Blinkist
A nonfiction book summary app that turns books into short audio and text reads.
Blinkist's trial timeline paywall (unlock today, Day 5 reminder, Day 7 charge) lifted trial signups 23%, cut complaints 55%, and raised push opt-ins from 6% to 74%. It still performs years later, and shifted annual share from about 60/40 to 75 to 80% with no price change. Lesson: explain exactly how a trial works and fix your top complaint.
- Trial and billing confusing
- 6% opted in to push
- Day 1 unlock, Day 5 reminder, Day 7 charge
- 74% opted in to push
- Complaints fell 55%
Trial signups rose 23%
From Blinkist paywall test
What was said about Blinkist
1The free trial timeline paywall
Blinkist explained its free trial as a timeline, lifting signups 23%. Blinkist redesigned its paywall to show the 7-day free trial step by step, with a reminder promised on Day 5 and the charge stated for Day 7. Trial signups rose 23%, customer complaints fell 55%, and push notification opt-ins went from 6% to 74%.
The test started from Blinkist's biggest support complaint, confusion about how the trial and billing worked, so the same fix improved both satisfaction and conversion. Promising a reminder before the charge gave users a concrete reason to allow push notifications, tying the permission request to a benefit they cared about.
Version A and version B as Blinkist tested them. The timeline paywall has kept performing for years without decay. Blinkist's layout (unlock today, notification on day five, billing on day seven) has been in use for years and still performs very well, according to Jonathan Parra, who has built 4,000 paywalls.
He recommends timeline or journey paywalls for products that change users over a multi-day or multi-week period, showing how the user progresses with the user as the hero. "You always want to have a hero's journey funnel if you can have it."
Another app copied the timeline and shifted buyers to annual plans. Ethan Ethier's team showed only the annual plan up front with a Blinkist-style timeline: personalized plan on day 1, the plan adapting on day 7, and a reminder before the trial ends on day 12. Annual share went from about 60/40 to 75 to 80% choosing annual.
Monthly sat behind a view-all-plans option, and price and positioning did not change, only the layout and perceived risk. "We made the risk of actually starting the trial a lot more clear."
2Growing from Germany, and ads that sent people to a blog
Blinkist started in Germany and grew big there. Germany gives Blinkist results similar to the US even though the US market is about 10 times bigger.
Yuliya Lennox cites this when arguing for localization: start with markets you know or that resemble your own, and with AI a service can be translated into a new language in about 3 hours. "I would bet on it like over everything else."
Blinkist pioneered sending paid ads to a blog, not the app store. Marcus Burke, who joined Blinkist in 2019, pioneered routing ad traffic to a blog instead of straight to the app store.
How your free trial works: Blinkist's A/B test
Redesigned its paywall to show the 7-day free trial as a step-by-step timeline with a Day 5 reminder and a Day 7 charge notice. Trial signups rose 23%, customer complaints fell 55%, and push notification opt-ins went from 6% to 74%.
Blinkist explained its free trial as a timeline, lifting signups 23%. Blinkist redesigned its paywall to show the 7-day free trial step by step, with a reminder promised on Day 5 and the charge stated for Day 7. Trial signups rose 23%, customer complaints fell 55%, and push notification opt-ins went from 6% to 74%.
The test started from Blinkist's biggest support complaint, confusion about how the trial and billing worked, so the same fix improved both satisfaction and conversion. Promising a reminder before the charge gave users a concrete reason to allow push notifications, tying the permission request to a benefit they cared about.
Version A and version B as Blinkist tested them.
Why 90% of their paid traffic goes to a quiz, not the App Store
Its trial timeline paywall inspired the day 1, day 7 and day 12 layout that moved buyers to annual.
Another app copied the timeline and shifted buyers to annual plans. Ethan Ethier's team showed only the annual plan up front with a Blinkist-style timeline: personalized plan on day 1, the plan adapting on day 7, and a reminder before the trial ends on day 12. Annual share went from about 60/40 to 75 to 80% choosing annual.
Monthly sat behind a view-all-plans option, and price and positioning did not change, only the layout and perceived risk. "We made the risk of actually starting the trial a lot more clear."
We’ve Tested 100s of Paywalls. Here’s What Actually Converts.
Its 2021 trial timeline paywall raised conversions by 23%. Telling users when the trial ends cuts 'I forgot to cancel' refund requests.
Blinkist started in Germany and grew big there. Germany gives Blinkist results similar to the US even though the US market is about 10 times bigger.
Yuliya Lennox cites this when arguing for localization: start with markets you know or that resemble your own, and with AI a service can be translated into a new language in about 3 hours. "I would bet on it like over everything else."
Make Ugly Ads to Grow Your App – Yuliya Lennox (Solid Starts)
It started in Germany, which gives results like the US market, about 10 times bigger. It grew big there.
Blinkist pioneered sending paid ads to a blog, not the app store. Marcus Burke, who joined Blinkist in 2019, pioneered routing ad traffic to a blog instead of straight to the app store.
The Paywall Strategy That Increased Conversions by 56%
Runs a version of the three-screen flow of social proof, a video and a trial timeline before its paywall.
The timeline paywall has kept performing for years without decay. Blinkist's layout (unlock today, notification on day five, billing on day seven) has been in use for years and still performs very well, according to Jonathan Parra, who has built 4,000 paywalls.
He recommends timeline or journey paywalls for products that change users over a multi-day or multi-week period, showing how the user progresses with the user as the hero. "You always want to have a hero's journey funnel if you can have it."
How to Build a $2M/Month App (Copy Me)
Burke joined in 2019 and pioneered sending ads to a blog instead of straight to the app store.
I made 4,000 app paywalls and learned this
Its free trial timeline (unlock today, notification on day five, billing on day seven) has performed for years with no sign of decay.
Black Hat App Growth Strategies You Don’t Know (But Your Competitors Might Be Using)
Its paywall pattern was adapted with two extra reassurance screens that explain payment upfront and cut one-star bait-and-switch reviews. It worked best when promoting yearly and hurt results on weekly plans.
Boost Your App's Conversion Rate with These 9 Proven Strategies
Named as a company using web-to-app funnels to sell subscriptions on the web.
Get MASSIVE Results with These 9 Simple Tiny A/B Testing Hacks!
Its paywall promises a reminder before the trial ends, which addresses forgotten cancellations and refund requests.
Boost Your App Subscription Revenue: Proven Strategies and Optimization Tips
Its paywall was the test where replacing the 'view all plans' link with the monthly price gave a 31 percent improvement in conversions. Only the yearly plan has a trial, and the decoy plan is never bought.
Proven App Monetization Strategies Backed by Data
Blinkist shows the paywall on every open, cited as an example of repeated paywall exposure.
COPY THIS $5M APP FLOW TO SKYROCKET YOUR REVENUE
Its paywall shows a trial timeline: day one unlock, day five reminder, day seven charge. That layout performs well, and the guest suggests Calm test it.
How to Maximize App Store Optimization Seasonality
Cited as an example of short paywalls that work best when they do not run long.
The Simplest Apple Search Ads Advanced Campaign to Manage and Scale
Used as an example of an app that ranks well for book summaries while most people search for audiobooks. That gap is where a Search Match campaign pays off.
ASO What's Working Today in 2020 - MGS Presentation
Its onboarding price page differs from its normal one and shows only the annual plan, since it wants users on yearly rather than monthly billing.
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