Brand Teardowns
How big subscription brands run their programs, scored on the Subscription LTV Scorecard™, and what a $1-10M brand can copy from each.
12 articles. All articles
The scoreboard
Every brand scored on the 48-point Subscription LTV Scorecard™, out of 100. Get yours scored, free.
| Brand | Score | What stood out |
|---|---|---|
| Grüns | 85.5 | Sells to the whole household, and runs seven emails in the first seven days. The highest score so far. |
| Dr. Squatch | 73 | Puts a $6 bar of soap on subscription by selling a $36 box on a fixed 3-month plan. |
| IM8 | 72 | 79% of new customers subscribe on the first order. Retention has to earn the twelfth. |
| Create | 67.5 | A strong welcome and cancel screen, let down by a thin FAQ, a bundle maze and shifting discounts. |
| Mars Men | 62 | A $100M program built by conversion experts and aimed at order one. |
See the full board, the scorecard videos and every screenshot in the Scorecard Library.
Head to head: Grüns vs Create · Dr. Squatch vs Mars Men
Dr. Squatch vs Mars Men: Two Men’s Subscriptions, Scored
Dr. Squatch scored 73 and Mars Men 62 on the same 48 checkpoints. Mars Men wins the sign-up. Dr. Squatch wins everything after it.
Grüns vs Create: Subscription Programs Scored Side by Side
Grüns scored 85.5 and Create 67.5 on the same 48 subscription checkpoints. Where each wins, where each loses, and what to copy.
How a creatine gummy became a $150M subscription | Create Breakdown
Create scored 67.5 out of 100: a strong welcome, rewards and cancel screen, let down by a thin FAQ, a bundle maze and shifting discounts.
Savage X Fenty Membership Model: How Rihanna Makes $50M a Year
Most membership programs fail by month two. Savage X Fenty makes $50M a year with one. Here are the rewards it stacks.
Dr. Squatch Breakdown: How do you put a $6 bar of soap on subscription?
How Dr. Squatch put a $6 bar of soap on subscription. It scored 73 out of 100. Three things they got right, four where they lose.
Grüns Subscription Teardown: Inside a $1.2B Program
Grüns scored 85.5 out of 100, the highest score I have given. Seven things they do well, and the one thing they have not built yet.
IM8 Q2 2026 Report: 5 Subscription Insights From a $251M Brand
IM8 reported $251M in revenue. What their Q2 2026 numbers say about CAC, quarterly plans, month 20 retention and AOV, read as a subscription program.
Mars Men Subscription Teardown: $100M on One Product
Mars Men did $100M in eighteen months on a single SKU. Six things worth copying from their subscription program and four that cost them.
IM8 Subscription Audit: Scoring Beckham’s Brand
IM8’s subscription program scored on the same 48 checkpoints we use for every brand. Endorsement gets you the first order. Retention gets you the twelfth.
Recharge 2026 Subscription Trend Report: The Leak It Can’t Name
Subscribers place 59% more orders and are worth $319 on average, yet wellness churns 8.8% a month. What the Recharge report leaves out.
IM8 Q1 2026 Report: 5 Subscription Insights From a $186M Brand
79% of new IM8 customers subscribe on their first order. Five things from IM8’s Q1 2026 investor deck that break common subscription beliefs.
Dollar Shave Club vs Harry’s: Why Loyalty Built on Price Expires
Dollar Shave Club sold for $1 billion, then lost its edge once rivals matched its price. Harry’s kept 40% of customers to its 25%.