Free trials feel helpful. Product tours are usually faster, cheaper, and less rage-inducing.
Free trials sound like the responsible choice. “I’ll just try it before I buy.” Reasonable. Adult. Sensible.
In practice, free trials are where author productivity goes to die.
You sign up, you get dropped into a dashboard with 400 options, and by day three you’re Googling “how to cancel” while muttering about passwords from 2018.
Product tours exist to skip that part.
A product tour lets you watch a tool in action before you invest time, money, or brain cells. You see the interface, the setup path, the common sticking points, and the parts marketing conveniently ignores.
Browse the product tour library here: Product tours (Tech Tools)
Why free trials are a trap for most authors
Free trials are built for one thing: getting you to stay long enough to forget to cancel.
They also assume you have:
- Time to explore a new platform
- Enough clarity to know what to test
- The patience to troubleshoot setup issues
- The energy to rebuild a workflow mid-week
Most authors have none of those. You have a deadline, a backlist, and a life.
So the “free” trial costs you in the currency that matters: time and attention.
What product tours do better
They show you the real workflow
Sales pages show end results. Product tours show the middle.
That middle is where tools either fit your business or make you want to fake your own disappearance.
They show you the dashboard reality
A tool can be powerful and still be a terrible match for your brain.
A product tour helps you answer the question that matters:
“Can I use this without hating my life?”
They help you spot dealbreakers fast
Dealbreakers are usually obvious once you see the tool in action:
- Key features locked behind a higher tier
- Integrations that don’t exist (or require duct-tape workarounds)
- Reporting that looks fancy and says nothing
- Setup that requires technical knowledge you don’t want to acquire
When a free trial is worth it
Free trials are useful when you’ve already narrowed the field and you’re testing something specific.
A trial makes sense if:
- You know the job the tool needs to do
- You have your non-negotiables written down
- You’re testing one workflow, not “exploring the platform”
- You can set aside an hour or two to do it properly
If you’re not in that place, a trial becomes a guilt project.
The 3-step “no chaos” evaluation method
Step 1: Watch a product tour first
Start here: Product tours (Tech Tools)
While you watch, capture three things:
- One feature you will actually use
- One setup step you’ll have to do
- One limitation you need to accept (or avoid)
If the limitation is a dealbreaker, you just saved yourself a trial.
Step 2: Decide if the tool is even a contender
After the tour, you should know if the tool belongs in your top two.
If it doesn’t, stop. You’re done. Close the tab and go live your life.
Step 3: If needed, run a focused trial
If the tour says “this might be it,” then do a trial with one specific test:
- Can I import subscribers and tag them?
- Can I create the product and deliver it correctly?
- Can I set up the workflow without workarounds?
- Can I understand the reporting without a spreadsheet?
One test. One hour. No wandering.
How to avoid trial fatigue (and subscription creep)
Here are the rules that keep tool testing from becoming a lifestyle:
- Never trial two tools at once
- Never start a trial without a written “job to test”
- Cancel immediately after you sign up (you can still use the days you paid for)
- Keep a simple note with: login, what you tested, verdict
That last one is how you stop the “wait, did I already try this?” spiral.
Not sure what to test or what to pick?
Bring it into Campus. The community is where you can say, “I’m choosing between these two, and my biggest constraint is __,” and get actual feedback instead of marketing noise.
Join the community here: Go to Campus
Start Here (use this if you’re brand new)
Quick-start plan (15 minutes total):
1) Watch one product tour for a tool you already use: Product tours (Tech Tools)
2) Pick one webinar replay that matches a current problem: Weekly webinars + replays
3) Read one book club summary and steal one idea for this week: Book Club Summaries
Ready to jump in?
Browse the product tours here: Product tours (Tech Tools)
If you don’t have an account yet, register here: Create your free account