Most DTC brands waste time optimizing retention when they should be testing offers. Matthew Holman, who's worked with 150+ subscription brands doing up to nine figures in revenue, explains why the brands growing fastest aren't focused on churn—they're focused on acquisition. If your subscription program feels stuck at $1-2M in revenue, this conversation will show you exactly where to focus your energy.

Matthew Holman is the founder of Subscription Prescription and a subscription consultant who's helped brands add hundreds of thousands of subscribers. His clients include companies doing $10-15M per month in subscription revenue.

What You'll Learn:

→ Why subscriptions isn't a retention game (and what it actually is)

→ The two reasons people cancel subscriptions—only two

→ Key benchmarks: save rates, churn rates, and take rates that matter

→ Why improving take rate from 35% to 40% beats any retention optimization

→ How to calculate LTV so you know what you can afford to spend

If you're a DTC founder or operator at a $1-20M brand trying to scale subscriptions profitably, this episode gives you the strategic framework to stop spinning your wheels on low-impact retention tactics and start growing through smarter acquisition.

Connect with Matt:

https://x.com/mattlady

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlady/

The Performance Marketing Agency for eCommerce & DTC Brands: https://www.klientboost.com/

Connect with Matthew:

https://x.com/subscriptiondoc

https://www.linkedin.com/in/holman-matthew/

https://www.thesubscriptiondoc.com/

00:00 Why subscriptions aren't about retention (intro)

00:58 Biggest misconception: retention vs acquisition focus

02:25 Where to start when subscriptions feel neglected

04:30 Three critical touchpoints: onboarding, billing, cancellation data

05:30 Key metrics audit: what experts look at

07:00 Save rate benchmarks: 10-15% vs 20%+ elite performance

09:00 Monthly churn rates: what's good vs what's realistic

11:20 Understanding take rate and why it matters most

13:30 Testing offers: the acquisition side most brands ignore

15:47 Where to start: art and science of prioritizing

16:30 The math: 35% to 40% take rate vs reducing churn

18:36 Low lift, high impact framework for limited resources

19:10 Calculating LTV to know what you can afford to spend

20:03 Brand personality in subscriber communications

21:33 Episode wrap and next steps in the series