Free To Paid | One Way To Use The 7 Day Free Trial Feature

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I've had a lot of questions about how I'm going to use the 7-Day Free Trial: will I even use it? Would I include it in the About Page copy? Recommend it in the VSL? Does it replace the need for a Free community?

Here’s my perspective and how I will use it. I made this video in one take, and I can't redo it, but it's for anyone like me who learns best visually or wants to see things from a member's perspective. (Sorry it's long, and I missed a couple points, but I’ve written them here.)

𝗜𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

A 7-day free trial doesn’t replace the Free community. If people don't stick around after the trial, where do they go? An email list? No, thanks. I prefer a Free community, where they can stay connected with me and each other, learn, and feel a sense of belonging. Think of it as a “living” email list. Just don’t treat them like a sales funnel; they’re your people.

𝗜𝗳 𝗜 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

If I had only a paid community, then yes, I’d put a 7-day free trial in the About Page copy and the VSL. I’d set it up in a way similar to what Alex Hormozi recommends. If you're in Skool Games, you can read his approach there, and if not I have a piece of it in the comments.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜’𝗺 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝘁

I tested the 7-day free trial myself, and here’s the strategy I’m using for the best conversion, low churn, and solid retention. In the video, I walk you through how my Free community is set up and the purpose of each classroom. The goal of the Free community is for members to get one quick win and connect with each other, focusing on building relationships and encouraging real progress.

For my paid community, the 7-day free trial isn’t open to everyone. I’m offering it only through one-on-one clarity calls. These calls are not about selling. My focus is on helping them right away and giving them a real sense of what it’s like to work with me. At the end of the call, if I believe it’s a good fit, I make a soft offer: a 7-day free trial and a locked-in discount that stays if they continue. This approach rewards people for taking the extra step to connect with me.

𝙏𝙬𝙤 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚.

I also offer a low-ticket $3 option as an initial step for those interested in seeing what it’s like to invest with me, giving them a taste of the value they can expect. (Also, it gets their card on file for taking action, while on call.)

Additionally, early members who joined my community and trusted the process from the start receive an even better discount to show my appreciation. This will probably be done via a group call, but I don't plan on doing a 7 day free trial with that since it will be a killer deal. This rewards them for being in my community from the start.

If they decide to cancel, they’ll get a reminder that the price will go up if they leave, which encourages them to stick around longer. There’s also a retention video they can watch, inviting them to reach out to me if they’re unsure.

My paid community is priced at a great value, even without the discount or trial. But this setup keeps the trial exclusive and meaningful, focusing on the right people who are ready to experience real value and not just a quick browse.

My goal is to build great communities that really make an impact for the members whether free or paid, and give them all a place to belong while growing their Skool communities either as owners or supportive roles. It is not just a funnel for me. It's not a substitute for a website, funnel, or email list to just get sales. It replaces those things and gives much more meaning to my everyday work.

Have any thoughts on this or want to share how you will use the 7 day free trial? Let me know 👇

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