Everyone knows that WoW has one of the worst free trials on the market for MMOs. Players can hit level 20 in less than an hour while seeing less than 1% of the game has to offer.
How would you improve this?
I won’t make my suggestion yet, as I don’t want the discussion around just that.
Allow pet battles, maybe with a limit of 5-10 captures.
Allow players to join guilds and have have basic mail access but with far fewer slots on what can be sent and NO access to the Auction House. That way the system isn’t abused by a certain nation that employs gold farmers.
Expand it to lvl 30. 
That’ll keep them around! My plan is foolproof.
Let them experience an hour in the dragon isles, and let it end when they unlock dragon riding and experience the sragon races.
Up it to lvl 30 and chuck in BC and Wrath as free addons.
Edit: Actually, going to scrap the latter part of that idea and say raise it to lvl 30 and include BC, Wrath, Cata, MoP, WoD, Legion, BFA and SL as free addons, but they only choose three to experience and play on that account.
offer a month game time once they hit 20 and want to create an account in retail with the trial character.
Add tiers to trial.
No game = max level 20.
Game purchased and char leveled to max = can log in any level, but limit content.
Why?
1st tier is trying the game.
2nd tier should be idle gameplay, chatting, but with very limited content, if any.
Most people I introduced to the game had no issue’s at making a choice to invest $15 sub fee just after hitting level 20 and have become totally addicted WoW players. You do not have to play the current content or even most the old content to figure out if you are going to like the game or not to the point of investing a sub fee.
Level 50 cap.
Can participate in everything pre-Shadowlands (adjust accordingly with new expansion releases).
Access to trading, auctions, mail, pet battles, etc…
Just, uh, let trial accounts actually try more than a two-hour questing session really.
Trial accounts already have access to all content before the current expansion automatically. In today’s case that includes Shadowlands - but when the next expansion comes out, that will also include Dragonflight. (and etc)
Everything up to Dragonflight with no play time or level restrictions. Allow 10 hours free DF with a warning saying they won’t be able to play the character further past 60 if they do not upgrade.
Honestly? Take a note out of FFXIV’s playbook and give them full access to the game, no strings attached up until level like… 40. They don’t need to be able to chat or join guilds or trade or use the auction house. Give 'em a taste of the prettier gear that they’ll wanna stick around and get for themselves. We all know transmog is the endgame, after all, even in an ugly game like this one lol
That would be interesting, but I wonder how this could affect the botting situation. It’s much easier to bot in WoW than in FF14 due to how the game can be played and modified.
The game is way bigger than a free trial. I don’t think more levels will be the hook. Besides, it’s likely set this way for the people who create burner accounts and spam WTS services.
Trial Tank, and Healer roles can level to 50 in any avenue of gameplay they desire except Dragonflight.
Trial DPS level cap remains unchanged (20).
Suddenly lower level content is drowning in tanks/healers, queues are flying, people enjoy their tank/healer class and want to continue mastering the art into current content. They can learn how to play it and see if it’s for them on the trial, and if they don’t – the game’s better off, because it had inflated tanks/healers on the lower end temporarily.
“well, semi, they’ll just play tank or healer to hit 50 and then change to dps” – okay, and? the goal is to increase their presence lower end, and increase the likelihood of them higher-end.
id say give them 1 month free as an account that has the current expansion unlocked. they can level to 60 max.
all other restrictions apply.
Since everything that matters happens at max level, everything other than max level should be free IMO. Cap them at 69, and prohibit them from joining instanced max-level group content. Give them the option for a free month at 70.
I like the way you think.
Which doesn’t show anything the game really is at max level. Giving them access to the “trial” characters that we have access to, might persuade them to sub.