Subscription Lifecycle
Optimize trial-to-paid, renewals, dunning, cancellations, and win-back for subscription apps with stage-specific benchmarks.
Overview
Subscription Lifecycle is an agent skill most often used in Grow (also Validate pricing, Launch ASO) that optimizes trial conversion, renewals, dunning, and win-back for subscription businesses.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/eronred/aso-skills --skill subscription-lifecycleWhat is this skill?
- End-to-end map: install → trial → conversion → renewal → cancel → win-back with branch paths
- Stage metrics table with formulas and benchmarks (e.g. trial start >20%, trial-to-paid 25–40%, monthly churn <5%)
- Covers voluntary vs involuntary churn, dunning, grace periods, and exit-survey patterns
- Explicit handoffs: monetization-strategy for paywalls; app-analytics for dashboards
- Lifecycle metrics table with per-stage benchmarks
- Trial start rate benchmark >20%
- Strong trial-to-paid benchmark 25–40%
Adoption & trust: 1.1k installs on skills.sh; 1.5k GitHub stars; 2/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
Trial users stall, renewals slip, and canceled subscribers never return because you lack a staged playbook and benchmarks for each lifecycle leak.
Who is it for?
Indie app founders improving subscription LTV, churn, and win-back after launch.
Skip if: One-time purchase apps, B2B invoicing-only billing, or teams that only need paywall copy without retention mechanics.
When should I use this skill?
User mentions subscription lifecycle, trial conversion, churn, cancellation, win-back, dunning, billing retry, grace period, renewal rate, subscriber LTV, or resubscribe.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get lifecycle-stage metrics, intervention patterns, and clear next steps—then hand off to monetization-strategy or app-analytics when paywalls or dashboards need depth.
- Stage-by-stage metric diagnosis
- Intervention recommendations for trial, renewal, cancel, and win-back
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Revenue retention and resurrection are Grow concerns once subscribers exist, even though trial design starts earlier. Lifecycle maps the full subscriber journey from trial start through churn recovery and lapsed campaigns.
Where it fits
Diagnose whether M1 renewal misses stem from voluntary cancel or failed dunning.
Align trial length and price tests with expected trial-to-paid benchmarks before full build.
Connect store listing trials to post-install nurture when trial start rate sits below 20%.
How it compares
Lifecycle optimization playbook for subscriber journeys—not a substitute for paywall design (monetization-strategy) or analytics implementation (app-analytics).
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is subscription-lifecycle for?
Solo builders and small teams running subscription mobile or SaaS products who need structured retention and recovery guidance.
When should I use subscription-lifecycle?
In Grow for churn and win-back; in Validate when tuning trial and pricing assumptions; in Launch when ASO traffic feeds trial starts.
Is subscription-lifecycle safe to install?
It is strategic marketing guidance without built-in store API access; review the Security Audits panel on this page for the skill package source.
Workflow Chain
Then invoke: monetization strategy, app analytics
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Subscription Lifecycle
# 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 When a user initiates cancellation (iOS — `ManagedSubscriptionGroup`): 1. **Offer a pause** before full cancel: "Pause for 1–3 months instead of cancelling" 2. **Show value recap**: "You've used [feature] X times this month" 3. **Offer a disco