Podcast Summary: ProductLed Podcast

Episode: How One Image Change Increased Signups by 8% (The Promised Land Effect)
Date: October 16, 2025
Host: Wes Bush
Guest: Will Royal, Founder and CEO of Promotix

Episode Overview

This episode centers on a powerful yet simple tactic that increased signups by 8% for Promotix: the "Promised Land Effect." Will Royal explains how swapping one image on their signup page drove a meaningful conversion lift, unpacks the psychology behind this effect, and describes the impact of small copy changes on user motivation. The discussion is practical, rooted in real A/B test results, and focused on quick wins in conversion rate optimization.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The "Promised Land Effect": What It Is and How It Works

• Concept Introduction ([00:58]):
  Will Royal introduces the "Promised Land Effect":

  • Instead of an emotionally engaging background image (e.g., concert photo), show a blurred out sneak-peek of your product’s dashboard on the signup page.
  • This tactic gives users the sense that they are “almost there,” one step away from accessing the interface they want to reach.
  • Psychology: Creates a curiosity gap and makes the end goal tangible, incentivizing completion of the signup process.

• Practical Implementation ([01:53]):

  • Promotix ran an A/B test with over 29,000 users:
    • A Version: Original concert image and selling-tickets blurb.
    • B Version: Blurred view of the product dashboard (the “Promised Land”).
  • Result: The Promised Land variant drove an 8% increase in signups.
  • Will Royal:

    "We can remove the emotional image... and just show them a blurry version of the dashboard and voila, more signups." ([02:19])

  • Development was minimal—just an image swap, no coding required.

• Impact of Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) ([02:38]):
  Will explains the math behind the win:

  • An 8% conversion lift can translate to a 50% increase in completed signups if your baseline rate is low (e.g., from 4% to 6%).
  • Highlights the compounding impact:

    "Conversion rate optimization has been huge for us and I like to test everything that we do around here for that reason." ([03:15])

The Psychology Behind the Promised Land Effect

• Curiosity Gap and Motivation ([03:42]):
  Will credits the effect to the curiosity gap:

  • Users see just enough to feel close to their goal (“I’m almost there”).
  • Reduces perceived friction, making people feel further along in the signup funnel.
  • If users can’t see what’s next, they fear more steps might follow.

  "There's a curiosity gap that's created, and it also makes them feel like they're much further down the funnel... which is to see what your product looks like." ([04:18])

• Anecdote from Host ([04:44]):
  Wes Bush compares this to running a race without knowing where the finish line is:

  • Without a visible finish, motivation drops—applies directly to user flows and onboarding forms.
  • Memorable quote:

    "...if people see that finish line of like, oh, I’m going to get into the product, I’m going to push it. And that often comes to whether it’s that 8 or 10% more, people like putting in that little extra effort to go through it." ([05:32])

Micro-Copy and the Power of Text Changes

• Streamlining the Signup Flow ([05:55]):
  Will shares another CRO insight:

  • Promotix’s sign-up flow:
    1. Username & password
    2. Event organizer vs. attendee
    3. Company name (if organizer)
  • Changing the button on the final step from "Next" to "Finished" increased conversions by 1-2%.

    "Just to let them know, like, this is the last little thing you got to do to get there... One word change to get another point out of it is huge." ([06:22])

  • Shows the power of reducing uncertainty and clarifying progress.

• Design vs. Copy ([07:01]):
  Both agree subtle copy changes are often overlooked, but have outsized impact.

  • Progress indicators (e.g., "30% complete") further help users push through.

  Will Royal: > "For the psychology of the user who's signing up, 'finished' makes a lot more sense. Totally." ([07:20])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We can remove the emotional image... and just show them a blurry version of the dashboard and voila, more signups."
  — Will Royal, [02:19]

• "There's a curiosity gap that's created, and it also makes them feel like they're much further down the funnel... which is to see what your product looks like."
  — Will Royal, [04:18]

• "If people see that finish line of like, oh, I’m going to get enough product, I’m going to push it... In this case, it’s not like running a lot more, but it’s like, okay, I’ll fill out this couple forms and, and take the next step on that end."
  — Wes Bush, [05:32]

• "One word change to get another point out of it is huge."
  — Will Royal, [06:22]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:58] – Will introduces the Promised Land effect
• [01:53] – A/B testing process and business impact
• [03:42] – User psychology and the curiosity gap
• [04:44] – Host’s race analogy on motivation
• [05:55] – Changing button copy from "Next" to "Finished"
• [07:01] – Importance of micro copy and progress indicators

Summary Takeaways

• Showing users a blurred preview of the product dashboard at signup (the ‘Promised Land’) can significantly boost conversions by tapping into curiosity and showing clear progress.
• Small tweaks in micro copy—such as changing a button label from "Next" to "Finished"—also meaningfully improve completion rates.
• Every element affecting user motivation, clarity, and perceived effort in signup flows deserves scrutiny, testing, and iteration.
• Results came with minimal engineering investment—highlighting high-impact, low-effort CRO opportunities.

This episode is filled with actionable insights for anyone looking to optimize product onboarding and drive user signups through small but strategic UX and copy changes.