How to Sell Your Software

I recently started looking for software online to help streamline the OS I’m using. Of course, it wasn’t too long before I went through an installer that really wanted me to download some random software I didn’t need. I wasn’t too angry, just shocked that RealPlayer is still around.

This started to remind me about some of the software I have paid for in the past and why I paid for them. So I compiled this list on what I believe are good models for selling software and ones I’ve actually bought:

Versions (Standard Trial) — http://versionsapp.com/

• Screenshots on their site which give you an idea of what you’re downloading. We all have experiences of downloading software and then uninstalling them 5 seconds after launching them because we weren’t sure what we were downloading.

• A legitimate 30-day trial. I believe 15-30 days is the time you need to evaluate utilities.

AlienBlue (Bait and Hook) — http://www.alienblue.org/

• This is probably the best model I’ve ever seen. The entire software is practically free with a few small features (ones most people won’t use) disabled. The software was pure awesome, and I was using it so often that I ended up paying the small price of $1.99 just to support the developer. That was a key price. If it was more than $2.99 I probably wouldn’t have put in the effort.

• I was so impressed with this software and constant improvements that I bought Jasmine from the same developer. This has the same model as AlienBlue. In fact, I’m likely to purchase whatever software this developer releases.

Sublime Text (Demo) — http://www.sublimetext.com/

• On the front page of their site, they show a demo of Sublime Text being used. The way it is presented it is nice as well. I don’t want to see a video and hear you talking about your software, I want to see what it does. That’s exactly what their site shows.

• The only downside of this software was it constantly reminded me it was trial software. I wish they would only do this at longer intervals. Say once a week until the trial expired at the end of the month.

SourceTree — http://www.sourcetreeapp.com/

• This is free software from a “big” company. Like the other websites, they have minimal site that shows me what their software does.

• The software is completely free and doesn’t limit operations in any way. In fact, I started looking at their paid products and saw how my old company’s workflow could be improved if we used their full suite. It’s like a clothing store giving you a free shirt, then you realize it would go really well with their jacket.

So here is a list of key features to have me buy your software:

• Show me what it looks like and how easy it is to use before I download it.

• Don’t annoy me while I’m using it. If it’s a trial, let me try it and I promise I’ll pay for it if it’s awesome.

• Have faith that people will buy your software if it is truly great. Don’t punish paying customers out of fear of the ones that will steal your software.

• Price appropriately. I would rather pay for a monthly subscription than shell out $500 for software I plan on only using for a month.

• Bait and hook users to other software by making sure they are impressed with just the software they bought.

• Not everyone can afford your software. I’m not going to lie, I constantly torrented development tools while I was in college because I couldn’t afford them. Your goal should be to get your software to everyone and feel pride in that. The money will follow. There are honest people that will pay for your software if they can afford a reasonable price.