How to add a trial lesson that turns into a registration

A trial lesson is the easiest way to bring a new child into a class. The parent doesn't commit to a year, the child gets to see whether it suits them, and you meet a new family. But plenty of trials end with "that was fun, we'll think about it", and then silence.

The difference between a trial that brings sign-ups and one that only fills a group for a week is usually not the lesson itself. It's what happens before and after: does the parent know the next step, is it easy to take, and does anyone remind them.

When a trial lesson makes sense

Not every activity needs a trial. It works best when parents hesitate:

• A weekly kids' class, when the child isn't sure they like the subject yet.
• A beginners' surf course, when parents want to see their child is comfortable in the water.
• A long workshop of several sessions, when the total price is high.

For a one-evening workshop, on the other hand, a trial is pointless. The workshop is the trial.

Setting it up: a "trial lesson" activity

In Classo Club a trial lesson is an activity of its own, with its own sessions. You decide when it runs, how many seats it has and what it costs, without touching the class itself.

1. Create a new activity and choose the type "trial lesson".
2. Fill in the title, description, photos and location, and set a price. Free? Enter 0.
3. Add one session or several. With more than one upcoming date, the parent picks one when registering.
4. Under the course it leads to, choose the class or course the trial is for.
5. Publish.

Step four is the one that matters. Once you choose a course, a "Continue to the course" link shows on the trial's page, on the confirmation page and in the confirmation email, as long as the course is published. Parents don't have to look for how to register after the lesson. The link is already with them.

All the details are in Trial lessons and free-trial limits.

Free trials, without the abuse

A free lesson draws more parents, but it also invites abuse: the same child turns up for a trial every month, or one family books five kids into a single lesson. So a trial priced at 0 comes with defaults that protect you:

• 5 seats per session, so a trial doesn't swamp the group.
• At most 3 participants per registration.
• One free trial per participant every 12 months, matched by email, first name and birth date.
• An email code before a free registration.

You can change all of these in the activity form. If you have room for ten kids in a trial, raise the number. The limits are checked on the participants step and again on submit.

Even for a free trial, the parent fills in the health declaration and accepts the terms, if you set them for the activity. A child getting into the water or onto the mat for the first time needs that as much as a regular.

Free or paid?

There's no single answer. A free trial removes the first barrier, but some parents book and don't show up. A small fee brings fewer bookings, but the people who book usually come.

A middle way that works for many classes: a paid trial, with the amount taken off the class fee if the child continues. Classo Club has a trial credit note for that. Keep in mind it is text only: it tells parents the amount will be credited, but you apply the credit yourself, for example with a personal discount code. See Coupons and the sibling discount.

Today you can take payment for a trial by Bit and mark it paid when the money arrives. Card payments are coming soon.

When to schedule the trial

Timing matters a lot. A trial a week or two before the term starts gives parents time to decide, but not enough time to forget. A trial mid-term works well when the group has a free spot, because the child can join the following week.

Better still, hold the trial on the same day and at the same hour as the class itself. That way parents also test the logistics: can they make it after school, and where do they park.

During the lesson

The lesson is the part you're best at, so just a few small things:

• Let the instructor know who's new. The roster in the app shows who is booked into the trial.
• Make sure the child succeeds at one thing. A first wave, a drawing to take home, a move they get right.
• A few minutes with the parent at the end: how it went, what you saw, and which group fits.
• Take attendance. That way you know who actually came, and who to follow up with.

The day after: following up

This is where most sign-ups get lost. The parent left happy, then Sunday arrived, and life. A short, personal follow-up makes a big difference.

1. That evening or the next day, send a short message: thanks for coming, your child was great, here's the link to register.
2. If there's a perk for signing up this week, say so, and say when it ends.
3. After a few days with no answer, one more message. No more than that.

You send these messages yourselves, from your phone. Classo Club already has what you need: the list of trial bookings with contact details, and who came, from attendance. The "Continue to the course" link is already in the email the parent received, so they can register without waiting for you.

A perk with an end date

A parent who says "we'll think about it" needs a reason to decide now. A coupon with a short validity, say a week from the lesson, gives them that reason. You can limit it to one activity, the class the trial leads to, and to a number of uses. When it expires, it stops working by itself.

And if the child joins a weekly class mid-term, they pay only for the sessions left. You don't need to calculate or explain anything.

In short

• A trial lesson is a separate activity, linked to the course it leads to.
• Free trials are protected by defaults you can change.
• Health declaration and terms apply to trials too.
• One or two personal follow-ups, with a link and a clear date.