The short answer
Paid trials between $20 and $40 typically produce fewer leads but higher show rates and enrollment rates, which lowers your true cost per enrolled student even when cost per lead rises.
The trial offer decides the quality of everyone who walks through your door. Free trials are easy to say yes to, which is exactly the problem: a yes that costs nothing means nothing.
What each offer really does
- Free trial: highest lead volume, lowest cost per lead, weakest show rate, and the highest front desk workload per enrollment.
- Low paid trial ($20 to $40): fewer leads, noticeably better show rates, better enrollment rates, and a card already on file.
- Higher paid intro program ($99 to $199 for several weeks plus a uniform): fewest leads, strongest commitment, best fit for schools with limited class capacity.
From our clients
ODK Striking Academy runs a $20 two-day trial and their ads are profitable on the trial alone. Ever Ready Muay Thai runs a $30 trial course at $5.48 per lead. In both cases, the trial revenue covers the ad spend before a single membership is sold.
How to price your trial
- 1Set it low enough to be an easy decision, high enough to require a real one. $20 to $40 fits most markets.
- 2Include something physical when you can, like a uniform or hand wraps. Perceived value goes up more than your cost does.
- 3Time-box it. A two-day or two-week trial creates a natural enrollment conversation. An open-ended trial never ends.
- 4Never discount it in the ad. Discounting your entry offer trains the market to wait.
Measure the right number
Cost per lead is a vanity metric on its own. The number that matters is cost per enrolled student. A $8 lead that enrolls 15% of the time costs more per student than a $22 lead that enrolls 45% of the time.
When a free trial still makes sense
Brand new schools with no reviews, no photos, and no local reputation sometimes need free trials to build early proof and social evidence. Treat it as a temporary phase, then move to a paid trial once you have 20 to 30 reviews.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a martial arts trial class cost?+
Do paid trials reduce lead volume?+
What is a good trial to enrollment rate?+
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