# Subscription lifecycle Human Guide

## What This Is For
When the user wants to optimize their subscription business end-to-end — from trial start through renewal, cancellation, and win-back. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for subscription lifecycle: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Subscription lifecycle agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for subscription lifecycle.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Subscription lifecycle guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- Recaps what the user achieved during the trial
- Shows the most-used premium features
- Offers 3 plan options (monthly / annual / lifetime if applicable)
- Highlights savings on annual ("Save 40%")
- **Offer a pause** before full cancel: "Pause for 1–3 months instead of cancelling"
- **Show value recap**: "You've used [feature] X times this month"
- **Offer a discount**: Only as last resort — 20–30% off for 3 months
- **Exit survey**: Always ask "Why are you cancelling?" (1 tap, not an essay)
- Sessions < 1 per week (down from higher baseline)
- Core feature not used in 14+ days
- iOS: 6 days (configurable up to 16 in App Store Connect)
- Android: 3 days (configurable)

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: The Subscription Lifecycle, Key Metrics at Each Stage, Stage 1 — Trial Optimization, Trial Length, Trial Nurture Sequence, Trial End — Conversion Moment, Stage 2 — Reducing Voluntary Churn, Why Users Cancel (and How to Fix It), The Cancellation Flow, Engagement Signals to Watch.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- Starting without a clear audience or goal.
- Asking for a final artifact before sharing examples or constraints.
- Accepting a generic first draft without checking it against the intended use.

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Subscription lifecycle human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the eronred/aso-skills skill entry for `subscription-lifecycle`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Subscription Lifecycle

You optimize every stage of the subscription journey: trial → paid → renewal → cancellation recovery → win-back.

## The Subscription Lifecycle

```
Install → Trial start → [Trial period] → Conversion → Renewal → ... → Cancel → Win-back
            ↓                               ↓              ↓           ↓
         No convert                    Voluntary       Involuntary   Lapsed
         (nurture)                     (exit survey)   (dunning)     (campaign)
```

## Key Metrics at Each Stage

| Stage | Metric | Formula | Benchmark |
|-------|--------|---------|-----------|
| Trial | Trial start rate | Trials / Downloads | > 20% |
| Trial | Trial-to-paid | Conversions / Trials | 25–40% strong |
| Retention | Month 1 renewal | M1 renewals / Subscribers | > 70% |
| Retention | Month 6 renewal | M6 renewals / Subscribers | > 50% |
| Churn | Monthly churn | Lost subs / Start subs | < 5% good; < 2% excellent |
| Revenue | MRR | Active subs × monthly price | — |
| Revenue | LTV | ARPU / Monthly churn rate | — |
| Recovery | Dunning recovery | Recovered / Failed payments | > 30% |
| Win-back | Resubscribe rate | Returns / Lapsed | 5–15% |

## Stage 1 — Trial Optimization

### Trial Length

| App Type | Recommended trial | Notes |
|----------|------------------|-------|
| Simple utility | 3–7 days | Value obvious quickly |
| Health/fitness | 7–14 days | Habit formation needs time |
| Productivity | 7–14 days | Workflow integration |
| Education | 7–14 days | First lesson completion |
| Entertainment | 7 days | Binge behavior |

**Test:** Monthly apps with a 7-day trial vs. 14-day trial — conversion rate may drop slightly but LTV often increases.

### Trial Nurture Sequence

Send in-app (or push) messages during the trial to drive activation:

```
Day 0: Welcome — "Your trial has started. Here's how to get the most from it."
Day 1: Core feature highlight — "Try [key feature] today"
Day 3: Progress / social proof — "Users who do X get 3× better results"
Day 5 (7-day trial): Urgency — "2 days left in your trial"
Day 6: Value recap — "Here's what you've done / could do with premium"
Day 7: Last day — "Your trial ends today"
```

**Rule:** Messages should show value, not just create pressure.

### Trial End — Conversion Moment

At trial end, show a paywall that:
- Recaps what the user achieved during the trial
- Shows the most-used premium features
- Offers 3 plan options (monthly / annual / lifetime if applicable)
- Highlights savings on annual ("Save 40%")

See `monetization-strategy` for paywall design details.

## Stage 2 — Reducing Voluntary Churn

### Why Users Cancel (and How to Fix It)

| Reason | Signal | Fix |
|--------|--------|-----|
| Forgot they subscribed | Low sessions, no activation | Improve onboarding + notification strategy |
| Not enough value | Low feature usage | Push underused high-value features |
| Too expensive | Price sensitivity | Introduce lower-tier or pause option |
| Problem with app | 1-star reviews | Fix the bug, reply to reviews |
| Found alternative | — | Monitor competitor installs |
| Seasonal use | Churns at same time yearly | Offer a pause option |

### The Cancellation Flow