Episodes

  • Avoid BFCM Subscription Churn: What Most Brands Miss

    Avoid BFCM Subscription Churn: What Most Brands Miss
    Oct 7 2025
    Black Friday Cyber Monday can be a goldmine for subscription brands - or a churn nightmare.

    In this episode of Subscription Prescription, we walk through exactly how to structure your BFCM strategy so you don’t sacrifice margin or long-term LTV. Most brands treat this like a cash grab. I’ll show you how to approach it more strategically.

    Here’s what we cover:

    How to prevent subscribers from canceling to chase your BFCM offer

    What to include in your onboarding and billing reminder emails

    Why discounted subscribers churn - and what to do about it

    If you run a subscription brand and want to make Q4 your strongest quarter yet, this episode is for you.

    📬 Subscribe to the newsletter for actionable strategies every week:
    👉 https://newsletter.thesubscriptiondoc.com

    #subscriptions #ecommerce #BFCM #retention #dtc #blackfriday #cybermonday
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    12 mins
  • Why Your Customers Really Buy Subscriptions

    Why Your Customers Really Buy Subscriptions
    Sep 30 2025
    Most subscription brands are solving the wrong problem. They build marketing around surface-level reasons, but never dig deep enough to uncover what actually drives purchase and repeat behavior.

    In this episode, we hear directly from the master of behavioral marketing with Sarah Levinger. She breaks down three marketing lessons that have changed how you should think about acquisition and retention strategy:
    1. Why you should stop testing “angles” and start testing behaviors
    2. How customer observation reveals the truth behind usage and churn
    3. And why retention depends more on prompts than products
    If you're trying to lower CAC or improve LTV, this is the episode that will help you flip the script.

    📬 Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for retention strategy and actionable insights:

    👉 https://newsletter.thesubscriptiondoc.com

    👉 Follow Sarah Levinger and learn more about Tether: https://tetherinsights.io/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/
    #subscriptions #ecommerce #retention #dtc #customerbehavior #lifecyclemarketing
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    37 mins
  • Stop Blaming Churn: Fix Your Subscription by Understanding the Buyer First

    Stop Blaming Churn: Fix Your Subscription by Understanding the Buyer First
    Sep 23 2025
    Most brands are trying to solve churn by tweaking their cancellation flows. But the truth is, if your customer doesn’t know what they need - or how often - they’re going to cancel no matter what you offer on the way out.

    In this episode of Subscription Prescription, we sit down with Cherene Aubert to unpack three universal truths of subscriptions:



    • Why churn is often a symptom of a buyer education problem
    • How helpful beats clever when it comes to building trust
    • And why your loyalty program should revolve around your most committed customers—your subscribers
    If you’re stuck trying to optimize retention, this conversation will help you zoom out and rethink what’s driving your subscription in the first place.

    📬 Subscribe to the newsletter for insights like this every Tuesday: https://newsletter.thesubscriptiondoc.com
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    38 mins
  • How BakIt Box Boosted Retention by Breaking the Monthly Box Model

    How BakIt Box Boosted Retention by Breaking the Monthly Box Model
    Sep 16 2025
    In this episode of Subscription Prescription, I sit down with the founder of BakIt Box to explore how rethinking subscription cadence, product strategy, and communication channels led to deeper customer engagement and better retention.

    We talk about why they abandoned the monthly model in favor of quarterly shipments, how they turn subscription kits into high-converting one-time products, and what it looks like to actually serve customers through SMS content instead of sales pushes.

    If you're building or optimizing a DTC subscription, this conversation is packed with actionable insights on:
    • When and why to shift from monthly to quarterly fulfillment
    • How to design one-time products that lead back to the subscription
    • Using SMS to improve retention (without discount spam)
    • What homeschool audiences really value in a subscription
    • Building loyalty through exceptional customer service
    📬 For more insights like this every Tuesday, subscribe to the newsletter:
    https://newsletter.thesubscriptiondoc.com
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    23 mins
  • Recharge vs Stay AI vs SKIO vs Loop: How to to Improve Your Cancel Save Rate

    Recharge vs Stay AI vs SKIO vs Loop: How to to Improve Your Cancel Save Rate
    Sep 9 2025
    In this episode of Subscription Prescription, I break down how the top subscription platforms, specifically, Recharge, Stay AI, SKIO, and Loop, approach cancellation flows, and how you can optimize each one to reduce churn and increase retention.

    Whether you're just getting started or managing thousands of subscribers, understanding your platform's cancellation flow is one of the highest-leverage things you can do. From splash screens and A/B tests to smart segmentation and save actions, I walk through exactly what to focus on—platform by platform.

    You’ll learn:

    What Recharge’s AI cancellation insights can (and can’t) tell you

    How Stay AI dynamically tests save offers behind the scenes

    Why SKIO’s “pause before cancel” feature can double your saves

    How Loop’s analytics show you which saves lead to repeat orders

    📬 Want more insights like this in your inbox every Tuesday? Subscribe to the newsletter: https://newsletter.thesubscriptiondoc.com

    #subscriptions #ecommerce #recharge #stayai #skio #loopsubscriptions #churn #dtc #retentionmarketing #subscriptionprescription
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    15 mins
  • How Blind Barrels Built a Subscription People Never Want to Cancel

    How Blind Barrels Built a Subscription People Never Want to Cancel
    Sep 2 2025
    In this episode of Subscription Prescription, I sat down with the founder of Blind Barrels to unpack how they built a whiskey subscription that people can’t stop talking about and don’t want to cancel.

    We explore how intentional curation, premium unboxing, and smart pricing can turn an average subscription into a meaningful experience. You'll hear real strategies for lowering churn, building community, and designing packaging that customers literally don’t want to throw away.

    Whether you're running a box of supplements, wine, skincare, or digital goods, there’s a lot to learn from a brand that’s turning whiskey drinkers into lifelong members.

    🔑 Topics we cover:

    Turning curation into community
    Why premium packaging is worth the cost
    Handling churn with empathy (and precision)
    Customer service lessons that create superfans
    Growth without ad overspend

    📦 Learn more about building and scaling your own subscription program: https://thesubscriptiondoc.com

    🎧 Subscribe for more episodes like this every week. #subscriptions #ecommerce #retention #dtc #subscriptionbox #founderstory
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    37 mins
  • Retention Hacks from 50+ Audits

    Retention Hacks from 50+ Audits
    Aug 26 2025
    Most subscription brands don’t fail because of ads or acquisition; they fail because of retention. In this episode of Subscription Prescription, I walk through the audit framework my team uses to diagnose subscription programs. You’ll learn:

    ✅ The three patterns we see in subscription brands (and what each one needs to fix first)
    ✅ Why weak onboarding, billing reminders, and cancellation flows quietly kill retention
    ✅ How bulk options, frequency controls, and upsells can transform your cash flow and churn rates

    If you’ve been wondering whether your subscription program is healthy or if you’re just masking churn with acquisition spend, this episode is for you.

    📩 Want more practical strategies for scaling your subscription business? Subscribe to my newsletter here: https://newsletter.thesubscriptiondoc.com

    Grab all the free content and guides promised in this week's dose:

    Preview of the Audit Deliverable: https://youtu.be/nFfX1vk0cCQ

    Free Subscription Audit Checklist: https://subscriptionprescription.notion.site/Subscription-Audit-Template-beecf0c39c7c47aa8f8250fb6a3d7174

    Free Splash Screen Video Template: https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1ig5x8llW67XGy2spaeHNi_6tefW1xkRG

    Schedule your audit discovery call here: https://calendly.com/subscription-prescription/consult-discovery-call-subscription-prescripti-clone
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    18 mins
  • How Subscription Boxes Build Loyalty Through Community and Personalization

    How Subscription Boxes Build Loyalty Through Community and Personalization
    Aug 19 2025
    Most subscription brands think growth is all about the product. But the real wins come from building community, personalizing experiences, and creating new layers of value beyond the box. In this episode, I break down what every subscription operator can learn from niche sports boxes and how you can apply the same strategies to drive retention and loyalty in your own business.

    👉 In this video, you’ll learn:
    • Why community feedback loops are essential for growth
    • How personalization builds long-term loyalty
    • Ways to add value beyond the product itself
    If you’re serious about scaling your subscription program, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

    Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more tips: https://newsletter.thesubscriptiondoc.com
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    31 mins