How Tiny Asks Activate More SaaS Users

SaaS email examples inside

𝙰𝚒𝚣𝚊 𝙲. ⚡️

Mar 06, 2025

“Start your free trial today!"

Seems like an easy task, right?

But in reality, that could mean 3 steps.

1️⃣ Sign up

2️⃣ Add your credit card

3️⃣ Set up your account

And let’s not count the sub-steps of “setting up your account”. Especially if it’s a highly sophisticated B2B SaaS.

SIMPLE, right?

Nope. Not really. Not at all.

A trial could make some of your potential customers freeze.

Big ASKS like "Start your free trial" feel like work.

In fact, 75% of users abandon the app after the first login.

And by Day 30, 90% of your users have totally abandoned your app.

Sooooo.

To activate more SaaS users, I make BIG ASKS feel tiny.

Here’s how I’d do it on your SaaS emails.

Ever logged into a fresh SaaS account?

It's like walking into an empty apartment with a massive to-do list:

😵‍💫 Set up your workspace
😵‍💫 Connect your CRM
😵‍💫 Invite your team
😵‍💫 Configure your settings
😵‍💫 Watch our 30-minute tutorial

Suddenly, your exciting new tool feels like moving day.

Without the pizza.

No wonder...

Only 1 out of 4 new SaaS users activate.

Meaning, only 25% experience the true value of your product.

So here’s an idea:

Try the Tiny Ask Fix ✨

Instead of big, upfront tasks, reframe your request into a Tiny Ask.

Instead of "Set up everything now!", try:

"Pick your display name"
"Try this template"
"See the transcription magic" (and provide a sample file they can play with right away rather than asking them to upload one)

Here’s what it does to your users’ brains.

When we start small, our brains are like "Okayyy, I can work with this!".

Instead of triggering our fear response, tiny asks activate our reward system.

It's giving "dopamine hits different" energy!

And your users’ brains don’t distinguish between a small win and a big one.

A win is a win.

And Cognitive Fluency is the science behind it.

It's not about how hard something actually is, but how hard it feels.

Big asks trigger resistance.

Tiny asks feel easy, so people take action.

Here’s how we can use Tiny Asks on your SaaS emails so more people take action.

Chipp

Chipp helps you build AI agents in minutes.

It’s awesome, but it asks to either upgrade or book a call in the welcome email —2 of the biggest ASKS for SaaS users.

Make it tiny:

A bit of copyediting.
Moving the video up.
And focusing on 1 tiny ask does it!

Cleve

It’s an AI Co-pilot for your personal brand. Here’s their product update email that doubles as a sales email.

Make it tiny:

A little teasing of the users report + a CTA above the fold would most likely up the clicks ;)

Spiral

It’s an AI that transforms your videos, articles, and podcasts into bite-sized content so you grow your audience while you sleep.

Make it tiny:

That’s it!

Did you like the “After” emails better? You think they’d lessen the friction?

The Tiny Ask Framework for SaaS Emails

Let’s recap!

Break your big ask into tiny steps.
Make step 1 ridiculously easy.
And see them move on to the next Tiny Ask. Repeat.

Users aren’t lazy.

Some are just overwhelmed.

And tiny asks don’t just move them forward.

They make users feel like they’re crushing it, so they keep on moving forward. 🎉

Are your activation rates down?

Want me to take a look?

Let’s review your SaaS emails.

I've helped countless SaaS companies transform their onboarding experiences, dramatically reduce churn, and even 2x their revenues in a few months.

I’ve used the Tiny Ask concept a lot!

Also, if you’d like to get a copy of my SaaS Lifecycle Email Planner so you can plan all your SaaS emails across your lifecycle in 1 DAY, I’m leaving the link here. ;)