How we 2x'd conversion
The user worry that transformed our messaging. Plus, an invite to our Summer Party.
One of my favourite things about this job is seeing how small changes (the ones you’d almost miss) can make a massive difference.
I was working with Fryd - a gardening app I was paired with through SYSTM, Matt Lerner’s growth programme (where I look after the mobile teams).
With Fryd, as usual, on the programme, we ran a full mix of experiments.
Big things like onboarding changes and paywall sequencing.
Small things like headline copy and App Store screenshots.
And out of everything tested, the thing that made the biggest difference?
A single line of copy.
It felt obvious in hindsight, of course, that’s what we should’ve been saying.
But it took actually talking to users (and really listening) to get there.
That one line ended up doubling their conversion.
Here’s what happened.
We’d been using the line:
“Create beautiful planting plans.”
It sounded nice. Soft. Aspirational.
Exactly the kind of thing you’d expect to see on a gardening app.
But once we started having proper conversations with users (not surveys, I do think there is a time and place for surveys, but it’s not when you’re trying to get a deep and rich understanding of your customers: have actual conversations), something else kept coming up.
Not once or twice, but again and again.
“I just don’t want to waste space in my garden.”
That was the thing:
it wasn’t about aesthetics
it wasn’t about having the perfect, pretty plan
they weren’t trying to design a dream garden
it was about not messing it up.
They were trying to avoid regret.
They wanted help making good decisions, so they didn’t waste soil, time, energy, or growing potential.
That tiny insight (it was more of a worry, really) became the key.
We took the language they used, rewrote the messaging, and replaced “Create beautiful planting plans” with something way more direct:
“Don’t waste precious growing space.”
That was it. One line, pulled directly from the mouths of their users.
Same product, same goal, but a totally different feeling.
Suddenly, it wasn’t just an app that helps you make things look nice; it was an app that helps you avoid a very real mistake.
And when we tested the new line?
It doubled conversion on the homepage.
We added it to our App Store screenshots too.
Then to the paywall.
Same results there as well.
That one insight, that people were afraid of wasting space, ended up shaping the entire messaging strategy.
It became the line that ran across the funnel, not just the top.
All from a small copy change.
Rooted in a real feeling.
Unearthed in conversation.
What else did we do?
That wasn’t the only thing we worked on with Fryd.
We ran experiments across the entire funnel, from copy to onboarding flow to paywall timing, and together, we eventually tripled conversion, with no change in traffic.
Fryd’s co-founder, Florian, shared a write-up of one of the most impactful changes (moving the paywall earlier in the flow). You can read it here:
👉 Read Florian’s post on LinkedIn →
This wasn’t a fluke. It’s a pattern I see over and over again.
When teams stop guessing and start listening, when they build ads and onboarding and paywalls from real user language, conversion goes up. CAC comes down.
The whole system works better.
Because you're not just talking at people anymore.
You're speaking to something they already feel.
There’s science behind it too: people respond more strongly to language that reflects their own motivations and fears (not generic benefits). That’s emotional resonance, and it’s proven to outperform both feature-driven and brand-led messaging.
It’s also why we remember things that sound like us.
So yes, the best copy is usually already written. You just need to ask the right questions and actually listen to the answers.
More stories soon, including one where a single word in a CTA nearly tanked an entire paywall.
🌇 Come hang with us IRL
It’s our Summer Party next week, and we’d love for you to join.
We’re getting together in Shoreditch for rooftop drinks, great food, and even better conversations.
The guest list’s already packed with founders, VCs, and senior people from top places; if that sounds like your crowd, come through.
No pitches. No talks. Just actual humans building good things.
Thanks for reading, if you want to figure out what your version of “don’t waste precious growing space” might be, just hit reply or leave a comment.
I’m reading everything.
Speak soon,
Hannah