**2x conversions**

- Conversion rate: +100% for trial users with the guidance.
- Product usage: +40% versus the control group.
- Reached the audio setup page 61% more often, and clicked to save audio settings 41% more.
- Reached the poll creation page 39% more often, and saved a poll 28% more.

## Control

A 30-day GoToWebinar free trial with no in-product guidance. Users found features and help pages on their own.

## Variant

The same trial with a guidance layer: step-by-step pop-ups, notes on key selling points such as included audio, and a toolbar showing progress. Links in the welcome email opened the walkthrough for each feature.

## Why it likely won (our reading)

- People who use a trial product in the first few days are the most likely to buy, and guidance gets them to that first use faster.
- The walkthrough was built from calls with trial users, so it targeted the actual places people got stuck.
- It pointed out audio being included, a selling point over competitors that users might have missed.
- Linking the welcome email straight into a guided feature removed the hunt for help pages.

## Caveats

Sample size, test length and significance were not shared, and the test date is not given (published in 2016). The guidance combined pop-ups, selling points, a progress toolbar and email links, so the lift can't be credited to one part.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we guide trial users step by step through the key setup tasks, then more of them will convert to paid because they reach the product's value early in the trial.
- Primary metric: Trial-to-paid conversion rate
- Guardrail: Completion of key activation steps
- Guardrail: Support tickets per trial user
- Guardrail: Walkthrough dismissal rate
- Who should test it: SaaS products with a self-serve free trial and a few setup steps that predict buying. It matters less if your product is simple enough to use without help, or if most deals close through sales calls.

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Credit: Citrix ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/citrix-gotowebinar-trial-walkthrough-guidance/).
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.