This onboarding mistake cost me thousands of $$$

February 28, 2026

Hey there,

Early on with Puff Count, users would go through my entire onboarding flow and then skip the paywall to "explore the app first."

Most of them never came back to pay.

They'd poke around for a few minutes, close the app, and disappear forever.

I lost thousands of potential paying customers because I was afraid to ask for money upfront.

I thought giving them free access would build trust and they'd eventually convert.

Wrong.

When users can skip the paywall, they don't take the app seriously and they never come back.

Here's what changed everything:

I switched to a hard paywall.

Users couldn't access the app unless they committed to a trial or paid upfront.

No "skip for now" button, no free access - just pay or leave.

And it worked.

Revenue jumped immediately and my MRR started climbing toward $44k/month.

Because users who made it through the onboarding were already invested and when they hit the paywall, they converted.

Here's the exact onboarding flow I used:

Step 1: Reaffirm their decision

Start with a "Congratulations" screen that makes users feel like they made the right choice by downloading your app.

This builds trust and excitement immediately, which makes them less likely to drop off later.

Step 2: Use a survey to collect data

Ask meaningful questions like 

"What brings you to the app?”
"What's your current situation?"
"What's your biggest goal?"

Understanding why users are here is crucial because the clearer your picture of the user, the easier it is to tailor their experience and prime them to convert.

Step 3: Make them feel their problem

Ask deep questions that force users to confront their problem and use social proof to build trust.

For example: 

"Over 50,000 people have already quit vaping using this method" or a testimonial like "Matt reduced his drinking in 30 days with this app."

That's how you make users feel their problem and your ability to solve it.

Step 4: Hard paywall

After priming users with self-reflection questions and showing testimonials, lock the core features behind a hard paywall.

By that point, users are already invested and they pay.

If your app provides real value, don't be afraid to charge for it.

Peace,
Steven