Monetization and paywall test plan

Monetization improves through disciplined testing, not guesswork, and in dating the highest-leverage levers are paywall placement and packaging, not price. This plan structures the work so your results mean something.

What to test, in priority order

1. Paywall placement. Gate the moment of highest intent (seeing who liked you, sending the message that matters) versus a generic upsell. Placement usually moves conversion most.
2. Packaging. A clear good, better, best ladder versus a single plan. Ladders lift conversion and ARPPU.
3. Plan duration mix. Nudges toward quarterly or annual plans, which pull cash forward and shorten payback.
4. Price. Test last, because it moves the number less than placement and packaging and can backfire.

How to measure

• Judge on net revenue per paying user after fees, refunds, and disputes, not gross.
• Read results by cohort, not blended averages.
• Watch downstream effects: a change that lifts conversion but raises disputes or refunds is not a win.
• Run one change at a time with enough sample to be confident.

Traps to avoid

• Chasing gross revenue while net erodes through refunds or disputes.
• Reading blended averages that hide which segment actually responded.
• Copying the giants' pricing without their liquidity.
• Raising price to fix a conversion problem that placement would solve.

How to use it

Run the tests in order, measure on net by cohort, and treat monetization as a system you tune continuously against real behavior, not a price you set once.

Related reading

Use this with the guide on dating app monetization models and the dating app unit economics guide and its calculator.