Lifecycle marketing: email, push and SMS Lifecycle and Retention
Keep the users you already won, and bring back the ones drifting away.
A monthly engagement that turns one-time users into regulars. We map the moments that decide whether a user stays, then build the email, push and SMS flows that meet them there: onboarding, habit building, renewal reminders, win-back and referral. Every flow is tied to a retention number, so you know which messages earn their place.
- Customer.io
- Braze
- OneSignal
- Klaviyo
- HubSpot
- Firebase Messaging
What we hear before we start.
People sign up, use it twice and disappear.
Our only email is the welcome email, and it was written at launch.
Users complain they forgot to cancel, so churn shows up as refunds.
What is lifecycle marketing?
Lifecycle marketing is the set of automated messages, across email, push and SMS, that a user receives based on what they do or do not do in your product. It covers onboarding, activation, retention, renewal, win-back and referral, and it is one of the cheapest ways to grow revenue from users you already have.
Why it matters now.
Acquiring a user is the expensive part. Losing them in week one because nobody showed them the next step wastes all of it. Most products have a few clear moments where users either form a habit or leave.
Generic newsletters do not catch those moments. Triggered messages built on product events do: a nudge when a user stalls during setup, a reminder before a trial renews, an offer when an account goes quiet.
The work, piece by piece.
Retention map
Cohort data and product events that show when users form a habit and when they drop.
Onboarding flows
Email and push that walk new users to their first win, triggered by what they have and have not done.
Renewal and billing
Pre-renewal reminders, failed payment recovery and cancellation saves that cut involuntary churn.
Win-back
Flows for quiet and lapsed users, with offers tested against a holdout group.
Referral and loyalty
Referral loops and loyalty rewards that turn your happiest users into an acquisition channel.
Capture and consent
Email and push opt-in moments designed in, with consent and unsubscribe rules handled properly.
What the engagement includes.
- Retention and churn analysis by cohort
- Onboarding, renewal, win-back and referral flows, written and built
- Push and SMS strategy with frequency rules
- Email capture and consent improvements
- Holdout-based measurement for every flow
- Monthly retention and revenue-per-user report
- Access to your messaging tool, or approval to set one up
- Product event data or analytics access
- Your brand voice and any messages already running
Don’t have everything to hand? Share what you can; we’ll guide you on the rest when we kick off.
We work alongside you month to month, with meetings as you and we agree, for as long as it adds value. Scope and fees are agreed with you before we start.
How the engagement runs.
Map
Cohorts, events and existing messages reviewed. We find the two or three moments that matter most.
Build
Flows written, designed and set up in your messaging tool, with tracking on every send.
Hold out
Each flow measured against a holdout group, so you see real lift, not just open rates.
Expand
Winning flows extended to new segments, and the next flow built every month.
See what we’d fix before you commit.
Signs it’s time:
- Churn or "forgot to cancel" complaints in reviews
- No email capture on the site or in the app
- A CRM or lifecycle role is open
The teardown covers:
- Your current messages and the lifecycle moments with nothing in them
- The churn and billing complaints in your reviews or support tickets
- The first flow we would build and the number it should move
Check it yourself, free.
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Lifecycle and retention FAQ.
Which tools do you work with?
Common ones include Customer.io, Braze, OneSignal, Klaviyo, HubSpot and Firebase Cloud Messaging. If you have nothing yet, we recommend a tool that fits your size and stack, set it up in your name, and build the first flows.
Will more messages annoy our users?
Not if they are triggered by what users do and capped sensibly. We set frequency rules across email, push and SMS, and measure unsubscribes and uninstalls alongside retention.
How do you prove a flow works?
With a holdout group: a small share of eligible users does not receive the flow, and we compare their retention or revenue with users who did. That shows real lift rather than open rates.
Do you build referral programs?
Yes. Referral and loyalty sit inside this engagement, because they work best when they are part of the lifecycle: asking at the moment a user is happiest, and rewarding in a way that brings the referred user back too.
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Works well alongside.
Website, landing pages and CRO
More signups from the traffic you already get.
Paywall and monetization
Turn more of the installs you already have into paying users.
Full Growth Engagement
Any three or more services, plus strategy, run as one plan by one team.
Ready when you are.
Tell us about your product and what you want from Lifecycle and Retention. A founder replies within one business day.