Context

Matter, a read-later tool, had generated substantial momentum from a successful beta and was now facing the question of how to tackle monetization. As the team's designer, I worked closely with engineering and growth partners to create our monetization engine.

Opportunity

Matter had glowing reviews from its first cohort of users, receiving unprecedented attention. Properly setting up monetization was an opportunity to leverage the spotlight in order to ensure the future of the product.

Problem

The initial question on our mind was: “How can we introduce a monetization structure from scratch without compromising user experience and stifling momentum?” Striking the right balance was crucial — the wrong approach risked alienating users, while the right one would enable sustainable growth.

Paywall

The first order of business was to create a paywall and decide which features would be hidden behind it. We opted for a subscription-based payment model, and I went through a number of iterations before ending at our final designs. We A/B tested paywalls over a few months in order to find the best performer.

Our top performing paywalls.

A realization

With our paywall set up to convert our first batch of premium users, we quickly realized that our existing user base, primarily consisting of read-later enthusiasts, would not be a large enough audience to sustain long-term growth. We decided to pivot to a broader, more casual market in order to capture the benefits of scale.

Onboarding

The previous onboarding flow, while informative, was too dense for a casual audience. To remedy this, I designed and animated a new onboarding flow that positioned Matter as a tool for self-improvement. The onboarding flow was developed in tandem with our recommendation systems, which you can read about here.

Referrals

As an additional growth lever, I designed a referral flow that directed users to a one month free trial of Matter, while simultaneously revealing the paywall. I also created a holographic pass to add to the premium feel of membership.

Advertising

I supplemented the product changes by creating video and image ads that were uploaded on Meta’s advertising platform each week. This was an ongoing cycle, involving monitoring the performance of previous ads, exploring new concepts, and doubling down on the best performers in order to drive app installs.

Note: this Musk ad was before the presidential election, and its ensuing events.

These were our top-performing image ads. They often emulated Apple Notes, Twitter, or Reddit.

Closing thoughts

When it comes to consumer software startups, there's always a honeymoon phase: the spotlight is on, users are flocking in to the beta, and life is good. The inflection point often comes when you need to flip the monetization switch — then it's a delicate choreography requiring tactful decision making to create the right feedback loops, while preserving the integrity of a product users love.