When will you finally start charging?
Free trials. "Try it for free". Giving out free stuff but not having the guts to ask for $.
This is a question for all indie hackers who haven't (yet) monetized their products: When are you going to start charging for your product?
The best way to test is by adding 7 or 14 days trial feature. This will help you know that if your visitors are currently willing to pay or not.
Give away in a smart way. Pick the top experts and most connected people in your niche. Hit them up and give them the most premium package and ask them to share what they think about it with the community.
Even if your product is complete sh*t, you’ll still be gaining a lot.
Awesome idea, thanks for sharing :)
Today
I actually started with 'try it free and if you like it buy me a coffee'. It did not work.
Then I added a Lifetime tier for a version that offered extra features. It was a great way to get some traction and actually start a conversation with people who believe in the project long term.
My least popular tier is the monthly subscription, which is not so expensive given that I am targeting freelancers who make 10x - 100x from they build using my tool for one client.
I know a paraglider pilot who used to take passengers up in tandem rides. She would often give these rides out for free to friends and others because she couldn't bring herself to charge for them yet. The free passengers said it was a pretty cool experience, but not particularly mind blowing.
Then she started charging the market rate, something like a couple hundred dollars for a 15 minute flight. The passengers who paid said that it was a life changing experiencing that they would never forget, one of the best things they've done in their life, and they thanked her profusely for the opportunity.
The only real difference was the price.
The takeaway is to recognize the influence of price on the perceived value of the product. How you use that depends on your context, but it may mean that a free trial or a free plan is hurting your ability to deliver the real value of your product, and the sooner you change that the better.
Important reminder :D
Well, as BotMeNot is still in beta, I don't think I can charge until it officially releases.
When will that happen? Hard to say.
I want to implement some additional features and then have another round of feedback before I think about an official launch and charging money.
My advice is too start asking for money from day one. Especially if you are a bootstrapper you can not afford to waste time with a product that people might not be willing to pay. I started asking for WBE Space from the start.
When people are using your product for free, it doesn't mean they will pay for it. Free trials are a great way to increase your conversion into paid user, but its risky to validate your product idea this way.
Start charging right away. Find users who are ready to buy without questions. After you start making sales, use free trial for converting user segments that are doubting in your product.