Operators Build · Episode 6

Build subscription first

Download Aidan Thibodeaux's crucial advice for building and selling subscriptions, developed through half a decade of working with 1,000+ CPG brands.

A look inside

25+ pages of insights with real-life examples

No silver bullet: test everything, keep it stupid simple, don't get lazy

“I think the days of autoship are over.”

What good looks like: take rate and retention benchmarks

Three parts, fifteen takeaways

The system is simple on paper, but many brands struggle to execute. So we built this roadmap.

Part 1

The offer

Convert the traffic you already paid for.

Win the first order before you chase upsells.
Value-sell with gifts, not discounts.
Lead with quarterly. Commitment sticks.

12.2% → 18.8%Subscription take rate at a beauty brand in two months, after putting subscriber gifts on the product page.

Part 2

The Message

What to send, and when to stay quiet.

Mute subscribers. Keep ads on for 90 days.
Onboard hard for the first 30 days.
Write win-backs from cancel reasons.

1.6% → 18.1%Saves on “Not ready for regular deliveries” at a supplement brand that rebuilt its cancel flow reason by reason.

Part 3

The numbers

What good looks like, and when it starts to matter.

Read retention only at 1,000+ subscribers per cohort.
First six months: the offer, the cancel flow, messaging that manages.

70%Of subscriptions still active at month 3 at a supplement brand that grew from 27,000 to 200,000 in a year.

What good looks like

Napkin math benchmarks you should shoot for when building your subscription brand

65%+Take rateWith a subscription-first buy box.

80%+Order 2 retentionAim for 90. Worry at 70.

35%+6-month retentionBest-in-class territory.

22%+12-month retentionTop brands hit 22 to 30%.

Hear it from Aidan.

Aidan shared these insights and more in Operators Build Episode 6, where he ran through (and ripped on) the Winks rollout with Cody and Matt.

Watch on YouTube →

Test everything.
Keep it stupid simple.

Nail the offer, then fine tune the messaging.

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