Freemium Blog

Can we create an even better business model innovation by adopting even more design thinking? I have been working with methods based on Discovery Driven Planning. It is essentially a framework for adapting plans according to what you discover in the real world. Methods like the business model canvas are deeply rooted in design thinking, but how do we add additional tools to create true business model design. About design Design thinking is about using the designer’s approach to solving problems and developing new design. A ‘Great ... Read More

Skype the very popular VoIP service lets people make phone calls over the internet. Calls between two computers is free while calls to regular phones and other valued added services are charged to the user. Skype is one of the poster boys for the freemium business model. It is a great way of showing how freemium can be used to successfully build a business. Free The ability to call for free between two computers Premium Calling landlines or mobile phones world wide (at a price that is much lower than normal phone charges) Other value added ... Read More

While Bookmooch is not a publishing house in the conventional sense of the word they are an example of an interesting business model in the book world. They facilitate free exchange of books between people. This is done free of charge and they generate revenue by referring people to amazon. Free Facilitation of private book exchange Premium Books purchased through amazon if you cannot find them on Bookmooch More Behind this fantastic idea is John Buckman, who is also the man behind ... Read More

An application that lets you send text messages on the iPhone or iPod touch. They follow a model that is very normal for iPhone applications. The lite version of the application is free and the advanced version is offered for a price. In the case of text free, the lite version lets you send 15text messages a day, something that should satisfy most users however, for $6 you get the premium version of the application and free texting for one full year. Why is it interesting? Free: The Lite version that enables you to send 15 text messages a day ... Read More

Many non-profit organizations have their founder or CEOs give inspirational speeches on achievements in their chosen fields or areas of specialization. This is a good way of generating income while spreading the word. Free The work being done by the non-profit organization Premium The CEO/Founder giving an inspirational ... Read More

The mechanism behind the idea of freemium is stable in many non-fiction areas. This is particularly true in the case of business books. While a great number of books are freely available the authors generate significant amounts of money from speaking and consulting assignments. It is no surprise that many authors have taken cognizance of this and provided free copies of their books in an effort to garner more speaking and consulting assignments. Free: The book Premium: Speaking and consulting in the areas of expertise More: Examples of this ... Read More

O’Reilly is a publisher of technical books. They are amongst the first publishers that allowed the free downloads of some of their books online Free: Books in digital form Premium: The book in premium digital format or in physical forms. Besides this they are very good at monetizing the content of books in many different ways. Watch the video to get a fair idea More: Tim O’Reilly makes the argument for Open Publishing @ TOC 2009 from Open Publishing Lab @ RIT on ... Read More

Poetry speaks supplies poetry online. Readers can read the poem or hear the author recite it online for free. If you want it downloaded in the MP3 format or want a printed version then you have to pay for it. Free: Ability to read it online or hear the author read it for free Premium: MP3 downloads or printed texts More: Poetry speaks started as books with CDs where you could hear the poet read. The great success of these books led to this new innovative ... Read More

What did they do? Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich, and Rosati one of silicon valley’s dominant law fims have created a free term sheet generator. It is a modified version of the tool they use internally. Based on your input it generates a document similar to the one you would normally pay for. Free: The ability to generate term sheets Premium: Other services of the law firm See more on their webpage http://www.wsgr.com/wsgr/Display.aspx?SectionName=practice/termsheet.htm or ... Read More

The example used by Yohai Benkler in his great book “The wealth of Network”. Scholarly lawyers have for long been writing articles for little or no money in order to get consultancy business from firms and individuals in their area of specialization. This is perhaps the archetypical case showing that such models work has been around for a while even before the advent of the internet. Free: A scholarly article in a specialized area of law e.g. Criminal law, constitutional law or Tax law Premium: Services offered to clients in specific areas ... Read More