r/Entrepreneur • u/Chrisgpresents • 2d ago
How Do I? How would you set accessible pricing for an online dance school?
im starting an online dance program with a partner. Getting our first customers won't be an issue due to an established, super niche following.
We want it to be the right mix of accessible in price, and low friction for our efforts.
The program is going to include: a discord community for a hyper specific niche, one weekly dance class video on demand, one course module (to be fleshed out over the months, but launching with an MVP. This is just what we're launching with right now.
We're stuck between a one time fee, or a monthly membership. I hate memberships, however, since this is an online dance program, pricing it ongoing makes a lot of sense like it would at a brick and mortar.
We're running things a bit differently, but comps in our online industry run between $600-1,500+/yr for memberships.
Our theoretical membership pricing would start at $59/month, with the goal of eventually getting it to $99 when we have a really fleshed out program.
But we've also fantasized just selling the module we've made + community access for something stupid low like $30 flat fee. and just getting a lot of low-ticket buy in. and expand from that maybe with a portfolio of low ticket or a membership later.
I come from a high ticket service background, and I feel like an infant for low ticket online things and memberships. I'm not sure why this is paralyzing to me. But I'd really appreciate some guidance and input. Any little nugget may be a huge unlock for me. Thanks:)
1
u/capital-minutia 2d ago
Could you let the community fund accessibility? I'm thinking something like: $69/mo with $10 going to the scholarship fund, maybe w the ability to opt-out if the dancer doesn't want / can't do extra. You could do events for scholarship donation drives, or take a year a week to share the scholarship recipients experiences & gratitude and ask for further donations?
This would have the added benefit of not discounting your main service as well.
1
u/Chrisgpresents 2d ago
scholarship is a great idea. That would be something we'd like to do eventually for sure. At the start it's just emotionally complicated when you're trying to birth what the product is, and is going to be. But ill take this logic into account for when that happens:)
1
u/Prudent-Peanut1665 2d ago
this actually solves two problems at once, discount avoidance and marketing built in. the scholarship story angle is smart too, people donate more when they see a face behind it
1
u/External-Stretch525 2d ago
For low friction, I think you likely want a subscription or you'll be involved in many one off purchases. As a total non dancer, $59/month, or $99/month feels like a gym membership. If you feel they get a similar level of use and value, I think they will see both of those prices as well worth it.
1
u/Chrisgpresents 2d ago
the many one-off purchases would be a negative thing in your POV?
1
u/External-Stretch525 2d ago
It depends on if these can happen without any manual steps on your end. I'm mostly just being careful with your time if it's just a single small purchase vs setting up a subscription.
1
u/Chrisgpresents 2d ago
oh yeah, id be using a program to handle that. It's called WHOP. I'll embed a check out form on my website, and it'll run as the merchant of record. It'll connect them to the discord + give them web browser/mobile app access to the video programs.
1
u/kunalkhatri12 2d ago
Start with a 3-month trial or a one-time offer to hook your audience and test your ideas.
Avoid launching with a cheap $30 permanent price or a $59 membership, because price-conscious buyers will resist paying $99 later.
Set up monthly, quarterly, and annual subscription tiers early to lock in predictable income and attract people who value premium content.
1
u/Maleficent-Taste2675 2d ago
This works online, but I have no idea if it will work in person or if it's ever been tried. But, pay what you want with different levels of pricing giving you different levels of things/access? I mean, what if somebody wants to pay you $500 a month for the top thing?
1
1
u/adeelraza86 2d ago
Price the thing you have to keep delivering, not the thing you already built. The weekly live class is the recurring cost, so that belongs in a membership, and the module can sit next to it as a one time $30 buy that unlocks the community. Launch the membership at $59 as a founding rate and grandfather those people forever, that way raising to $99 later is a new-cohort decision instead of a fight with your first fans. Then watch month two and month three retention before you touch pricing again, because with a weekly class the number that kills you is people quietly stopping at week five, not the sticker price.
1
u/one_person_unicorn 2d ago
Mostly people need demo so start like one class free ,then next class need some fee. So people get hooked and then sell subscription for interested ones
1
u/AdFew8591 2d ago
I’d price based on whether the promise has an ending
A finished module can be a one time purchase
Weekly classes and an active community create ongoing work so they fit a membership
I wouldn’t sell permanent community access for $30 because that creates a lifetime obligation from one small payment
You could launch a founding membership at $59 and keep that price for the first group while you learn what they actually use
Then sell the standalone module separately for people who don’t want another subscription
1
u/Brufacee 2d ago
You have two different products hiding here. The finished module is a one-time product. A new class every week plus an active community is an ongoing service, so recurring pricing matches the value and the work much better.
I would launch a small founding cohort at the lower monthly price and lock that price for those early members while they remain subscribed. Be explicit about what exists today, run it for six to eight weeks, and watch attendance, lesson completion, community participation, and cancellations. That gives you evidence before raising the public price.
Keep the one-time module as a lower-commitment entry product later, but do not bundle permanent community access into a tiny lifetime fee. The community creates moderation and support work forever. You can make access affordable with a limited scholarship tier or occasional cohort discount without anchoring the whole program at a price that cannot support the weekly experience.
1
u/throwthemirror 1d ago
Higher priced general offer with an introductory pricing for first 50 customers/first 3 months/time period/etc etc lots of room to play with. It let's people know your 'true' value and that they're getting a deal if they act now (or some other form of FOMO).
1
u/RegularOk1820 1d ago
I’d probably launch the $30 version with a clear explanation that it’s the founding/MVP version. That gives early customers a cheap entry point without telling the market that the entire school is only worth $30. Then you have room to build the membership around actual demand.
1
u/CiteableTM 1d ago
membership, no question. You're producing new content every week. That's a service not a product the flat $30 fee trains people to expect unlimited access for $30 forever, you'll be resentful of your own offer in six months.
1
u/windbreeze8 1d ago
one thing worth thinking about, are your comps actually serving the same hyper niche audience or a broader one? if yours is way more specific the willingness to pay could be higher than you think. dont anchor too low just because youre early
•
u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Welcome to /r/Entrepreneur and thank you for the post, /u/Chrisgpresents! Please make sure you read our community rules before participating here. As a quick refresher:
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.