Pricing strategy skill
When the user wants to plan, design, or optimize pricing strategy and structure.
by kostja94·MIT license·★ 1,006 Stars on the repo·GitHub ↗
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SKILL.md
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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
Project context: Read root contextus.md when present and load only the modules relevant to this task. Without Contextus, use available project material or user-provided facts and ask for missing information; do not create a parallel context system.
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 | |
| 2 | name pricing-strategy |
| 3 | description 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 | metadata |
| 5 | version 1.0.1 |
| 6 | |
| 7 | |
| 8 | # Strategies: Pricing |
| 9 | |
| 10 | 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**. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | **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. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | ## Initial Assessment |
| 15 | |
| 16 | **Project context:** Read root `contextus.md` when present and load only the modules relevant to this task. Without Contextus, use available project material or user-provided facts and ask for missing information; do not create a parallel context system. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | Identify: |
| 19 | **Product type**: SaaS, tool, e-commerce |
| 20 | **Value metric**: What drives value (seats, usage, features) |
| 21 | **Market**: Competitor pricing; willingness to pay |
| 22 | **Goals**: Revenue, adoption, retention |
| 23 | |
| 24 | ## Pricing Models |
| 25 | |
| 26 | | Model | Use | |
| 27 | |-------|-----| |
| 28 | | **Subscription** | Recurring; monthly/annual; most SaaS | |
| 29 | | **Freemium** | Free tier + paid; adoption then conversion | |
| 30 | | **Usage-based** | Pay per use; API, credits | |
| 31 | | **One-time** | Perpetual license; some tools | |
| 32 | | **Hybrid** | Base + usage; tiered + overage | |
| 33 | |
| 34 | **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. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | ## Tier Design |
| 37 | |
| 38 | **2–4 tiers** typical; avoid too many options |
| 39 | **Differentiation**: Clear "best for" per tier; feature gates |
| 40 | **Anchoring**: Lead with mid-tier or annual; make target option obvious |
| 41 | **Value metric**: Align price to value (seats, projects, API calls) |
| 42 | |
| 43 | ## Anchoring & Presentation |
| 44 | |
| 45 | **Annual discount**: 15–25% for annual prepay; improves cash flow |
| 46 | **Decoy**: Higher tier makes mid-tier look better |
| 47 | **Most popular**: Highlight recommended plan |
| 48 | **Price display**: Monthly vs annual; show savings |
| 49 | |
| 50 | ## When to Use Discounts |
| 51 | |
| 52 | Discounts apply on top of base pricing. See **discount-marketing-strategy** for: |
| 53 | |
| 54 | Annual commitment discounts |
| 55 | First-time / new customer promotions |
| 56 | Lifetime deals (LTD) |
| 57 | Seasonal (BFCM) |
| 58 | Referral, contest, affiliate codes |
| 59 | |
| 60 | **Principle**: Set base price for long-term value; use discounts tactically for acquisition, retention, or cash flow. |
| 61 | |
| 62 | ## Output Format |
| 63 | |
| 64 | **Pricing model** recommendation |
| 65 | **Tier structure** (plans, features, price points) |
| 66 | **Anchoring** approach |
| 67 | **Discount** fit (when to use; reference discount-marketing-strategy) |
| 68 | **pricing-page-generator** (page execution) |
| 69 | |
| 70 | ## Related Skills |
| 71 | |
| 72 | **discount-marketing-strategy**: Promotional pricing; when and how to discount |
| 73 | **pricing-page-generator**: Pricing page content, structure, conversion |
| 74 | **landing-page-generator**: Click-through to pricing |
| 75 | **localization-strategy**: Pricing by market (true localization vs cosmetic); see Pricing Strategies section |
| 76 |
Discussion
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