See your onboarding through the eyes of a real trial user
Know where trial users lose momentum on the way to paid, and what to fix first so more of them convert.
“You're so in the weeds of your own product. It's helpful to have a third-party opinion come in and look at it.”
Your team knows the product too well to experience onboarding like a first-time user.
You know what every button means.
You know which step matters.
You know what users should do next.
A new trial user does not.
I sign up without an internal playbook and document the points where the journey becomes unclear, demanding, or disconnected from the value you promised.
“The feedback was actionable, matched what we have been discussing internally, and was clear. If you only sit in your own echo chamber, you will miss a lot of opportunities and fixes.”
What I review
Everything a trial user sees, receives, and is asked to do on the way from signup to upgrade.
What you receive
A recorded walkthrough of the journey, backed by a written findings document your team can act on.
A sample from a breakdown
Behavior-triggered nudge, day 1
Trigger: signed up, but has not completed the first key action.
Works. This is the strongest email in the sequence. It is behavior-triggered, it reflects the user's real state, and it offers a guided path to the next step. Most SaaS companies never get this far.
Does not work. It is sent from a generic team address. This is the first email that says "we noticed you," so it is the moment to introduce a human. The "we" should have a name.
What I would change
- Switch the sender to a named person on your team. Same copy, new from-name.
- Add one line introducing their role, so later emails read as one continuing relationship.
- Include a one-click “reply with what is blocking you” prompt, so the email doubles as a feedback loop.
A representative excerpt in the real format. Client names and identifying details are removed.
“We actually used parts of your recommendations to shape out a post-trial follow-up.”
Find what's costing you upgrades
A private breakdown of your trial-to-paid journey, delivered as a recorded walkthrough and a written findings document.
What this breakdown does not include
This review uses the customer-facing trial experience. It does not include product analytics, customer interviews, internal conversion data, event architecture, or team workshops. Companies that need those receive the full Signal Audit.
If you move into the full Signal Audit within 14 days of receiving the breakdown, the $1,500 is credited toward the Audit.
Focused on PLG trial-to-paid conversion
These breakdowns have helped SaaS teams spot lifecycle gaps they were too close to see internally, from email timing and sender logic to plan positioning, stall recovery, and post-trial follow-up.
“This breakdown was super detailed, and it's given our team a lot to think about. Our ongoing goal now is activation, and the biggest focus is converting the people already coming through, so I definitely appreciate how detailed everything was.”
“Loved the analysis you conducted on the Zendesk trial experience. It was very insightful.”
See how I think
These are public breakdowns from my newsletter. Your private breakdown goes deeper, through every onboarding step and every email in your own flow.
New teardowns publish in the Onboarding Breakdowns for SaaS newsletter. Subscribe on LinkedIn
Walk away knowing exactly what to fix first
You walk away with a recorded walkthrough of your trial from a first-time user's point of view, and a prioritized list of what to fix first to convert more of them.
What I need from you
- Your trial link or a clear way to create a test account
- Your website, pricing page, and current trial or freemium offer
- Any onboarding emails you specifically want reviewed
- A short note on your ideal customer and the conversion goal you care about most
Submit your trial link and a few details about your product. I confirm fit, then send an invoice to get started.
“Simonida's analysis gave me the validation I needed to get started working on the email layer properly.”