Strategies: Pricing
Guides pricing strategy and structure for SaaS, tools, and products. Covers pricing models, tier design, anchoring, and when to apply discounts. For pricing page content and layout, see pricing-page-generator. For discount and promotional pricing, see discount-marketing-strategy.
When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
Initial Assessment
Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for product, value proposition, and competitors.
Identify:
- Product type: SaaS, tool, e-commerce
- Value metric: What drives value (seats, usage, features)
- Market: Competitor pricing; willingness to pay
- Goals: Revenue, adoption, retention
Pricing Models
| Model |
Use |
| Subscription |
Recurring; monthly/annual; most SaaS |
| Freemium |
Free tier + paid; adoption then conversion |
| Usage-based |
Pay per use; API, credits |
| One-time |
Perpetual license; some tools |
| Hybrid |
Base + usage; tiered + overage |
Variable-cost products (compute, API, AI): When per-user cost varies widely (heavy users cost 10×+ light users), uniform subscription often fails. Use usage-based, credits, or tiered-by-usage; align price to cost structure.
Tier Design
- 2–4 tiers typical; avoid too many options
- Differentiation: Clear "best for" per tier; feature gates
- Anchoring: Lead with mid-tier or annual; make target option obvious
- Value metric: Align price to value (seats, projects, API calls)
Anchoring & Presentation
- Annual discount: 15–25% for annual prepay; improves cash flow
- Decoy: Higher tier makes mid-tier look better
- Most popular: Highlight recommended plan
- Price display: Monthly vs annual; show savings
When to Use Discounts
Discounts apply on top of base pricing. See discount-marketing-strategy for:
- Annual commitment discounts
- First-time / new customer promotions
- Lifetime deals (LTD)
- Seasonal (BFCM)
- Referral, contest, affiliate codes
Principle: Set base price for long-term value; use discounts tactically for acquisition, retention, or cash flow.
Output Format
- Pricing model recommendation
- Tier structure (plans, features, price points)
- Anchoring approach
- Discount fit (when to use; reference discount-marketing-strategy)
- pricing-page-generator (page execution)
Related Skills
- discount-marketing-strategy: Promotional pricing; when and how to discount
- pricing-page-generator: Pricing page content, structure, conversion
- landing-page-generator: Click-through to pricing
- localization-strategy: Pricing by market (true localization vs cosmetic); see Pricing Strategies section
1---2name: pricing-strategy3description: When the user wants to plan, design, or optimize pricing strategy and structure. Also use when the user mentions "pricing strategy," "pricing model," "pricing tiers," "freemium," "value-based pricing," "anchoring," "price structure," or "monetization strategy." For pricing page, use pricing-page-generator.4---56# Strategies: Pricing78Guides pricing strategy and structure for SaaS, tools, and products. Covers pricing models, tier design, anchoring, and when to apply discounts. For pricing **page** content and layout, see **pricing-page-generator**. For **discount** and promotional pricing, see **discount-marketing-strategy**.910**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.1112## Initial Assessment1314**Check for project context first:** If `.claude/project-context.md` or `.cursor/project-context.md` exists, read it for product, value proposition, and competitors.1516Identify:171. **Product type**: SaaS, tool, e-commerce182. **Value metric**: What drives value (seats, usage, features)193. **Market**: Competitor pricing; willingness to pay204. **Goals**: Revenue, adoption, retention2122## Pricing Models2324| Model | Use |25|-------|-----|26| **Subscription** | Recurring; monthly/annual; most SaaS |27| **Freemium** | Free tier + paid; adoption then conversion |28| **Usage-based** | Pay per use; API, credits |29| **One-time** | Perpetual license; some tools |30| **Hybrid** | Base + usage; tiered + overage |3132**Variable-cost products** (compute, API, AI): When per-user cost varies widely (heavy users cost 10×+ light users), uniform subscription often fails. Use usage-based, credits, or tiered-by-usage; align price to cost structure.3334## Tier Design3536- **2–4 tiers** typical; avoid too many options37- **Differentiation**: Clear "best for" per tier; feature gates38- **Anchoring**: Lead with mid-tier or annual; make target option obvious39- **Value metric**: Align price to value (seats, projects, API calls)4041## Anchoring & Presentation4243- **Annual discount**: 15–25% for annual prepay; improves cash flow44- **Decoy**: Higher tier makes mid-tier look better45- **Most popular**: Highlight recommended plan46- **Price display**: Monthly vs annual; show savings4748## When to Use Discounts4950Discounts apply on top of base pricing. See **discount-marketing-strategy** for:5152- Annual commitment discounts53- First-time / new customer promotions54- Lifetime deals (LTD)55- Seasonal (BFCM)56- Referral, contest, affiliate codes5758**Principle**: Set base price for long-term value; use discounts tactically for acquisition, retention, or cash flow.5960## Output Format6162- **Pricing model** recommendation63- **Tier structure** (plans, features, price points)64- **Anchoring** approach65- **Discount** fit (when to use; reference discount-marketing-strategy)66- **pricing-page-generator** (page execution)6768## Related Skills6970- **discount-marketing-strategy**: Promotional pricing; when and how to discount71- **pricing-page-generator**: Pricing page content, structure, conversion72- **landing-page-generator**: Click-through to pricing73- **localization-strategy**: Pricing by market (true localization vs cosmetic); see Pricing Strategies section
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