Leah’s journey from Playbook to Uscreen: 90% revenue increase

Leah Maselli never set out to be a tech entrepreneur. A passionate Pilates instructor and clinical dietitian, she was juggling 30+ hours of in-person classes a week while balancing a day job in healthcare. Burnout hit fast.

So when a content platform approached her about launching a Pilates app in 2023, she said yes. The initial traction was quick and promising, enough to convince her that this could be something more. Leah took a leap, left the clinic, and went all in on building a membership. 

Fast forward to today, and she’s running Pilates by Leah: a profitable, niche membership with over 1,200+ members, $24,000+ in MRR, and branded mobile apps for both iOS and Android. She’s a solo creator, but she’s running like a full-blown business. 

And at the heart of it all? A loyal audience of Pilates instructors, a crystal-clear content strategy, and a platform built to help her scale.

Leah launched her first app on Playbook. At the time, it seemed like the perfect fit: a done-for-you app setup built for fitness creators. And at first, it worked.

“It’s marketed toward fitness creators — people that want to post workouts. And I did that. But I also did a poll on Instagram asking who my audience was… and 98% said they were instructors. That totally changed everything.”

That insight led Leah to pivot from general workout content to hyper-specific, instructor-focused class plans. But Playbook wasn’t designed for that, and the cracks started to show.

What wasn’t working on Playbook:

• Lack of pricing control: Leah couldn’t set her own membership prices or sell products the way she wanted. “I was giving away so much value, but I couldn’t make more money because there was a ceiling.”
• Unintuitive analytics: The analytics dashboard lacked the depth she needed. “I’m a data nerd—I check my metrics daily. But I had to email their support guy all the time just to understand basic numbers.”
• Inflexible video structure: Leah’s class plans were made up of dozens of short vertical clips—something Playbook’s workflow wasn’t built to handle.
• App-only experience: With no desktop access, her older audience members and instructors who preferred planning on larger screens felt left out.
  

What started as a promising launch became a bottleneck. “I needed a platform that could grow with me,” she said.

When Leah decided to switch to Uscreen in July 2024, everything changed.

One of her first decisions? To launch both a web platform and branded mobile apps (iOS + Android) from day one.

Initially, Leah hesitated because of the added cost of launching apps. But her onboarding specialist gave her one piece of advice:

“She said, ‘You want the user experience to feel the same. Go for the app.’ And I said — done. Whatever you say, I’ll do.”

It made all the difference. Her existing audience was used to mobile-first access, and the transition was smooth, even though the content migration itself was complex. 

Leah’s content library wasn’t like most creators'. She wasn’t uploading 30-minute follow-along classes. She was building class plans out of 60 short, vertical-form clips. 

“Each class plan had 2- to 3-second videos—literally thousands of clips. I was sweating just thinking about moving them.

I told my Uscreen migration specialist this might not be possible. But she just looked at me and said, ‘I do this in my sleep.’ And then she did it. Without her confidence, I probably wouldn’t have switched when I did.

It was the best decision I could have made. I’ve felt supported from day one. And honestly, I don’t even know how big you guys are because it feels like a small, tight-knit team.”

That migration process could have been a dealbreaker. But because it was handled so efficiently, Leah was able to go live without disruption and with every piece of content carried over. And Leah was able to keep her subscribers through the transition, thanks to a communication strategy she ran almost entirely through Instagram.

“I did daily stories for two months before the move. I grandfathered everyone in at the same price and said, ‘You’re getting the same experience—with more value.’ Still, for months, I was getting DMs like, ‘Where’s the Playbook app?’ So I kept repeating it. Communication was everything.”

1. Making data-driven decisions, daily

One of the biggest game-changers for Leah has been Uscreen’s analytics dashboard. She uses it every day, often spending 30 to 45 minutes reviewing her numbers before doing anything else. “I track MRR, active trials, churn, conversion rates—everything,” she shared.

“At first I didn’t even know what MRR really meant. But once I saw that number go up, I was hooked. It’s now the first thing I check every morning.”

With six different membership plans across monthly and annual tiers, plus mobile app users, Leah tracks:

• Churn by plan type
• Conversion from free trial to paid
• Active subscriptions
• Video watch time by content type
• MRR and revenue trends over time

She even uses the built-in churn reasons and exit survey data to figure out what members want more of and then creates content accordingly.

“If someone asks for a chair class, I’ll film it that same day, post about it on Instagram, and within hours, I’ll see new trials roll in. That kind of feedback loop is so powerful.”

She also mentioned using Uscreen’s benchmark analytics report, which benchmarks her membership’s metrics against other creators, a feature she now checks often to track trends and validate her strategy.

2. Using every built-in retention tool to reduce churn and increase upsells

Leah doesn’t rely on a single strategy to grow her membership, she’s turned on nearly every automation tool Uscreen offers.

Her go-to tools include:

• Subscription upsells to nudge monthly users toward annual plans
• Abandoned cart emails to recover potential lost signups
• Reduced churn automation for users at risk of canceling
• “Try again for free” offers to re-engage lapsed users
• Custom coupon codes for promotions and Instagram followers
• Refer-a-friend campaigns to incentivize word-of-mouth

“Those tools work. I can see in my analytics which coupon or upsell converted which member. It’s not just nice to have—it's driving real revenue.”

She also started using Membership+, Uscreen’s creator education hub, to learn from other creators. “The John Garey interview really stuck with me—he’s so good at community, and I know that’s where I need to grow.”

3. Improving member experience for different member types through mobile apps 

For Leah, launching mobile apps wasn’t just a nice-to-have, it was a retention strategy.

Her audience includes young instructors who are always on the go and older users who prefer desktop and casting to TV. By launching mobile apps alongside her web platform, she ensured the user experience was seamless.

“Most people are on their phones all day anyway—especially instructors who are traveling or teaching. But older users like to sit down at their computer and plan classes. I needed both options.”

Since the migration, over 52.5% of her members now access content via the app and Leah often hears from members about how easy it is to switch between devices.

4. Building a supported community for her members 

While community wasn’t a huge driver on her previous platform, it’s become a growing strength on Uscreen.

“I post in the community tab almost every day now—and people actually respond! On Playbook, I had 800 members and nobody would even like a post.”

She credits this shift to:

• The in-app visibility of the community tab
• Notifications that prompt interaction
• Easy commenting and image sharing

“The fact that people ask each other questions like ‘What cert did you do?’ makes me so happy. They’re not just DMing me anymore—it’s peer-to-peer. That’s how a real community forms.”

In 2025, Leah plans to expand her membership with new offers like instructor mentorship and more community-driven value.

“Eventually I’ll start a second membership, where I mentor instructors building their own platforms. I don’t want to be filming workouts forever, and this is a long-term vision for me.”

The biggest impact? Ownership and speed

When asked what Uscreen has done for her business, Leah doesn’t hesitate:

“The biggest impact is the growth. The speed at which everything has taken off. But more than that—it’s ownership. I feel like I have full control now. I’m not capped, I’m not boxed in and I’m supported.”

And she’s not slowing down.

Whether she’s tracking churn, posting stories, uploading content, or talking to members—Leah’s building a business that runs on real connection and smart decisions. With Uscreen powering the platform, she finally has the time, tools, and freedom to focus on what she loves most.

“This is my job now. Two years ago, I was working 30 hours a week in person. Now, 98% of my income comes from this membership. It’s my dream job and I built it.”

Story written by: Aarushi Singh