Why do some paywalls convert 10X better at the same price?

Many Substack authors see paywall conversion rates of 0.5%. But others, like Lenny, convert at 5%+ with the exact same paywall.

Same paywall, 10X difference. What’s going on here?

If your paywall isn’t converting, don’t blame the paywall.

Most companies, understandably, start by trying to fix the paywall:

• Tweak the design

• Change the price tiers

• Test new copy

While that makes sense intuitively, it seldom works. Here’s why:

👉 90% of paywall conversion depends on what happened before the paywall.

Imagine if you owned a toy store and nobody was buying toys… would you blame the cashier?

Of course not.

It's just that the paywall is your customer's first real decision point. That's when everything you've shown them gets evaluated.

But they decide bsaed on their experiences before they hit your paywall.

How the best apps get 10X paywall conversion

Use these 4 steps toprime users before you ask for payment:

1. Discover the specific outcome that matters to your customers, using their exact words.

2. Introduce that promise in your advertising and social / influencer posts.

3. Reinforce it on landing pages and app store listings.

4. Demonstrate it in your onboarding and trial experience. That’s your chance to banish their worries and prove they’ll get the results they want.

Want to see an example?

Read how SmartTales boosted paywall conversion by 86% without changing their paywall.

tl;dr

Your job isn’t to fix the paywall.

Your job is to make them want to pay before they even see it.

That’s the difference between the apps that struggle… 

And the ones that scale.

I hope this helps!