How long it takes for a stranger to buy?

How long does it take for a "stranger" to trust your code enough to pay for it?

While refining my subscriber list to segment for the upcoming Ground Control Pro membership, I decided to dig into the data. I ran a query to measure the exact window of time it takes for someone to transition from claiming a Ground Control plugin to making their first purchase. The subset of ~30 users shown in the table below provided a massive reality check on how that journey actually unfolds.

The Sprinters vs. The Marathoners

On one end, I saw the "Sprinters." One user joined on February 9th and bought their first plugin on February 10th. It took exactly 24 hours for them to decide that tools like Lightbox Studio or the Squarespace Datepicker were worth their hard-earned dollars.

On the other end, there were the "Marathoners." One user subscribed on March 8th 2025 and didn't make their first purchase until January 21st 2026 - 319 days later. That is nearly half a year of using Ground Control freebies and seeing my name in their inbox before they felt ready to invest in something like Synced Blocks.

The lesson is clear: A sustainable business needs both.

Since I launched Ground Control on January 1st, 2025, I’ve seen every variation in between: 3 days, 14 days, 60 days, and beyond. If you only focus on the 24-hour buyers, you lose the massive foundation of your community. But if everyone took 319 days, you wouldn’t have a business - you’d have an expensive hobby.

The Fear of "Shouting into the Void"

Like many of you, I often feel that "shouting into the void" anxiety when I hit send. We worry about being "too much" or cluttering an already jam-packed inbox. Some developers feel like sending even one email a week is pushing it.

But this data is proof that landing in someone's inbox - consistently - actually works.

The reality is that inboxes are indeed crowded, but that is exactly why you shouldn't hesitate. If you aren't showing up, you aren't just being polite; you're being forgotten. Your words are the bridge that carries a user from a freebie to a paid plugin. Whether that bridge is a short 24-hour sprint or a 319-day stroll, the only way to lose is to stop building it because you're afraid of the noise.

Don't let the fear of a crowded inbox stop you from building your business. Some people are ready today, but others are waiting to see if you'll still be here next year.

The only way to serve both is to keep hitting send.