Marketing Pricing Strategy

---
name: marketing-pricing-strategy
description: Evaluate pricing models against competitors and the product's value metric, then recommend tiers, price points, packaging and discounts. Use when the user is deciding what to charge, choosing per-seat, usage-based or freemium, or restructuring plans. Not for making an existing paywall or upgrade prompt convert better; see /marketing-paywall-upgrade-cro.
metadata:
  argument-hint: "[project] [--skip-checks]"
  workflow: marketing
  phase: 0
  artifact: 00-strategy.md
---

# Pricing Strategy

Evaluate and recommend pricing strategy for "$ARGUMENTS". Analyze pricing models, tier structures, packaging, and competitive pricing.

**Arguments.** `$ARGUMENTS` may contain the project name and optional flags. Take the first token as `<project>` and treat `--skip-checks` as a flag; never include flags in file paths. All paths below use `<project>`. If `--skip-checks` is present, skip the prerequisite check and, **before writing any artifact**, append one line to `.singularskills/log.jsonl`: `{"ts":"<ISO timestamp>","skill":"marketing-pricing-strategy","workflow":"marketing","phase":0,"project":"<project>","event":"skipped","artifact":"00-strategy.md","note":"<reason or \"none given\">"}`.

## Prerequisites

**Part of a workflow.** This skill is phase 0 (Strategy) of the RACE Framework workflow (`marketing`); cross-domain workflows run it too. First check `.singularskills/log.jsonl` for an open run for this project: a `run-started` line with `"project":"<project>"` and no later `run-finished` line for the same `workflow` and `project`. If one exists, the conductor is running you: continue here. Otherwise, if the user asked to start, run, continue or resume a process or workflow rather than this one step, do not continue here: invoke the `workflow` skill with the workflow the user asked for, or `marketing` when they named none, followed by `<project>`; it runs this phase in order, asks before it writes and records the run. Otherwise, unless the user named this skill, ask one question, since this is the first phase of its workflow: "Just this step, or the whole RACE Framework workflow?" End your turn and wait; on the whole workflow, hand off the same way; on just this step, continue here.

**Recall.** Before you ask the user anything, look for what this repository already holds about `<project>`: if a tool is available whose description says it searches or maps this repository (a memory or repo-map server such as `repo_map` or `entities`), query it for `<project>` and this phase's subject and read what it returns, keeping only results from this repository; in every case also list `.singularskills/*/<project>/` and read the **Decisions** and **Open questions** of any artifact there, and the lines of `.singularskills/log.jsonl` whose `project` is `<project>`. After your section's italic line, add a `### Recalled` subsection of at most ten lines naming what you found and where (path or tool), or the single line `Nothing recalled: no earlier artifacts, log lines or memory results for <project>.` Ask the user only what this did not answer. The trail's shape is described in `references/memory/trail.md`, bundled with this skill.

Before you start work, append this line to `.singularskills/log.jsonl` (create the folder and file if missing): `{"ts":"<ISO timestamp>","skill":"marketing-pricing-strategy","workflow":"marketing","phase":0,"project":"<project>","event":"started","artifact":"00-strategy.md","note":""}`.

Read `.singularskills/marketing/<project>/00-strategy.md`. If this file does not exist, suggest running `/marketing-customer-research <project>` first to understand the audience.

## Process

1. **Read context:**
   - Read `.singularskills/marketing/<project>/00-strategy.md` for audience and competitor data
   - Read `references/race-framework-guide.md` for methodology reference

2. **Analyze current pricing landscape:**
   - Use WebSearch to research competitor pricing for "<project>" category
   - Use WebFetch to read pricing pages of top competitors
   - Document: pricing models (flat, usage, per-seat, freemium), price points, tier structures

3. **Evaluate pricing models:**
   - Which model aligns with the value metric? (what do users pay for?)
   - Flat rate vs. usage-based vs. per-seat vs. hybrid
   - Free tier / freemium considerations
   - Annual vs. monthly pricing and discount strategy

4. **Design tier structure:**
   - Recommend tier names, price points, and feature allocation
   - Apply the "good-better-best" framework
   - Identify the anchor tier (where most users should land)
   - Define upgrade triggers between tiers

5. **Pricing psychology:**
   - Anchoring: which tier makes the target tier look like a deal?
   - Charm pricing vs. round numbers for the category
   - Annual discount percentage recommendations
   - Free trial vs. freemium decision

6. **Write the artifact** — append to `.singularskills/marketing/<project>/00-strategy.md` under a `## Pricing Strategy` section. Create the file with a `# Strategy — <project>` heading if it does not exist; if a `## Pricing Strategy` section already exists, replace only that section. The section contains:
   - **Competitive Pricing Landscape** — what competitors charge and how
   - **Recommended Model** — pricing model with rationale
   - **Tier Structure** — tiers, price points, features per tier
   - **Pricing Psychology** — anchoring, discount strategy
   - **Risks & Considerations** — potential issues with recommended approach

## Output

Pricing strategy appended to `.singularskills/marketing/<project>/00-strategy.md`. Present a summary highlighting:
- Recommended pricing model and why
- Proposed tier structure with price points
- Key pricing psychology tactics to apply

**Record the run.** After you have written your section, append this line to `.singularskills/log.jsonl` (the `started` line of Prerequisites, with `"event":"finished"`): `{"ts":"<ISO timestamp>","skill":"marketing-pricing-strategy","workflow":"marketing","phase":0,"project":"<project>","event":"finished","artifact":"00-strategy.md","note":""}`.

This artifact is shared by every skill of phase 0 (Strategy). The frontmatter is written once, by whoever creates the file: if you create it, open it with the block below (`skill` is the phase title, `started` the time of that first write; `gate` is `none`, as this phase has no gate); if it already exists, leave the block alone except to update `finished`.

```yaml
---
skill: Strategy
workflow: marketing
phase: 0
project: <project>
started: <ISO timestamp>
finished: <ISO timestamp>
agent: <the agent you run in, or "unknown">
gate: none
---
```

Open your `## Pricing Strategy` section with one italic line, `*<skill name> · <ISO timestamp> · gate: none*` (your skill name is `marketing-pricing-strategy`).

End your section with `### Decisions` and `### Open questions` (one level under your `## Pricing Strategy` heading, so the section stays one block), in this shape:

```markdown
### Decisions
- <what was chosen> — <why> — <what was rejected>

### Open questions
- <what the next phase or a reviewer must settle>
```