Benefits-driven vs emotional appeal messaging: Neos Kosmos's A/B test

The bottom line

Neos Kosmos raised paywall conversion by 16% by replacing a list of premium benefits with an emotional, culturally rooted "support our work" message. Tone of voice on a paywall can move conversion on its own.

Key takeaways

• An emotional appeal beat a benefits-driven message on the paywall. The emotional version produced the higher conversion rate.
  • Conversion rose 16% with the new messaging.
• The new message leaned on users' personal and cultural connection to the publication. It asked readers to "support our work" instead of listing what premium includes.
  • The original message detailed the benefits of the premium subscription.
• Only the tone of voice changed in this test. That makes the lift attributable to the messaging approach.

The test setup

Neos Kosmos compared two paywall messages to see if tone could change conversion.

• The original paywall focused on the benefits of the premium subscription.
  • It was a benefits-driven message.
• The variant appealed to emotional and cultural connections.
  • It encouraged users to "support our work."
  • The aim was to see if a more personal, culturally resonant message would convert better.

The result

The emotional, culturally resonant message won.

• The variant lifted conversion rates by 16%.
  • The test ran in the paywall and free trial category of the Neos Kosmos app.