One question to increase retention

Can “My app” send you notifications?

Jacob Rushfinn

Jun 19, 2024

Hey there, it’s Jacob at Retention.Blog 👋

I got tired of reading high-level strategy articles, so I started writing actionable advice I would want to read.

Every Tuesday I share practical learnings you can apply to your business.

Most apps lose the majority of their new users in the first few days.

For users who don’t come back, notifications can be the main tactic to re-engage.

But first, they need to opt-in!

Let’s look at how 8 different top apps request push notification and other permissions

RISE Sleep Science uses transparent and helpful descriptions of how they will use your data to build trust

RISE needs more than just push, they need Phone Motion data and Health data!
They create an entire “permission flow” where they ask for all of these at once.
- When you need a lot of permissions this can be a better approach because you explain why you need all the data in one go

RISE first gives an explanation of how they use all of this data together and the value you get
If this first explanation isn’t enough they have another link at the bottom of the screen that goes into more details.
- They offer this additional information link on every screen where they ask permission
They ask for push opt-in as the last request after Motion data and Health data since this is the lowest friction request

AllTrails was Apple’s app of the year, so they must have a sophisticated approach to ask for opt-in, right? Nope

AllTrails uses the default system prompts for both location and push notification requests
- Location permission is more important so they ask for this first.
I also don’t believe AllTrails leverages push very heavily for their comms strategies. They started as web first, so email plays a much larger role
Is using the default system prompts bad? Not necessarily.

Impulse triggers the system push opt-in prompt almost immediately and uses, well…your impulse to tap Allow without thinking

There is the opening carousel, and then right after you press “Get Started” for the onboarding flow the push opt-in triggers
They don’t provide any context or any explanation of what it’s used for.
Impulse also sends 3 push notifications a day, so they definitely care about push opt-in rates

Headway uses a progressive approach and leverages cognitive dissonance

I believe the push opt-in flow is connected to them asking you to choose your daily goal (number of minutes)
Next, they ask you to commit to growing with an X-day streak
Then they ask “When do you like to find out about new ideas”
- This is a more creative way to ask about what time to send reminders. Some other apps ask you to select a specific time to receive reminders

Headway switches the choice away from, “Should I turn on notifications?” to “Which notifications should I turn on?” by showing toggles for different notification types
- You’ve just committed to your goals and to a streak so it makes sense for you to enable notifications to help you reach these goals.
This tactic is using cognitive dissonance. If you said you wanted to commit to your goal, but you don’t want notifications to stay on track, then do you really want to commit?
- Since you agreed that you want to commit, to stay consistent in your behavior, you will opt in.
- “Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort a person feels when their behavior does not align with their values or beliefs“

Imprint uses a similar tactic to Headway, but simplified

First, you agree to your goal, then they explain how notifications will support you, and this goal (kind of), and then they ask you to opt in.

The connection between goals and notifications isn't explicit, but you can see how they’re related.

Flo shifts the focus away from the notification to the value they’ll provide

Flo’s push opt-in request is not about the notifications. It’s about making better predictions for you, and it just so happens that the notifications are the mechanism.
Flo starts to calculate your cycle predictions which gets you curious about the result. They build “suspense” and then interrupt themselves telling you they don’t have enough data.

Let’s talk about another psychology principle, reciprocity.
- If someone does something for you, you’re much more likely to do something for them.
- Flo hasn’t quite done something for you, but they’re promising they will and all they ask is a little tap of that “Allow” button.

Opal builds up emotional excitement before asking for the permissions

Screen Time can essentially control your phone, so this is a big request.
They ask right after they demonstrate the large amount of time they can give back (the core value prop).

Do you have permission settings that are asking a lot of your users? Get them excited and emotional right before.
- They also reassure you further letting you know your info won’t leave the phone and they borrow some trust from Apple.
Go back and look at the Screen Time vs Push opt-in prompt. If you notice, most iOS prompts have the “Allow” on the right-hand side to make it automatic. Screen Time is flipped because malicious apps could easily take advantage, so they want to ensure you intend this behavior.

JustFit ignores all the best practices

JustFit shows the standard prompt immediately upon the first app open
Consumers are so habituated to seeing these prompts that a majority of people tap “Allow” and don’t even think about it

Ok, so what did we learn?

Be transparent and descriptive about how you’re going to use the data users share and the notification permission. Not everyone will need extra info, but allow an opportunity for those who want it to access it
Try using cognitive dissonance to get people to commit to using the app first and accomplish their goal, and then show how notifications will support those goals
Shift the focus away from the notification and to what value the notifications allow you to provide to your users
Timing is important, build up emotional excitement before asking for permissions
Or throw all of that out the window and show the push prompt immediately upon app launch

Showing the push prompt immediately is an underrated tactic. It keeps things super simple and avoids a lot of complications.

If you don’t have a good opt-in rate with your current approach, give it a try. (I recently saw these increase the opt-in rate by 44%. It was low initially, but still…)

What’s a good opt-in rate?

Good: 40-50%
Great: 50-65%
Wonderful: 65%+

And don’t trick yourself by just looking at the percentage of people who see the prompt and opt-in. You want to measure the opt-in rate of all new installs, not just those who make it to the prompt.