ResourcesPlaybooks & field notes

Field notes on retention, written from inside the work

Playbooks, teardowns, and lessons from building lifecycle systems at Zendrop, Scratch, the PPA — and for clinics and service businesses since.

Ronald Davenport
Featured · Email Automation9 min read

Email Deliverability for SaaS: Why Your Lifecycle Emails Land in Spam

Why lifecycle emails have unique deliverability challenges, authentication setup, sender reputation, and a deliverability checklist.

Lifecycle Strategy9 min read

Lifecycle Marketing KPIs: The Only 7 Metrics That Matter

Why open rates are vanity metrics, the 7 KPIs that actually matter, how to set targets, and building a lifecycle dashboard.

Email Automation8 min read

Win-Back Email Campaigns: How to Re-Engage Churned SaaS Users

Why most win-back campaigns fail, the timing framework, 3 email templates with breakdowns, and when to stop trying.

Email Automation10 min read

The Subscription Onboarding Email Sequence That Reduces Early Churn

Why the first 7 days determine retention, the 5-email framework, timing and behavioral triggers, with examples from subscription boxes and SaaS.

Lifecycle Strategy8 min read

How to Build a Customer Lifecycle Marketing Strategy From Scratch

Map the customer journey, choose your first 3 lifecycle flows, select tools, and build a measurement framework.

Tool Guides9 min read

Braze vs Iterable: Which Is Better for Lifecycle Marketing?

Head-to-head comparison of Braze and Iterable for lifecycle marketing: pricing, features, journey builders, and which to pick for your stage.

Benchmarks8 min read

SaaS Activation Rate Benchmarks: What Good Looks Like in 2026

What activation rate actually measures, benchmarks by category, how to calculate yours, and 3 ways to improve it.

Lifecycle Strategy8 min read

Lifecycle Marketing vs Growth Marketing: What's the Difference?

Clear definitions, where they overlap and diverge, the revenue math on retention vs acquisition, and how the two should work together.

Retention9 min read

Churn Reduction Strategies That Actually Work for SaaS

The real reasons SaaS users churn, a 3-tier churn framework, specific strategies for each tier, and how to build an early warning system using behavioral data.

Lifecycle Strategy10 min read

What Is Subscription Lifecycle Management (And Why Most Companies Get It Wrong)

A definitive guide to subscription lifecycle management: the 5 stages, why most companies only focus on acquisition, and the framework for building a lifecycle program.

Industry Verticals8 min read read

Marketplace Lifecycle Marketing: Balancing Supply and Demand Engagement

A practical guide to marketplace lifecycle marketing for SaaS and subscription businesses.

Lifecycle Fundamentals7 min read read

The Lifecycle Marketing Audit: Find Your Biggest Revenue Leaks

A practical guide to lifecycle marketing audit checklist for SaaS and subscription businesses.

Email Strategy8 min read read

Behavioral Email Triggers That Drive 3x More Revenue Than Batch Sends

A practical guide to behavioral email triggers for SaaS and subscription businesses.

Industry Verticals8 min read read

DTC Subscription Retention: Stop the Churn Before Month 3

A practical guide to DTC subscription retention strategies for SaaS and subscription businesses.

Email Strategy8 min read read

SaaS Onboarding Email Sequence: The Framework That Converts

A practical guide to SaaS onboarding email sequence for SaaS and subscription businesses.

Case Study9 min read read

Lifecycle Marketing Case Study: How Zendrop Hit 367% Revenue Growth

Discover how Zendrop achieved 367% revenue growth using lifecycle marketing strategies. Learn proven tactics to boost customer retention and sales.

Lifecycle Fundamentals7 min read read

How to Calculate and Improve Customer Lifetime Value

A practical guide to how to calculate customer lifetime value for SaaS and subscription businesses.

Email Strategy9 min read read

7 SaaS Welcome Emails That Actually Convert [Templates]

Not another "hey welcome" roundup. 7 tested welcome email templates with the exact structure, subject lines, and send timing that drive trial-to-paid conversions.

Industry Verticals12 min read read

Subscription Lifecycle Automation: The Email Playbook for Reducing Churn

The 5-stage email automation framework for subscription businesses. Specific triggers, timelines, and benchmarks for trial conversion, onboarding, retention, and win-back flows.

Activation7 min read read

Why 70% of SaaS Signups Never Come Back (And How to Fix It)

Most SaaS products lose the majority of new users within 24 hours. Here's what's actually going wrong in the first session and the activation triggers that fix it.

Conversion9 min read read

Trial-to-Paid Playbook: 3% → Double Digits

Most SaaS trials convert under 5%. This playbook breaks down the 3 reasons users stay free — and the lifecycle fixes for each. Used with consumer SaaS clients.

Email Strategy6 min read read

Lifecycle Emails That Actually Convert (Not Just Get Opened)

Open rates don't pay the bills. Here's how to write lifecycle emails that drive activation, conversion, and retention with real examples.