Subscription apps
Creator attribution for subscription apps: from trial to paying subscriber
A creator post can bring a wave of trials this week and paying subscribers next week, from people who never tapped a link. Here's how to credit the right posts without waiting a quarter.
The short answer
Measure in two steps. First, credit each creator's posts with the trials or sign-ups above your normal level, with a range; you can read that within days. Then follow those trials to paid: use your own trial-to-paid rate for an early read, and the real conversions once the trial ends. Make the call on paying subscribers and what each one cost, with its range.
-
Why links miss subscription buyers
Viewers often search the App Store, install later, or start a trial on another device. The store screen has no field for a creator, and the trial converts days after the post. Link clicks and codes see only a slice of this.
-
Trials first, then paid
Trials are the earliest sign that a post worked. Measure them above your normal level, post by post. While you wait, your own trial-to-paid rate turns them into a likely range of paying subscribers; replace it with real conversions when the trial ends.
-
Renewals and refunds
A creator whose subscribers cancel after one month is worth less than one whose subscribers stay. After a few months, look at renewals and refunds by creator, and adjust your cost limit to the revenue a subscriber really brings. Audiences differ here: a creator who reaches people with a real need tends to bring subscribers who renew, while a viral post can bring curious trials that lapse.
-
Web and app together
Some teams sell on the web through Stripe and in the app through the stores, and one post can drive both. Connect both sources, so a creator gets credit wherever their audience pays. Otherwise a creator whose viewers prefer to subscribe on the web looks weak in the app numbers, and you pause the wrong person.
Worked example
One creator, from trials to paid
Illustrative numbers: a 7-day free trial, a trial-to-paid rate of 35% from your own history, and a fee of US$ 900.
| Step | Likely range | When you know |
|---|---|---|
| Trials above your normal level | entre 60 e 90 | Within days |
| Paying subscribers expected from those trials | entre 21 e 32 | Within days, at your usual rate |
| Paying subscribers, measured after the trial | entre 24 e 30 | After the trial ends |
| Cost per paying subscriber | entre US$ 30 e US$ 38 | After the trial ends |
Questions
Questions, answered.
How soon can I judge a creator?
Trials above your normal level show within days; paying subscribers once the trial has ended for the people who started it. Decide early on trials only when your trial-to-paid rate is steady.
Does this work for annual plans?
Yes. An annual subscriber pays up front, so their value is clear sooner. Mixed monthly and annual plans are counted by what was actually paid.
We use RevenueCat. Do we need anything else?
A read-only RevenueCat key and links to your creator posts. Nothing changes in your app.
What if trials rise but paid subscribers don't?
Then the creator's audience tries but doesn't buy. That's a pause, or a test with a different offer, and it's the very thing a report of views or trials alone would miss.
Keep reading
Related guides
See what your own creators brought
Connect your revenue read-only and add the posts you paid for, or look through a sample report first. Every result comes with its range.