Re-engagement email after a trial ends
Sent a few weeks after a free trial ended without a purchase. It asks why, plainly, and mentions one improvement that addresses a common reason people leave.
- Category:
- Re-engagement
- Length:
- 72 words
Subject line options
- What stopped you with {{product}}?
- Your {{product}} trial, one question
The email
Hi {{first_name}},
Your {{product}} trial ended on {{date}} and you didn't continue. I'd really like to know why, even if it's just one line.
Was it the price, a missing feature, or simply no time to set it up?
If it was {{common_reason}}, that's changed: {{what_changed}}. Your account and settings are still there, so you can pick up where you left off: {{login_link}}
Either way, thanks for giving it a try.
{{your_name}}Highlighted {{placeholders}} are the parts to replace. If you cannot fill one with something true and specific, cut the sentence rather than leaving it generic.
When to use it
Send it two to four weeks after a trial ends, once. Only mention a change that has actually shipped and that addresses a reason people really leave. If nothing has changed, send only the question.
Make sure the reader is someone who gave consent to hear from you, typically by signing up for the trial and agreeing to your terms. Check the rules that apply in your market before emailing trial users who did not convert.
Why it works
- The question is the main point. Learning why trials do not convert is worth more than the few who come back.
- Three options make it a one-word reply.
- "Your settings are still there" lowers the effort of returning, which is often the real barrier.
Before you send
Trial signup lists contain throwaway addresses and typos that never worked, and those inflate your bounce rate when you email the list weeks later. Run the export through the free list check and remove disposable and invalid addresses first.