“You almost feel stupid buying the product as a one-time customer.”
Why do some subscription brands retain customers and stack LTV while others lose them?
Matt Bertulli (CEO, Pela & Lomi) and Cody Plofker (Advisor & fmr. CEO, Jones Road) sit down with Aidan Thibodeaux (CEO, Skio) and Bernard Meyer (AI Operations Manager, Omnisend) to ask the questions every subscription brand needs answered.
Aidan argues that the offer matters more than anything else. He pushes quarterly plans and free gifts over discounts. Discounts train customers to wait for deals. He sets targets of 65% or higher for subscription take rate, 80–90% retention into the second order, and 35% at six months.
Bernard lays out the post-purchase basics, including a welcome email that sets expectations and check-ins after delivery. The group also debates when to ask for reviews, roasts Winks’ current buy box, then closes with quick skip buttons, subject line tests, and win back emails built on cancel flow data.
The question every subscription company needs to answer: What exactly are you promising a subscriber with recurring orders?
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OuterSignal
Richpanel
Runneth
https://9ops.co/motion-runneth
Skio
https://9ops.co/skio-9operators
Omnisend
TBAR Partners
Chapters
00:00:00 Why Go Subscription First
00:04:04 When Discounts Backfire
00:12:05 Monthly vs Quarterly
00:17:19 Keep the One Time Option
00:26:24 After They Buy, Shut Up
00:34:35 First 30-Day Onboarding
00:45:50 Sell Them Their Future Self
00:53:29 Retention KPIs & Benchmarks
01:01:11 Subscription Emails Flows
01:05:30 When to Ask for Reviews
01:10:02 Cancel Flow Data Is “Gold”
01:16:56 Cody & Matt’s To-Do List
E131: Two $100M+ Operators Get Honest About Launching a New Brand
E185: Give People a Reason to Buy Every Day: How to Generate Demand
