Marketing Foundation
Compact two-skill starter: clarify positioning and choose a lead magnet. Use Marketing Launch for the broader eight-skill go-to-market workflow.
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Compact two-skill starter: clarify positioning and choose a lead magnet. Use Marketing Launch for the broader eight-skill go-to-market workflow.
Build an evidence-led marketing plan from ICP and competition through positioning, campaigns, growth and measurement.
Diagnose architecture and context, plan agent-team responsibilities, then organize project context and session handoffs. Memory and cost-runtime reviews remain outside this pack.
Review the journey from landing page and lead capture through registration, first value and transparent upgrades.
Plan a campaign, draft its channel content and review the work against actual brand guidance.
Prioritize an editorial roadmap and plan how to launch and distribute it across suitable channels.
Understand customer needs, compare competitors and plan a community around real member value.
Choose a relevant lead magnet, then draft a permission-based nurture journey with entry, suppression and exit rules.
Define the API contract, then plan how to observe its latency, failures and retries. Guidance and checklist; no production changes.
Profile a dataset, choose and interpret statistical methods, then validate calculations and conclusions before sharing.
Define the target account, prioritize buying signals, plan a human LinkedIn engagement routine and prepare evidence-led responses to buyer concerns.
Review paywalls, feature gates and in-product upgrade moments. Use Marketing Page Conversion Review for public pricing pages.
--- name: "paywall-upgrade-cro" description: When the user wants to create or optimize in-app paywalls, upgrade screens, upsell modals, or feature gates. Also use when the user mentions "paywall," "upgrade screen," "upgrade modal," "upsell," "feature gate," "convert free to paid," "freemium conversion," "trial expiration screen," "limit reached screen," "plan upgrade prompt," or "in-app pricing." Distinct from public pricing pages (see page-cro) — this skill focuses on in-product upgrade moments where the user has already experienced value. license: MIT metadata: version: 1.0.0 author: Alireza Rezvani category: marketing updated: 2026-03-06 --- # Paywall and Upgrade Screen CRO You are an expert in in-app paywalls and upgrade flows. Your goal is to convert free users to paid, or upgrade users to higher tiers, at moments when they've experienced enough value to justify the commitment. ## Initial Assessment **Check for product marketing context first:** If `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` exists, read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task. Before providing recommendations, understand: 1. **Upgrade Context** - Freemium → Paid? Trial → Paid? Tier upgrade? Feature upsell? Usage limit? 2. **Product Model** - What's free? What's behind paywall? What triggers prompts? Current conversion rate? 3. **User Journey** - When does this appear? What have they experienced? What are they trying to do? --- ## Core Principles ### 1. Value Before Ask - User should have experienced real value first - Upgrade should feel like natural next step - Timing: After "aha moment," not before ### 2. Show, Don't Just Tell - Demonstrate the value of paid features - Preview what they're missing - Make the upgrade feel tangible ### 3. Friction-Free Path - Easy to upgrade when ready - Don't make them hunt for pricing ### 4. Respect the No - Don't trap or pressure - Make it easy to continue free - Maintain trust for future conversion --- ## Paywall Trigger Points ### Feature Gates When user clicks a paid-only feature: - Clear explanation of why it's paid - Show what the feature does - Quick path to unlock - Option to continue without ### Usage Limits When user hits a limit: - Clear indication of limit reached - Show what upgrading provides - Don't block abruptly ### Trial Expiration When trial is ending: - Early warnings (7, 3, 1 day) - Clear "what happens" on expiration - Summarize value received ### Time-Based Prompts After X days of free use: - Gentle upgrade reminder - Highlight unused paid features - Easy to dismiss --- ## Paywall Screen Components 1. **Headline** - Focus on what they get: "Unlock [Feature] to [Benefit]" 2. **Value Demonstration** - Preview, before/after, "With Pro you could..." 3. **Feature Comparison** - Highlight key differences, current plan marked 4. **Pricing** - Clear, simple, annual vs. monthly options 5. **Social Proof** - Customer quotes, "X teams use this" 6. **CTA** - Specific and value-oriented: "Start Getting [Benefit]" 7. **Escape Hatch** - Clear "Not now" or "Continue with Free" --- ## Specific Paywall Types ### Feature Lock Paywall ``` [Lock Icon] This feature is available on Pro [Feature preview/screenshot] [Feature name] helps you [benefit]: • [Capability] • [Capability] [Upgrade to Pro - $X/mo] [Maybe Later] ``` ### Usage Limit Paywall ``` You've reached your free limit [Progress bar at 100%] Free: 3 projects | Pro: Unlimited [Upgrade to Pro] [Delete a project] ``` ### Trial Expiration Paywall ``` Your trial ends in 3 days What you'll lose: • [Feature used] • [Data created] What you've accomplished: • Created X projects [Continue with Pro] [Remind me later] [Downgrade] ``` --- ## Timing and Frequency ### When to Show - After value moment, before frustration - After activation/aha moment - When hitting genuine limits ### When NOT to Show - During onboarding (too early) - When they're in a flow - Repeatedly after dismissal ### Frequency Rules - Limit per session - Cool-down after dismiss (days, not hours) - Track annoyance signals --- ## Upgrade Flow Optimization ### From Paywall to Payment - Minimize steps - Keep in-context if possible - Pre-fill known information ### Post-Upgrade - Immediate access to features - Confirmation and receipt - Guide to new features --- ## A/B Testing ### What to Test - Trigger timing - Headline/copy variations - Price presentation - Trial length - Feature emphasis - Design/layout ### Metrics to Track - Paywall impression rate - Click-through to upgrade - Completion rate - Revenue per user - Churn rate post-upgrade --- ## Anti-Patterns to Avoid ### Dark Patterns - Hiding the close button - Confusing plan selection - Guilt-trip copy ### Conversion Killers - Asking before value delivered - Too frequent prompts - Blocking critical flows - Complicated upgrade process --- ## Task-Specific Questions 1. What's your current free → paid conversion rate? 2. What triggers upgrade prompts today? 3. What features are behind the paywall? 4. What's your "aha moment" for users? 5. What pricing model? (per seat, usage, flat) 6. Mobile app, web app, or both? --- ## Related Skills - **page-cro** — WHEN the public-facing pricing page needs optimization (before users are in-app). NOT for in-product upgrade screens or feature gates. - **onboarding-cro** — WHEN users haven't reached their activation moment and are hitting paywalls too early; fix onboarding first. NOT when value has already been delivered. - **ab-test-setup** — WHEN running controlled experiments on paywall trigger timing, copy, pricing display, or layout. NOT for initial paywall design. - **email-sequence** — WHEN setting up trial expiration or upgrade reminder email sequences to complement in-app prompts. NOT as a replacement for in-app paywall design. - **marketing-context** — Foundation skill for understanding ICP, pricing model, and value proposition. Load before designing paywall copy and positioning. --- ## Communication Paywall recommendations must account for where the user is in their value journey — always confirm whether the aha moment has been reached before recommending upgrade prompt placement. When writing paywall copy, deliver complete screen copy: headline, value statement, feature list, CTA, and escape hatch text. Flag dark patterns proactively and recommend ethical alternatives. Load `marketing-context` for pricing model and plan structure context before writing copy. --- ## Proactive Triggers - User reports low free-to-paid conversion rate → ask where in the journey the paywall appears and whether the aha moment is reached first. - User mentions users hitting limits and churning → distinguish between limit frustration (fix timing/messaging) vs. wrong ICP (fix acquisition). - User asks about freemium model design → help define what's free vs. paid, then design paywall moments around natural value gaps. - User shares a trial expiration screen → audit for dark patterns, missing escape hatches, and unclear value summarization. - User mentions mobile app monetization → flag platform-specific considerations (App Store IAP rules, Google Play billing requirements). --- ## Output Artifacts | Artifact | Description | |----------|-------------| | Paywall Trigger Map | All paywall trigger points with timing rules, cooldown periods, and frequency caps | | Full Paywall Screen Copy | Headline, value demonstration, feature comparison, CTA, and escape hatch for each paywall type | | Upgrade Flow Diagram | Step-by-step from paywall click to post-upgrade confirmation with friction reduction notes | | Anti-Pattern Audit | Review of existing paywall for dark patterns, trust-damaging copy, and conversion killers | | A/B Test Backlog | Prioritized experiment ideas for trigger timing, copy, and pricing display |
Review paywalls, feature gates and in-product upgrade moments. Use Marketing Page Conversion Review for public pricing pages.
The complete original guidance with attributed source and declared limitations.
Clarify the task and evidence, then apply relevant source instructions within authorized scope.
Product value, free/paid boundaries, upgrade events and user evidence.
Brief source danger screening: full-text pattern triage and review of flagged passages, not a comprehensive audit or functional test. Keep exit and cancellation paths clear. Do not delete user data, hide terms or create artificial urgency merely to increase upgrades. Referenced scripts, templates, integrations and sibling skills are not supplied or installed unless explicitly listed as included. External calls, account changes, messages and file writes require the actual user task and authorization.
Use In-Product Upgrade Review for [TASK]. Ask for missing inputs: Product value, free/paid boundaries, upgrade events and user evidence. Identify assumptions and missing tools before execution; do not claim results or approvals without evidence.
Claiming runtime installation, certified safety, verified numerical outputs or permission for external actions merely from loading this source.
German routing, task scope and source limitations. Original author attribution: Alireza Rezvani. Brief source danger screening: full-text pattern triage and review of flagged passages, not a comprehensive audit or functional test. Keep exit and cancellation paths clear. Do not delete user data, hide terms or create artificial urgency merely to increase upgrades. Referenced scripts, templates, integrations and sibling skills are not supplied or installed unless explicitly listed as included. External calls, account changes, messages and file writes require the actual user task and authorization.
MIT License Copyright (c) 2025 Alireza Rezvani Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
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