Technique · Hooked
Reduce money: lower the cost and risk of the first try
When money is the scarce resource, let people try before paying, start with a small first purchase, show the full price early and make canceling easy. Remove the fear of paying for something that might not work.
Plain label: cheaper, safer first stepAlso known as: free trial, no card required, free tier, transparent pricing, small first purchase, money-back guarantee
How it works
A price is both an effort cost and a risk. Free starts, small first purchases and clear guarantees remove the risk of a bad choice, so more people take the first step; showing the full price up front keeps those starts from coming back as refunds.
Evidence warning
Free offers that need a card and hide renewal terms convert now and return as chargebacks and regulatory risk.
How to build it
- Web
- A no-card trial with the end date and price stated on the sign-up page.
- E-commerce
- A sample size or first box at low cost, with shipping and fees shown before checkout.
- B2B
- A paid pilot or month-to-month option before an annual contract.
- Mobile
- Free core use with paid depth, never a paywall before the first result.
By product type
- E-commerce / DTC
- When the purchase is the value event, the first-order price and fees are often the binding step at checkout.
What can go wrong
- Fees revealed at the last step.
- Trials that convert without a reminder.
Pairs well with
- Let people try the core before registering.
- Charge for depth, not the core loop.
In practice
Where it shows up
Limits
What we don’t claim
- The Hook Model is a practical design tool, not a validated or complete theory of behavior.Hooked, Introduction
Sources
Hooked · Nir Eyal
Ch.3
Source IDs: HK-ACT07
Book content is paraphrased, never quoted at length. Last verified October 24, 2026.
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