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Ask HN: Launched my free app, now what?

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Ask HN: Launched my free app, now what?

#1

Post by BlueSkies »

I just recently launched my free Twitter bookmarklet app called BigTweet http://bigtweet.com and got my first review http://bit.ly/TiPs

I'm interested in pursuing the freemium model and would like to begin working on some "pro" subscription based features for interfacing to Twitter. Should I let BigTweet grow on its own and work on the advanced features, or spend most of my time enhancing the free version and develop some viral components?

How much time do you spend on developing versus promoting?

Re: Ask HN: Launched my free app, now what?

#2

Post by noodle »

improve the application itself, first. before you start charging for anything, it at the very least needs some polish.

as for development vs promotion, most of the work you'll do to promote your app will probably not generate much attention. figure out what will be most effective and go do that. you're on your own right now, so you don't want to waste a lot of time on things that may or may not work out.

Re: Ask HN: Launched my free app, now what?

#3

Post by BlueSkies »

As I improve the application, would it be reasonable to mark some features as "pro", but not charge for them yet? The idea is to let users know that these particular features are free for now, but will eventually require a subscription.

I suppose I could include a checkbox to "enable" pro features rather than label them directly.

Re: Ask HN: Launched my free app, now what?

#4

Post by trickjarrett »

You need a dedicated audience first before you can begin charging money. You need to just build the app and make this app something the users come to rely on. Twitter is a service designed on simplicity of use and so it isn't exactly prohibitive for them to just not use your app. Charging money might see a few conversions but on the whole, you're not ready for it.

Re: Ask HN: Launched my free app, now what?

#5

Post by teej »

Start work on your next project, or apply for a better job with this as a portfolio piece. To be honest, it's probably much easier to get a 5-10k raise somewhere else with this extra experience than it will be to get people to pay.

Re: Ask HN: Launched my free app, now what?

#6

Post by NoBSWebDesign »

BlueSkies wrote: post #3

As I improve the application, would it be reasonable to mark some features as "pro", but not charge for them yet? The idea is to let users know that these particular features are free for now, but will eventually require a subscription. I suppose I could include a checkbox to "enable" pro features rather than label them directly.

If you are going to charge for the features, you should not make them free, even to begin with. By doing so, you create an initial value in the users' minds of what those features are worth... $0. If anything, charge for the Pro features and gain a good user base (though you might not sell a single Pro account), and then have a one-day special where users can sign up for a month of Pro for free (or something along those lines). This allows them to get a taste of the Pro without eroding the perceived value.

You might also consider making the whole thing free and asking for donations to help you keep the project going and continue improving it and adding features.

As far as building a sustainable business goes, Twitter can't even do that from their own service. It will be difficult at best for you.

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