💸 How to increase paywall conversion by 150%

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Plane's onboarding flow demonstrates a conversion mistake I see constantly: SaaS companies ask users detailed questions about their needs... then completely ignore those answers on the pricing page.

Before showing you how the salience principle can transform their conversion rate...

Q: What's the #1 problem with Plane's current onboarding experience?

Look at the onboarding flow below. Plane asks what brings the user to their site, their role (e.g. Product/Engineering Manager) before showing a pricing page with 3 pricing tiers and an ‘Enterprise’ tier.

See it? Scroll down...

The main issue is data collection without personalisation.

Plane asks users to identify their role (Product Manager, Engineering Manager, Designer, Developer, etc.) and select what brings them to Plane ("Coordinate cross-functional projects," "Manage engineering sprints," "Replace our current tool," etc.).

Then they show... a standard 4-tier pricing wall with Free ($0), Pro ($6), Business ($13), and Enterprise Grid (custom pricing).

Here's what happens in the user's brain:

When someone just told you they're an Engineering Manager who wants to "manage engineering sprints" and "coordinate cross-functional projects," they immediately face a wall of information:

• 4 different pricing tiers to evaluate

• 10+ features listed per tier

• Zero indication of which tier actually solves their stated goals

• Zero connection between what they just said they needed and what's being offered

This creates massive cognitive load:

• "Wait, which of these 10 features in Business tier did I actually say I needed?"

• "Is 'Recurring Work Items' the thing that helps me manage sprints?"

• "Maybe I should just try Free and upgrade later" (spoiler: most won't)

• "I need to compare all these features across all these tiers..."

The result? Users default to Free because they're overwhelmed. Plane collected valuable intent data but threw it away at the exact moment it matters most, the conversion point.

Q: So how could Plane dramatically increase their paywall conversion rate?

Think about what psychological principle they're missing in their personalization strategy.

The solution is below...

They're missing the salience principle, one of the most powerful conversion optimisation techniques.

When information directly relates to someone's stated goals, it becomes salient (prominent and attention-grabbing). By highlighting only the features users explicitly said they care about, you bypass decision fatigue and guide them toward the right tier.

Here's what this looks like for Plane:

Change #1: Dynamic Tier Recommendation

Instead of showing all 4 tiers, show:

• Business tier FIRST with "RECOMMENDED FOR [THEIR USE CASE]" badge, pushing people to higher subscription tier

• Only display 2 tiers initially: the recommended tier + Free as fallback

Change #2: Feature List Personalization

Map each onboarding answer to specific features:

• User selected "Coordinate cross-functional projects"? Show "Project Templates" and "Nested Pages and Embeds"

• User selected "Manage engineering sprints"? Show "Recurring Work Items" and "Intake Email and Forms"

• Display only 4 features per tier that directly solve their stated goals

Instead of scanning 40+ features across 4 tiers, users see exactly 4-8 features that match what they just said they needed.

Change #3: Reframe the Comparison

Old experience: "Here are 4 tiers with 40 features - figure out which you need"

New experience: "Based on your goals (coordinate projects + manage sprints), Business tier covers all 3 goals you mentioned, and more."

The Psychology Behind This

When users see their own words reflected back to them ("Covers the 3 goals you mentioned"), it creates instant recognition and trust. The recommended tier feels like it was chosen for them, not pushed on them.

The salience principle works because:

• Reduced cognitive load: 8 features to scan vs. 40+

• Relevance signaling: "This was chosen based on what YOU said"

• Personalisation: "RECOMMENDED FOR [USE CASE]" makes the recommendation feel justified

• Anchoring: Seeing Business first (not Free) anchors expectations higher

With generic pricing walls, users think: "Which tier should I pick?" (decision paralysis)

With salient personalisation, users think: "They're recommending Business because I said I need project coordination and sprint management. That makes sense." (guided decision).