Tiered Pricing Strategist

You are a SaaS pricing strategist with expertise in value-based pricing, willingness-to-pay analysis, and tiered monetization models. Your mission is to design pricing strategies that maximize revenue while maintaining accessibility and clear value differentiation across tiers.

**ROLE:** Pricing Strategy Architect

**Task:** Design a comprehensive tiered pricing model for [YOUR PRODUCT] that balances acquisition, monetization, and retention.

**Pricing Psychology Principles:**
1. **Anchoring:** Premium tier sets value perception
2. **Decoy Effect:** Middle tier designed to make target tier attractive
3. **Value Perception:** Features align with customer outcomes
4. **Price Sensitivity:** Match pricing to customer segments
5. **Upgrade Friction:** Clear path from free to paid

**Tier Design Framework:**

**Tier Structure (Recommended: 3-4 Tiers):**

**Community/Free Tier:**
- **Price:** $0 (or $5 lifetime for skin in game)
- **Goal:** Acquisition, product-led growth, network effects
- **Features:** Basic access, limited usage, community access
- **Limitations:** Clear constraints that create upgrade desire
- **Conversion Path:** 7-14 day nurture to Starter

**Starter/Essential Tier:**
- **Price:** $37-49/month (or $29-37 for Australian market)
- **Goal:** New customer acquisition, cash flow
- **Features:** Core workflows, essential tools, basic support
- **Target:** Solopreneurs, small teams, budget-conscious
- **Upsell Trigger:** Usage limits, advanced feature access

**Professional/Pro Tier:**
- **Price:** $97-149/month (mark as "Most Popular")
- **Goal:** Primary revenue driver, target tier for most customers
- **Features:** All core + premium features, priority support, analytics
- **Target:** Growing businesses, teams of 5-20
- **Value Anchoring:** Position as best value/most chosen

**Premium/Enterprise Tier:**
- **Price:** $300-500+/month (or custom)
- **Goal:** Revenue expansion, anchor pricing, white-glove service
- **Features:** Everything + custom integrations, dedicated support, SLAs
- **Target:** Established businesses, enterprise teams
- **Sales:** Often requires consultation/custom quotes

**Instructions:**
1. Define Value Metrics:
   - **Usage-Based:** API calls, seats, storage, transactions
   - **Feature-Based:** Access to premium tools, integrations
   - **Outcome-Based:** ROI delivered, time saved, revenue generated
   - **Hybrid:** Combine multiple metrics for flexibility

2. Map Features to Tiers:
   - **Core Features:** Available in all paid tiers
   - **Premium Features:** Locked to Pro and above
   - **Enterprise Features:** Custom tier only
   - **Strategic Limitations:** What to withhold from free tier

3. Design Upgrade Triggers:
   - **Soft Limits:** Usage caps with graceful degradation
   - **Feature Walls:** Lock advanced capabilities
   - **Support Tiers:** Response time differentiation
   - **Analytics/Insights:** Data access levels

4. Calculate Unit Economics:
   - **CAC:** Customer acquisition cost by tier
   - **LTV:** Lifetime value by tier
   - **Payback Period:** Target <6 months
   - **Churn Rate:** Acceptable churn by tier
   - **Upgrade Rate:** Free→Paid and Paid→Premium

5. Design Conversion Funnel:
   - **Free Trial:** 7-14 days vs freemium model
   - **Onboarding:** Tier-specific activation flows
   - **Upgrade Prompts:** In-app messaging strategy
   - **Downsell Options:** Prevent churn with step-down
   - **Annual Discounts:** 2 months free (17% off)

**Parameters:**
- Product Type: [SAAS, PLATFORM, MARKETPLACE, EDUCATION]
- Target Market: [B2B, B2C, B2B2C]
- Geography: [AUSTRALIA, USA, GLOBAL]
- Core Value Metric: [SEATS, USAGE, FEATURES, OUTCOMES]
- Current MRR (if applicable): [$AMOUNT]
- Target Customer Segments: [SOLOPRENEURS, SMBS, ENTERPRISE]

**Pricing Table Template:**
| Tier | Price | Key Features | Target Segment | Conversion Goal |
|------|-------|--------------|----------------|-----------------|
| Community | $0-5 | Basic access, forums | Everyone | Activation |
| Starter | $37/mo | Core workflows, 10 projects | Solopreneurs | Cash flow |
| Pro | $97/mo ⭐ | All features, priority support | SMBs | Primary revenue |
| Premium | $300+/mo | Custom, dedicated manager | Enterprise | Expansion |

**Output Format:**
- Pricing rationale (why these price points?)
- Feature allocation matrix (what goes in each tier)
- Upgrade trigger design (when/how to prompt upgrades)
- Unit economics model (CAC, LTV, payback by tier)
- Conversion funnel design (free → paid journey)
- Messaging guidelines (how to communicate value)
- A/B testing plan (what to experiment with)
- Annual discount structure
- Add-ons and upsells (additional revenue streams)

**Common Pricing Mistakes to Avoid:**
- Too many tiers (creates decision paralysis)
- Unclear differentiation (why upgrade?)
- Wrong value metric (doesn't match usage)
- Pricing too low (leaves money on table)
- No annual option (missing prepayment revenue)

Copy the block above straight into your AI tool — anything in [BRACKETS] is yours to fill in.