Increase registrations by leading with a question
Overview
Business Outcome
Registration Conversion Rate
Increase the percentage of website visitors who register for an account.
Behavioral Outcome
Curiosity and Anticipated Regret
Pique users' curiosity by prompting them to ask a question, then leverage the anticipated regret of not seeing the answer to drive registrations.
The Behavioral Science
Loss Aversion
Loss aversion suggests that people are more motivated to avoid losses than to acquire equivalent gains. By first prompting users to ask a question and then requiring registration to see the answer, Capitol AI creates a sense of potential loss if the user doesn't follow through and sign up.
Curiosity Gap
The curiosity gap refers to the mental discomfort people feel when there is a gap between what they know and what they want to know. By encouraging users to ask a question, Capitol AI opens a curiosity gap that can only be closed by registering to see the answer.
How It Works
Capitol AI's homepage prominently features a prompt encouraging users to ask a question they are curious about. This taps into people's natural curiosity and desire for knowledge.
Once a user types in a question and attempts to get an answer, a registration prompt appears. At this point, loss aversion kicks in. The user has already invested time and effort into asking a question and now anticipates an answer. The thought of not getting that answer feels like a loss, motivating the user to register in order to avoid that negative outcome.
By opening a curiosity gap and then leveraging loss aversion, Capitol AI creates a powerful motivator for users to register for an account.
How It Might Backfire
Frustration with Forced Registration
Some users may feel frustrated or manipulated by being prompted to ask a question only to then be required to register to see the answer. If not handled carefully, this could create a negative user experience and harm brand perception.
Unmet Expectations
If the answers provided after registration don't live up to the curiosity and anticipation created by the initial question prompt, users may feel misled and be less likely to engage with the platform in the future.
How To Test
How to Test:
To test the effectiveness of this tactic, run an A/B test comparing the registration conversion rate of the homepage with the question prompt and registration wall against a version without these elements.
You can also conduct user surveys or interviews to gather qualitative feedback on how users perceive the question prompt and registration experience, and whether it motivates them to sign up or creates any frustration.
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