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Trial Period (Free or Discounted)

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Sometimes when offering a new paid membership or subscription, you want to let people sign up now, but not charge them until some fixed date in the future, because all the content isn't going to be available until then. Or just as a promo.

The trial period option allows you to accomplish just this. By telling this system how many days after you purchase before you want to begin charging the customer. 

What happens when a trial period ends?

When the trial period ends, your customer will be charged for the continued subscription if they haven't already canceled. If you have a minimum commitment period that period will begin now preventing them from canceling on their own. 

You may also want to set up a notification email letting them know their subscription is going to end. Below are the step by step instructions for creating such a notification. 

 

Free Trial on a subscription Price

1. Locate the product you want to offer the price on

2. Go to the prices tab within the product

3. Add a list price

4. Choose Subscription price

5. Include all your price settings (name, amount, etc)

6. Scroll to the amounts section 

7. Locate the third question in that section which reads "Optional free trial before the recurring payments begin"

8. Input the number of days/weeks/months/years you want them to have free access. At the end of those days their payments will begin based on what you put in the "Amount for each recurring period" field. 

Subscription-free-trial-large.jpg

 

Discounted Trial on a subscription

1. Locate the product you want to offer the price on

2. Go to the prices tab within the product

3. Add a list price

4. Choose Subscription as your type of price

5. Include all your price settings (name, amount, etc)

6. Scroll to the amounts section 

7. Enter the amount of the trial period

8. Select "Create Price" blue button at the bottom of the page. 

9. Edit the price

10. Scroll down to Subscription Periods

11. Edit the price you just added 

Subscription-trial-1-large.jpg

12. In the box titled "Repeat how many times before the price or duration changes" input 1

13. Save Changes

14. Below that price Select that button that reads "add another period"

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15. Fill in the fields and save

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16. Save changes to your price

Please note your payment processor may have a minimum charge. For example Stripe requires a minimum $0.50 payment. 

 

Free Trial on a Purchase

1. Locate the product you want to offer the price on

2. Go to the prices tab within the product

3. Add a list price

4. Choose Purchase as your type of price

5. Include all your price settings (name, amount, etc)

6. Scroll to the amounts section 

7. Enter the amount $0 

8. Enter in number of installments (Minimum 1)

9. Amount for each of the following installments

10. Enter in How long between each installment. This time amount should be the time you want to offer a free trial for. (If your free trial is less time then what is between the installment payments then in Step 8 only put in 1 and continue to follow the steps below.)

11. Select "Create Price" blue button at the bottom of the page. 

If they get a free trial and have 1 installment to purchase or if the free trial period matches their installment periods then you are done and can activate your price. If the installment period is more time then you are giving in the free trial then continue on. 

12. Edit the price

13. Scroll down to the installments section 

14. Select add an installment

Purchase-free-trial-1-large.jpg

15. Fill in the fields and save

Purchase-free-trial-2-large.jpg

16. Save changes to your price

Please note your payment processor may have a minimum charge. For example Stripe requires $0.50 payment so you would not be able to offer a free trial on a purchase and utilize stripe. But you could offer a 50 cent trial, and then discount the first payment by 50cents for it to even out. 

 

 

Discounted trial on a purchase

1. Locate the product you want to offer the price on

2. Go to the prices tab within the product

3. Add a list price

4. Choose Purchase as your type of price

5. Include all your price settings (name, amount, etc)

6. Scroll to the amounts section 

7. Enter the amount of the trial period

8. Enter in number of installments 

9. Amount for each of the second installment they will pay

10. Enter in How long between each installment. This time amount should be the time you want to offer the trial for. (If your trial is less time then what is between the installment payments then in Step 8 only put in 1 and continue to follow the steps below.)

11. Select "Create Price" blue button at the bottom of the page. 

If they get a discounted trial and have 1 installment to purchase or if the trial period matches their installment periods then you are done and can activate your price. If the installment period is more time then you are giving for the trial then continue on. 

12. Edit the price

13. Scroll down to the installments section 

14. Select add an installment

Purchase-free-trial-1-large.jpg

15. Fill in the fields and save

Purchase-free-trial-2-large.jpg

16. Save changes to your price

Please note your payment processor may have a minimum charge. For example Stripe requires a minimum $0.50 payment. 

 

Cancelations

Note that if your customer chooses to Cancel after experiencing their trial they will only be able to cancel themselves if you have set it up as a subscription price. If you choose the "purchase" price type then they will need to contact you and you will need to go in and manually canceling them. 

To cancel:

1. Locate the customer

2. Find the purchase in their customer screen

3. Click on it to open up the details screen

4. In the purchase summary screen select Cancel

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Notification of Free Trial Ending

Notification Email- Free Trial Ending

1. Create the notification email in your Email Library that let's them know their Trial ends in X # of Days and they will begin to be charged. 

2. Create an Automation that is 2 steps. 

1. Step 1 Wait x number of days (the number of days will be how long to wait from purchase before sending the free trial ending email. For example the free trial is 30 days you want to send the notification email 5 days before they are charged then this wait step would be to wait 25 days)

2. Step 2 will be send templated email and select the email from the email library

3. Go to your free trial price and add a trigger to the price

Trigger should read: "Billing Contacted Activated" "start automation" Select the automation you created in step 2. 

3. Save

 

Give them the option to cancel

If you want want give them the option to cancel their purchase right in the notification email you will need to follow these additional steps...

1. Create an automation with a single act step to "Cancel a Purchase"

2. Copy the URL for the one click start automation

3. Create the notification email in your Email Library and Paste in the URL where in the copy you mention Canceling the purchase. 

Now follow the steps above

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Date Specific Installments