Questions Every Subscription-Based Business Should Know the Answer For

Four questions define most subscription-based products' success:

• How does someone become a user?

• How does a user turn into a paying customer? (if freemium based)

• Why does a user stop using the product?

• Why does a user stop paying for the product?

Get those right, and you're on a good track to sustain a real business. Each question demands a specific cohort of people.

You'll want to know from newcomers what problems does the product solves. You'll ask new paying customers why they think the investment they just made is worth it. You'll want to uncover the reasons why the product is no longer useful for someone who became inactive. Finally, you'll want to dig into the motives that lead someone to stop paying for your product.

To make this job easier, I put together a simple and practical framework that will help you keep track of these questions and answers.