Glossary / Definition
Free Trial.
A limited-time offer allowing potential customers to use a product or service without payment.
Free trials are a common customer acquisition strategy in SaaS businesses, allowing prospects to experience the product before committing to a subscription. This reduces purchase risk and enables customers to validate the product's value for their specific needs and use cases.
Affiliates promoting products with free trials often earn commissions when prospects sign up for trials and additional commissions when they convert to paid subscriptions. Effective trial promotion focuses on helping prospects achieve quick wins and understand the product's value proposition during the trial period.
Trial conversion optimization involves strategic onboarding sequences, usage tracking, proactive customer success outreach, and providing resources that help users achieve meaningful outcomes quickly. Affiliates can support trial success by providing implementation guides, best practices, and ongoing support resources.
Related terms
- Affiliate An individual or company that promotes products for a merchant in exchange for a commission.
- Affiliate Marketing A performance-based marketing strategy where affiliates earn commissions by promoting a merchant's products or services.
- Affiliate Network A platform that connects merchants with affiliates to facilitate affiliate marketing partnerships.
- Affiliate Program A system where a merchant rewards affiliates for driving traffic or sales through their marketing efforts.
- Commission The fee paid to an affiliate for generating a specific action, like a sale or lead.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR) The percentage of people who click on an affiliate link compared to those who view it.
Start recruiting affiliates today.
Software is free. Try the network for 30 days. When recruiting is the bottleneck, Scale adds publisher outreach, pitched as the network, not your brand.