“Trial for free” CTA: Going's A/B test

The bottom line

Going changed its homepage CTA from "Sign up for free" to "Trial for free" and trial starts rose 104% month over month. The small wording change put the premium offering front and center and lifted conversions.

Key takeaways

• Changing three words in the CTA more than doubled trial starts. The new wording made the free trial of the premium plan more prominent.
  • Trial starts rose 104% month over month.
• The change fixed a problem with low conversion on premium plans. "Sign up for free" did not point people toward the paid offering.
  • The test compared "Sign up for free" with "Trial for free" on the homepage.
• The new CTA worked across traffic sources. It lifted paid channels and beat organic traffic for the first time.

The test

Going swapped one homepage CTA phrase for another to push its premium subscription plans.

• Going faced low conversion rates on its premium subscription plans.
  • The company changed the homepage CTA to address this.
  • The test compared "Sign up for free" with "Trial for free."
• The change was only three words.
  • It was meant to emphasize the value of the premium offerings.
  • It did so by making the free trial option more prominent.

The result

"Trial for free" produced a 104% increase in trial starts month over month.

• Conversion rose through paid channels.
  • Trial starts increased 104% month over month.
• Paid traffic outperformed organic traffic for the first time.
  • Organic traffic had previously been the stronger performer.