Hello, I'm a long-time lurker with a popular website that up 'til now has offered mostly free content (the only $ I make is from ad revenue and an eBook I sell). This fall I'll be offering a subscription-based service. I'm hiring a good developer to set up the subscription system, but there are many decisions I need to make regarding marketing and billing, and I don't have a clue where to start. What resources are available for questions/issues like these? How should I price different subscription tiers (monthly, semiannually, annually, etc.)? How can I structure my billing so that it's automated as much as possible? Should I offer a guarantee? What options do I have for hiring someone to deal with technical support? Surely there must be a periodical or website that specializes in these issues. Or should I start asking questions here? I google and google and I'm sure you can imagine the semi-literate, ad-riddled articles I wade through. Thank you, Rob
Hi srmaximo, My thought is that you should research your niche to see how others leading players are pricing there materials. My inclination would be to start with your basic subscription level first; get that right before starting to offer premium levels. This gives you the advantage of getting started, having a membership base to survey as what their needs are then coming up with a premium level. Don't muck around with a multi-tier setup at the outset, just get started with a simple monthly subscription. Thats my penny's worth. cheers