The hottest Pricing Strategy Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

For Starters #35: 3.5 Tips for Pricing

For Starters • 39 implied HN points • 18 Oct 24
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Pricing should highlight what makes your product special. If customers understand its unique value, they're more likely to use it.
  2. Help your customers see the benefits fast. Make onboarding smooth and ensure they quickly experience the product's value.
  3. Don't worry about making your product perfect before setting a price. Charge based on the value customers see now, not on what you want it to eventually be.

The future of AI pricing

The AI Frontier • 259 implied HN points • 15 Aug 24
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. AI tools should use work-based pricing instead of seat-based pricing. This means companies pay for the amount of work the AI actually does, not just who has access to it.
  2. Consumption-based pricing isn't new; it's been around in various forms for a long time. Many software services bill customers based on how much they use, which can help companies understand costs better.
  3. Work-based pricing can make customers skeptical because it's hard to measure what 'work done' means. Companies need to show how AI adds value and build trust with users.

Stuff Worth Reading - Sep 2024

clkao@substack • 79 implied HN points • 30 Sep 24
🕹 Technology Pricing Strategy
  1. GitHub succeeded because it created tools that developers really wanted and used. The combination of Git's technical features and GitHub's social features made it very popular.
  2. The analytics and data workflow still lag behind traditional development methods. It's important to find better ways to show the value of data to businesses.
  3. There's a new way to think about pricing that considers what buyers really want, not just traditional methods. This can lead to smarter pricing strategies.

How I Identify Clients From Hell

VERY GOOD PRODUCTIZED GUIDES • 159 implied HN points • 19 Aug 24
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Choosing clients based on shared values and respect makes work more enjoyable. It's important to list what matters most to you in a client relationship.
  2. Your portfolio should showcase work that you are proud of and leads to future opportunities. Focus on clients who will help enhance your portfolio, rather than just any client.
  3. Pricing should reflect the value of your work and your beliefs. Be firm on your rates, but consider flexibility if a client aligns with your values and can enhance your portfolio.

Amazon Faces a Complex China Calculus as Trade War Continues

Big Technology • 2376 implied HN points • 11 Jul 25
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Amazon is increasingly relying on Chinese sellers, with over 60% of its sellers based in China now, compared to just 10% a decade ago. This shift has helped Amazon provide more products at lower prices.
  2. Recent tariffs from the U.S. government have made it more expensive for Amazon to sell Chinese goods. These costs will likely be passed on to customers, making products more expensive.
  3. Despite these challenges, Amazon can navigate through its strong seller relationships and logistics capabilities. The situation may even lead to some positive changes in how Amazon does business.
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OpenAI's Enterprise AI Strategy Is Coming Together (2026)

Enterprise AI Trends • 168 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. OpenAI is shifting from selling raw API tokens to outcome-based, value-sharing deals where it takes a percentage of the value its models help generate.
  2. After cutting inference costs and building ad and free-tier infrastructure, OpenAI is reaccelerating enterprise efforts with consulting, partnerships, and senior sales hires to win back customers.
  3. Combining value-based pricing with service-led sales and org changes aims to prevent model commoditization, capture more application value, and raise switching costs for rivals and clients.

How to crush AI native startups (as an incumbent): Part 1

Enterprise AI Trends • 21 implied HN points • 07 Dec 25
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Big incumbents are building playbooks to defend their enterprise market share from AI-native startups.
  2. Their main play is to force startups into expensive pricing and capital wars, turning competition into a high-stakes fight of resources.
  3. Pricing for enterprise AI (especially token pricing) is becoming a frontline battleground in 2026, with M&A and product moves set to follow.

How to Monetize AI Agents: Lessons from Cursor's Pricing

Enterprise AI Trends • 63 implied HN points • 12 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Pricing Strategy
  1. AI companies are focusing more on monetizing their agents to ensure profitability, especially in the enterprise market. This shift is important as growth is starting to slow down.
  2. Recent pricing changes from AI agents like Cursor reflect a common trend where companies are moving away from request-based pricing to more stable models, like token-based billing.
  3. Users have reacted strongly to unexpected billing changes, indicating that clear communication about pricing is crucial for companies in this space.

5 Pricing Ideas to Drive Upgrades

Good Better Best • 4 implied HN points • 09 Jan 26
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Use billing cycles to filter for commitment when time-to-value is long — require quarterly or longer billing for products that need setup and hands-on support so customers stay long enough to get real value.
  2. Replace seat-based caps with usage metrics that map to customer value. Charge on things like ingestion, traces, or feature usage so teams can collaborate freely while you monetize real usage.
  3. Default to self-serve onboarding and sell human onboarding as a paid option, offer flexible add-ons that are bundled at higher tiers but purchasable on lower tiers, and when raising prices move the whole ladder with bigger increases at the entry level to drive upgrades.

Personalized Pricing: History, Economics, and Impact of AI-Driven Price Discrimination

Gad’s Newsletter • 41 implied HN points • 28 Jul 25
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Personalized pricing means companies set different prices for different people, which can increase their profits but might not always be fair. This trend is growing, especially with airlines using AI to set prices based on individual customer data.
  2. While personalized pricing can help some customers get better deals, it can also lead to others paying more. This can create feelings of unfairness and make customers lose trust in companies.
  3. As personalized pricing becomes more common, companies may need to be more transparent about how prices are set. This could help balance profit motives with consumer trust and fairness.

I don’t care who sets the price

Economic Forces • 15 implied HN points • 06 Nov 25
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Setting a price and controlling a price are two different things. A company can announce its prices but still have little control over them due to market forces.
  2. The actual burden of taxes or economic influences doesn't change based on who is responsible for payments or price announcements. What matters is how supply and demand interact in the market.
  3. Competition and market structure are what really determine pricing power. Even if a firm sets a price, its ability to change that price depends on the competitive environment around it.

JTBD-ing churn 🧲

The SaaS Baton • 78 implied HN points • 02 Aug 23
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Implement switch interviews to understand why customers stop using your product.
  2. Build a partner referral channel from the beginning to drive demand without heavy marketing spending.
  3. Utilize pricing exercises and customer feedback to ensure you are charging appropriately for your product.

Increasing Prices Without Losing Your Current Clients

Tiny Empires • 24 implied HN points • 05 Feb 25
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. To increase prices without losing clients, focus on adding value first. People are willing to pay more if they see higher value in what you're offering.
  2. Create different service tiers to give clients options. This keeps current clients happy while attracting new ones to higher-priced services.
  3. Shift your conversation from what you deliver to what results your service provides. This way, clients understand the true worth of your services.

Value != Price

Tech Ramblings • 19 implied HN points • 16 Jul 23
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Value and price are not the same. People often pay more for brands or status rather than for actual utility.
  2. It's easy to set prices based on user value for certain products, like software, but it’s trickier for physical goods like cars and clothes.
  3. Luxury products have high prices because of the status they carry, not necessarily because they offer more utility compared to cheaper options.

How relative pricing shapes customer choices

A Bit Gamey • 6 implied HN points • 29 Dec 24
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. The value of a product often relies on how it's compared to other options. If you see a bad choice, it can make the others look better.
  2. Using a three-tier pricing model can influence customer decisions. Setting prices close together can nudge people towards the more expensive option.
  3. It's smart to always have a higher-priced option available. Even if it doesn't sell much, it can make lower-priced options appear more attractive.

What Agentforce says about the State of Agents

Good Better Best • 2 implied HN points • 23 May 25
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Salesforce is changing its pricing model to be more flexible, allowing customers to pay based on the specific actions their AI tools perform. This means businesses can better align costs with what they actually use.
  2. The development of hybrid pricing models shows that the market for AI is still growing and evolving. Companies are exploring new ways to find a balance between human workers and AI.
  3. A strong pricing infrastructure is crucial for companies. Those that can adapt their pricing strategies easily will have an advantage as the landscape of AI and enterprise software continues to shift.

🧱 How to Build toward Outcome Based Pricing

Good Better Best • 3 implied HN points • 07 Feb 25
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Companies are shifting from seat-based pricing to outcome-based pricing. This means they want to offer more value for what customers pay, instead of just charging per user.
  2. Add-ons and features can help users get more done without changing the whole pricing structure. This lets companies gradually move towards pricing based on results rather than just how many seats a customer has.
  3. Having complex pricing models can be beneficial. They allow businesses to charge different amounts to different customers based on what they need, capturing more value and catering to various market segments.

Pricing Roundup: AI Pricing is Everywhere

Good Better Best • 1 implied HN point • 25 Jul 25
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Introducing Private Questions lets users ask pricing questions directly and get answers from experts. It's a useful way to get help when you need it most.
  2. Clear communication about pricing changes is essential to avoid backlash from customers. If people don't fully understand new pricing models, it can lead to frustration and confusion.
  3. Bundling features into existing pricing plans can be smart for companies, but it may also upset customers who feel their choices are limited. Balancing value with customer control is key.

Inside Statsig's Pricing Philosophy 📈

Good Better Best • 3 implied HN points • 08 Nov 24
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Statsig has a clear pricing philosophy. They only charge for features that cost them money and create real value for their customers.
  2. Their pricing model uses a mix of free and tiered plans to attract users. This helps users easily test the product and upgrade as they grow.
  3. Statsig keeps their pricing competitive by showing comparisons with other similar tools. This transparency helps potential customers understand their options.

How Intercom Launched Fin AI

Good Better Best • 3 implied HN points • 18 Oct 24
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Teasing features before they launch can create excitement. It helps customers know what's coming and encourages the team to work harder.
  2. Doing a soft launch allows a company to gather feedback and make improvements. It's important to stay flexible and adapt based on what you learn.
  3. Having a pricing strategy ready before launching is crucial. It saves time and helps ensure the product is set to succeed right from the start.

Creating Pricing Power through M&A

Good Better Best • 2 implied HN points • 15 Nov 24
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. SaaS companies can use acquisitions to improve their products, which lets them raise prices confidently by adding new features.
  2. Acquisitions help expand a company's offerings into a platform, allowing them to bundle products and sell them together more effectively.
  3. By acquiring diverse companies, a SaaS leader can use extreme discounting to win competitive deals, making it easier to attract new customers.

A Guide to Pricing Research, Part I

Good Better Best • 3 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Start pricing research externally with quantitative surveys, using methodologies like MaxDiff, Conjoint, Van Westendorp, and Gabor Granger to understand customer preferences and price sensitivity.
  2. Consider using survey vendors like Qualtrics, QuestionPro, SawTooth, or Conjointly based on your product, team sophistication, and target market for data collection.
  3. For deeper insights, conduct qualitative interviews to explore nuances and motivations behind pricing decisions, ensuring flexibility, validity, and complementing quantitative efforts.

Financial Management: Volume/Price/Mix

Logos • 0 implied HN points • 13 Jul 20
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. You can increase revenue by either selling more products or charging more for each product. Both factors are crucial for business growth.
  2. Revenue changes can result from mix effects, like selling different amounts of higher-priced items. This means even if total sales and prices stay constant, the types of products sold can impact overall revenue.
  3. When analyzing revenue, it's important to break down the effects of volume, price, and mix separately. Understanding these can help businesses make better financial decisions.

Financial Management: Final Thoughts

Logos • 0 implied HN points • 22 Aug 20
💼 Business Pricing Strategy
  1. Understanding how to grow revenue by adjusting volume, price, or mix is important in any industry. This principle can apply to companies from tech giants like Google to service providers.
  2. It’s crucial for managers to set prices based on the relationship between marginal revenue and cost. This can lead to better profit margins, and companies should explore creative pricing tactics.
  3. Many financial processes should be automated, but employees often don’t push for it due to inertia or lack of skills. To improve efficiency, companies need to encourage streamlining operations and invest in good data.