Hacker News Reader

Comment by shutter | Hacker News Reader

I'd say it depends on the number of beta testers; you say you had a big beta list, so it might make more sense to offer a discount rather than just free versions, if you intend on doing anything at all.

Is the Pro version more featureful than a "non-Pro" version, or is the app itself the only version?

View on HN

How deep of a discount would make sense? We're looking at a $25-30 price point.

We plan on having a Free and Pro version. The Free version will have a generous helping of the features. It'll be fully functional and not crippled. The Pro will have a few more icing features, but stuff that can be lived without.

I'm not an expert on pricing strategies, so this is just my opinion tossed out there: That's a reasonable, relatively low price point, so I think a small discount would be all right. But it depends on how many users you have, and what their current opinion of the value of your pro version (vs. the free one) would be.

Have you gotten $25 worth of testing, feedback, bugs, tweaks, etc... out of your average beta tester? I'll bet you have.

If so, you should give them a free pro copy, and ask them to introduce their friends to your software. If your beta testers are a good sales demographic, they probably have many friends who are also good sales demographic folks.

I wouldn't say our average tester has given us $25 worth of testing. But some definitely have, even more than $25 worth. Separating these after the fact is potentially sticky.

Well, would there be some not-sticky way of separating them after the fact? like, say, based on amount of non-trivial input they've given? There are sometimes beta "testers" who never really give any input.

For my startup, we're providing a service we'll be charging for monthly. All the beta testers will get some kind of discount we've yet to figure out yet (a few months free, most likely, or some steep discount) and all beta testers actually telling us about issues something probably double that if not more.

I guess I just don't like the idea of rewarding someone giving me absolutely nothing in return equally as someone giving me invaluable amounts of help.

In general you don't need to give beta testers much more than thanks, and the chance to try shiny new things. Earnest thanks tends to make them pretty happy, all by itself.

Btw, What's your startup, silencio? My email is dani.fong at gmail.

BumpTop. http://bumptop.com a 3D desktop yo.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com