Ask HN: Entrepreneurs, how do you treat free users of your product?
Future buyers or freeloaders? Brand ambassadors or resource-hoggers?
While there are feature/usage/support limitations on them, should time-since-registered or past purchase history also be a factor in servicing them?
Categorizing them can bring some actionable insights I guess.
I asked the same on Reddit, and majorly opined that having free users is good, especially at the initial stage.
https://www.reddit.com/r/startups/comments/1g3e211/how_do_yo...
With the logic provided, I tend to agree with that.
Free users are either future customers or advocates. It helps to categorize them based on their behavior rather than just how long they have been using the product. Look for patterns like how often they engage and which features they use. Engaged free users are more likely to convert or recommend your product. If some users are not adding value, guide them toward conversion with upsells or incentives. A referral program can also unlock value from free users. The goal is to balance engagement with sustainability, giving value to those who might become paying customers while minimizing the drain on resources.
"The goal is to balance engagement with sustainability", superbly summed up.
Personally, I don't do "free tiers" for my commercial offerings. I do free trials instead. I think that its important not to set false expectations right from the start, and free tiers almost always set false expectations.
I acknowledge your choice. With a lot of discussion recently, and some first hand-experience, I realized there could be a way to make free work. Might need experimentation, but should be possible.
I don’t do “free”. Free is bad for everyone: the paying customers, me, and eventually the feee customers as well
I used to think the same. But now I know there are many cases where free can be good if approached rightly.