5 ms·

The Bells and Whistles analogy doesn't have to be as bad as it's made out to be. I run a hybrid "more space" and "more features" freemium model, and it's the "m

The Bells and Whistles analogy doesn't have to be as bad as it's made out to be. I run a hybrid "more space" and "more features" freemium model, and it's the "more features" that gets me most of my conversions. The key, I've found, is to make sure the features are always visible. Make the controls (links, buttons, inputs, whatever) always visible, but when the free users click, they get a "This is for premium, click here to upgrade" notice. Plus, I have a policy now that any new feature defaults to premium, and I have to be convinced to make it free. So, the free offering stays the same but the glitter and gloss of premium gets better and better in comparison. Finally, never fall into the trap of thinking something should be free because 1) it's easy to do or 2) someone else gives it for free. A "I coded it in 5 minutes" feature that makes life easier for your user sounds like an awesome premium offering to me.

ExpiredLink 14y ago
> Make the controls (links, buttons, inputs, whatever) always visible, but when the free users click, they get a "This is for premium That's a good example how 'freemium' is inherently dishonest and therefore will not succeed.
- gareim 14y ago
  Just curious, why don't you think it will succeed? The method seems to be working fine for the guy you just replied to. Are you saying that in the long run, a better model might win out? I guess I could see why you'd think that and I might even agree, but I personally think that knowing what features I'm missing out on better motivates me to buy the premium product. And if the price is appealing and worth it to me, then I'd be happy to pay it.
- wensing 14y ago
  Despite my warnings, I think freemium can be a brilliant marketing tactic even when it isn't sustainable. Whether or not it's dishonest depends on factors that are partially in the founders control and partially not. When Stormpulse did the bells & whistles version we made all of the links say "Upgrade" very clearly so the user knew what they were getting but also what they were getting into.
wensing 14y ago
Bells & Whistles isn't a bad starting place (as my post says, it's the default) and it can create conversions (even the majority), but it can also be a mixed bag of candy with an ROI that's hard to establish because it's simply a bucket that all new features go into. Compare that to designing a premium offering that a free user can hire to a valuable job you've identified among your user base. Achieving that requires more segmentation and discipline than power user potpourri, but it also commands higher prices. Obviously I don't know your startup or how you're implementing freemium, so don't take any of the above as a judgement of the way you're doing it. This is just what I've commonly seen.

ExpiredLink 14y ago

> Make the controls (links, buttons, inputs, whatever) always visible, but when the free users click, they get a "This is for premium That's a good example how 'freemium' is inherently dishonest and therefore will not succeed.

gareim 14y ago
Just curious, why don't you think it will succeed? The method seems to be working fine for the guy you just replied to. Are you saying that in the long run, a better model might win out? I guess I could see why you'd think that and I might even agree, but I personally think that knowing what features I'm missing out on better motivates me to buy the premium product. And if the price is appealing and worth it to me, then I'd be happy to pay it.
wensing 14y ago
Despite my warnings, I think freemium can be a brilliant marketing tactic even when it isn't sustainable. Whether or not it's dishonest depends on factors that are partially in the founders control and partially not. When Stormpulse did the bells & whistles version we made all of the links say "Upgrade" very clearly so the user knew what they were getting but also what they were getting into.

wensing 14y ago

Bells & Whistles isn't a bad starting place (as my post says, it's the default) and it can create conversions (even the majority), but it can also be a mixed bag of candy with an ROI that's hard to establish because it's simply a bucket that all new features go into. Compare that to designing a premium offering that a free user can hire to a valuable job you've identified among your user base. Achieving that requires more segmentation and discipline than power user potpourri, but it also commands higher prices. Obviously I don't know your startup or how you're implementing freemium, so don't take any of the above as a judgement of the way you're doing it. This is just what I've commonly seen.