FitRitim grew app trials 52%
Fitness app FitRitim chased cheap installs. Tecrube app-ads measurement lifted paid trials 52% in seven weeks.
Key metrics
52%
more trials
18%
lower cost/trial
7 weeks
measurement window
Story highlights
- Optimization moved from install to trial
- Low-quality cohorts capped
- Paid trials up 52%
- First-workout completion rose
- UA and product shared one score
FitRitim is a subscription fitness app for home HIIT and yoga. The UA team celebrated falling CPI while trial and payment rates slid. Meta and TikTok ran the same “7 days free” line to everyone.
SKAN delays hid which creatives brought quality users. In-app events (workout complete, trial start) were messy. Digital marketing and product used different definitions of success.
This story covers trial-led growth with Tecrube app-ads and social retargeting.
Over seven weeks: managing trial and subscription scores instead of CPI alone. At FitRitim the UA team celebrated CPI drops while product said “trials are not starting.” In sports and fitness apps, cheap installs break subscription economics. This case study shows how the app-ads event map shifted to trial and first workout, and how Meta/TikTok UGC aligned the promise.
Delivery journey
Four steps from discovery to proof
Every case study follows the same discipline: clarify measurement, set up, optimise, prove the outcome.
Event map
Trial and first-workout events verified.
Creative alignment
Program differences told via Meta/TikTok UGC.
Cohort control
High-churn sources throttled.
Trial impact
Trials +52% confirmed in 7 weeks.
Challenge
Campaigns optimized for installs; bots and low-intent traffic looked cheap. Trial-start events arrived late or incomplete. Creatives leaned on motivation clichés without program differentiation. Paywall friction was ignored in ads. High-churn cohorts kept scaling. Weekly UA meetings ended on a CPI table with no LTV talk.
What we did
Tecrube remapped app-ads events to trial start and first workout complete. Meta Ads and TikTok Ads creatives explained program differences in UGC style. Low-quality install cohorts were capped. Paywall friction was shared with product so ad promises matched the experience. Retargeting reminded users who abandoned mid-trial. Unapproved budget increases stayed blocked.
Outcome
In seven weeks paid trial starts rose 52%. Cost per trial fell; raw CPI rose slightly but profitability improved. Share of users completing a first workout rose. Budget for high-churn cohorts was cut. UA and product spoke one score. The next seasonal program launch optimized to the same event.
We wanted users who start a workout, not cheap installs. The score separated them.
Modules used
Key takeaways
- In fitness apps, cheap CPI misleads.
- Late trial events make scaling blind.
- Ad promises must match the paywall experience.
- High-churn cohorts should not be scaled.
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Frequently asked questions
Short answers on timing, channels and how to get a similar outcome.
Not fully bypassed — trial and early-activity signals clarified the decision window.
App-ads, Meta Ads and TikTok Ads through Tecrube.
No — messaging and event measurement changed; duration stayed.
Connect app events to Tecrube and set trial as the primary conversion.
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