👋 Win back more users with re-onboarding
Welcome users back into your product
3 ways to win back more users with re-onboarding
How do you treat someone returning to your app? Is it business as usual? Or do you welcome them back?
If you haven’t seen a friend in a year, do you act like you saw them yesterday? No, you acknowledge it’s been a while and catch up with them.
Do the same for your users.
You onboard users when they first try your product. Do you expect them to remember everything if they haven’t used it in a while?
Here are 3 levels for “re-onboarding” flows:
Level one:
Show an in-app message that says “Welcomes back!” if they haven’t used your app in 20-30+ days
You can trigger an email on the app open event as well
Make sure to do this for reinstalls too
This approach should be fast and easy to get live if you have a decent CRM tool.
Level two:
Maintain a welcome-back message that highlights new features or triggers tooltips to show users what’s new in the app
This is helpful for your users but also conveys value since it shows you’re constantly improving
It’s a higher lift since you have to update it with your new features
Level two and a half:*
Trigger a more comprehensive video that plays for users showing them new features
Duolingo did this after a redesign. They have so many returning users that it creates a better experience so people aren’t confused which in turn helps retention
Combining a “welcome back” with educational messages can pique curiosity and get users to explore.
Level three:
Create a full returning user flow that asks questions about their goals and experience similar to onboarding
Contextualize it for a returning user, but use the same tactics you would during onboarding
Do you have any features that lead to better retention? Bring them to that experience
Or ask your users what they’re interested in, and then show them that!
Fabulous Habit Tracker has one of the best “re-onboarding” flows I’ve seen
Welcome back with a unique message “Your story isn’t finished…”
Asks why they stopped their habit
Asks questions to understand how to best help
Recommends a specific feature based on the responses
This is about having empathy for your users.
They’re giving you a strong positive signal that they’re interested in coming back and have an unmet need.
Be grateful for this second chance and show your users you care about them by giving them a helping hand.
See the full Fabulous onboarding, winback, and habit selection flows here.
* Yes, I’m somewhat conflating “Welcome back” messages with “What’s New” messages. What’s New messages can be helpful for all user types, but they are also helpful to bring lapsed or inactive users back into the fold.