Setting up trial classes

Most schools acquire most members through a trial class. Rosterra makes the trial a clean, repeatable funnel.

Setting up

Go to /settings/marketing/trials and configure:

• Trial type. Free trial class, paid trial class (5 to 25 dollars is common), or trial week.
• What classes are available for trial. Usually beginner classes only.
• Required information. Name, parent contact, child's age. Most schools add "any allergies?" too.
• Required signature. A short trial waiver. (Different from your full membership waiver.)
• Convert offer. What to offer trial attendees who enroll within 7 days (free uniform, half-off first month, etc.).

How leads find trials

• Public signup page. {your-slug}.getrosterra.com/signup is the main door. Most schools link this from their marketing site.
• Social ads. Link the trial signup directly from Facebook, Instagram, or Google ads. Add a UTM tag so you know which ad sent which lead.
• Direct from a referral link. A current family shares their referral code. The link lands on the trial page with the referral attached.

Lead flow

1. Lead enters their info and picks a date. Rosterra confirms by email and adds it to their calendar.
2. Lead lands in /leads with status "Trial scheduled."
3. A reminder email goes out 24 hours before, and an SMS 4 hours before.
4. Day-of, lead checks in. Staff move them to "Attended."
5. If they enroll within the conversion window, lead moves to "Converted."
6. If they do not enroll, drip campaigns follow up automatically.

Show-up rate

Most schools see a 60 to 80 percent show-up rate on trials. To increase it:

• SMS the day of, not just the day before.
• Have a person call (not text) the lead 2 hours before the class.
• Make the parking and entrance easy: send a photo of where to park.

Conversion rate

A good trial-to-member conversion rate is 30 to 50 percent. To increase it:

• The first conversation matters most. The head instructor should personally meet the family.
• Make the enrollment offer at the end of class, while the child is happy and parents are watching them light up.
• Have the enrollment paperwork ready (Rosterra prefills the form from the trial info).
• Limit the offer. "Sign up today and we will waive the registration fee" works better than "you can sign up anytime."

Why trials might not be working

• The trial class is mixed with experienced students. New trial attendees feel lost. Make sure trial-eligible classes are designed for beginners.
• No follow-up. Most trial attendees who do not enroll on day-of will convert with the right follow-up. If your conversion rate is below 20 percent, the issue is almost always the follow-up, not the trial itself.