Lets not get too personal when I sign up to your free trial by asking for my credit card up front.
I get it, I really do – the logic and “success” of such an approach is a time tested technique but the more I use and browse the web, the more I’m turned off by this sort of thing and find myself actively looking for an alternative service.
But asking me for a credit card to try a free trial of your product and I feel like you might be banking on using my own feeble memory against me by snaring me through my own forgetfulness when the free trial ends rather than wanting to impress me with the quality of your product or service and making it utterly impossible for me not to want to sign up.
Many websites go to great lengths to build credibility using all sorts of padlock graphics and reassuring copy and it sets a wonderful tone but then this credit card thing .. it’s at odds with everything.
If it’s genuinely free, do you really think I need to put my hand in my pocket? You’re not asking for my credit card details as a means of verification, (that would be acceptable enough). You’re banking on me forgetting and us heading into a billing cycle of some sort.
Catch me by being great
If you operate a great service, why not make your service indispensable and I’d happily pay. 30 days is often not enough time for a service to embed itself in someone’s workflow/life, if you’re offering a free trial consider a “30 uses” option instead or maybe a 60 or 90 day trial. It might be less intrusive than asking me to put my hand in my pants on a first date.
* For the record, I signed up with my credit card to try Optimizely, it looks a good service but at the same time I did add a calendar reminder to check my subscription and cancel if I didn’t use it much.