Episode
From Trial to Subscription: What Works (And What Doesn't) - A Conversation with Jose Vigo
- Published
- Feb 16, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1726
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Summary
Free trials are everywhere in DTC, but most brands struggle with what matters most: turning trials into full-price buyers and subscribers. In this episode of Subscription Prescription, I’m joined by Jose Vigo, founder of Healthy Metal, a magnesium sleep brand built around sachets and a “try it first” acquisition strategy. We unpack how a shipping-only trial can work, what drives conversion after the sample arrives, and the practical systems that bring customers back. We cover: How Healthy Metal uses a shipping-only trial to acquire new customers What actually influences trial-to-full conversion (product experience, price, and expectations) The post-trial follow-up stack: inserts, email flows, retargeting, and flash offers Testing direct mail with Paperrun, including a “personal letter” vs discount mailer experiment Offer page experimentation in Replo, choice reduction, and AOV tradeoffs with multi-box subscriptions Why sometimes breaking “best practices” is exactly what makes a model work Connect with Jose here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josevigocasais/ Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and never miss a dose: https://newsletter.thesubscriptiondoc.com