The (almost) end of 'free' SSiW

[aran]

Hi Aran, my personal opinion is that giving at least some sort of free trial is beneficial with language learning products (and indeed for products and services in many areas of business) simply because it allows people to see what the product/method is like before they pay any money. If they enjoy the free trial and see it works effectively for them, they are more likely to then sign up for the paid courses/monthly subscriptions after that I feel.

Diolch, Neil Yes, I agree strongly from the point of view of the principle of the thing - if we can just get our ad results to match up with a trial offer, that’s definitely where I’d prefer to be…

[stephenbranley]

I think a trial month is a brilliant idea. Where I don’t feel one sentence would have encouraged me to subscribe, I suppose mainly because I already have several monthly subs - Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc - so I’d be reluctant to add another unless I was absolutely sure, a trial period would almost certainly be enough for me to decide. In fact, that’s how it was with Netflix. “Will I watch it enough for it to be worthwhile?” was my thought when I started the trial. The answer was “Yes - as a family it’s worth it”, and I think a month (or probably even a fortnight) of SSIW trial would be enough to see the benefits.

Actually, it was the (generous) offer to grandfather in any new subscribers just before the pricing change a couple of years ago that made me subscribe because I thought at the time “I’d really, really miss this if I didn’t have it” so it was a no-brainer to subscribe at that point. Would I have subscribed at the higher price? Probably, but I’d be more watchful of how often I used the available resources and more likely to pay. As it is, the paltry amount I pay (sorry!) is an amount I feel I can just let run and run (so perhaps it has worked in your favour in the long run!).

[david-44]

I started using SSiW when the first 15 challenges were free. As soon as I discovered I needed to subscribe to get challenges 16 onwards, I subscribed. At that point I knew nothing of the support network on Slack, or of Nia/Deborah the splendid tutors, nor of the video hangouts. For the price of three Costa coffees per month, I think it’s terrific value, although I think for some people anything above £10 a month starts to sound quite a lot, so it’s probably pitched at the right level. I hope SSiW gets many more subscribers so the numbers really start to add up for you, as your tutors really are worth so much!

[gisella-albertini]

I think a trial month is a brilliant idea.

the likelihood seems to be that we will reach more people like that, but that we will need to be able to afford to lose advertising money for longer before we recoup it, which is currently very difficult for us.

I totally agree about having something more consistent than then one sentence, for a trial.

However, if funding is currently an issue it’s probably wise to consider people like me, or many of my friends:

constantly fluctuating from one interest to another, and being absolute pros at taking advantage of the trial period at extra high intensity so to be able to cancel before it ends!

Technically I could have done the same with SSiW: I had to subscribe to do Level 2, but I finished it before the end of the trial period.

Then, for various reasons I decided to keep my subscription active, but to be honest, it’s pretty rare.

I believe big companies like Netflix can easily afford to give a full month for free, but maybe for a small company 1-2 weeks or 2-3 full lessons and explaining clearly all the hard work and passion behind it…could do?

[aran]

I believe big companies like Netflix can easily afford to give a full month for free, but maybe for a small company 1-2 weeks or 2-3 full lessons and explaining clearly all the hard work and passion behind it…could do?

It is complex… so we need to be careful with each step… but I hope we will be able to get there eventually…

[Bob]

Month Trial? It’s like an all-you-can-eat cafe versus a set menu I guess …

What about a 2 week trial period? Just long enough to become addicted to SSiW, but short enough not to deprive the cause of too much cash flow? Apart from the occasional exceptional record-breaking student who can complete all three levels in a weekend, everyone else will likely have started building some momentum from the urgency of “getting maximum value from the 2 week trial” … by which point leaving would no longer feel like an option!

[Allie]

I like the idea of a trial period. How much access will there be for the trial period? Will someone have access to the entirety of levels 1 and 2? My only issue with this would be if someone (I know not everyone would do this or think to do it) has full access to the levels they could potentially download all the challenges before the trial period is over.

How about a trial period with access to the first 2 or 3 challenges of level 1? Looking over the vocab for those challenges someone would be able to string together a decent amount of sentences. After two or three challenges they’d be able to understand how the process works and whether or not it is something they would want to continue doing. It’s a short hook but I think it’s enough to dive into without feeling overwhelming.

[emma-ireland]

I agree with @allie, a month of access to everything seems far too much. People only need a few challenges to get into it and be hooked!!

[markharrison]

Hi Aran,

I’m a new learner with you guys and hadn’t seen this thread, so was surprised when my free access ran out after challenge 5 a few days ago. However, I think by that stage it is obvious how good the course and its methods are. I had no hesitation in subscribing. It’s great value for money. I think giving access to the first five challenges for free but charging after that is enough to show off what you do. In terms of your business model and making sure the course remains viable, ‘giving away’ more than that, however noble, is overly generous. Your scholarship scheme for those who genuinely need it shows the sort of people and organisation you are.

Very pleased I came across SSiW!

Diolch!

Mark

[mark-young]

This has caused me a lot of frustration as I recently replaced my phone and the app still says that level 1 is free. I had got up to challenge 10 on my old phone. Imagine my consternation when I could only access challenge 01 on the new phone. It was quite difficult to learn about the change as I was out of touch for a bit.

[sylvia-walter]

Really good decision. If nothing else,if you’ve paid for something you’re much more likely to persevere with it! I’ve just started and looking forward to future learning.

[aran]

and the app still says that level 1 is free.

Sorry about that, Mark - it’s sometimes a little tricky tracking down all the various places where things are said, but we have been trying to make sure that we catch everywhere… are you on Android or iOS? That’ll help us track it down…

And huge thank yous to everyone else - lots of really intelligent and helpful input here, to which we are paying very close attention…

[lin-2]

Very interesting comments here. I actually came to SSiW via watching ‘PyC’, found after watching 'Hinterland '. I wondered how Sioned and Cadno were related, searched online and found a discussion on the SSiW forum. This led me to explore the site and discover that I could learn a sentence for free.
This was very enjoyable and I noticed that I could take a whole course for £10/mth. “Wow! That’s good value”, I thought!
Two years later I’ve kept up my subscription and still think it’s great. So it was the companionable and friendly nature of the forum that attracted me.

How about suggesting that people pay what they choose/can afford, above a minimum amount?This would encourage me, for example, to raise my monthly payments, when coupled with info on your brilliant subscription scheme. I am happy to pay more to assist others to learn too. [Sorry if this is already done!].

All good wishes, SSi is brilliant and I’m so glad to read that you have 15 paid staff.

Diolch yn fawr iawn a pob lwc. Aros yn iach.

[aran]

How about suggesting that people pay what they choose/can afford, above a minimum amount?

Yes, that’s a really good idea - we’ve thought about letting people do that and maybe letting them sponsor other learners etc - we’ll get there, it just takes some coding time and all that’s going into building our course production tool and improving our delivery methods (some quite exciting stuff coming in the not-too-distant future on that front!).

Diolch o galon

[ann-spandrzyk]

When I was introduced to SSiW, I couldn’t believe how much you included for free! I expected just a snippet to give me an idea of what to expect. I thoroughly enjoyed it and realised quite quickly that your revolutionary way of learning Welsh was exactly what I needed. I think the monthly subscription is an absolute bargain compared to some sites I subscribe to! I love the support offered through Slack (and take my hat off to Nia for her huge vat of patience with me,) the weekly reminders and extras to listen to, as well as your forum and your confidence boosting little snippets at the end of each challenge. Fantastic.However, I have to admit I’m not so good at navigating the forum or where to post things!

[aran]

Thank you so much for your lovely words, Ann - and well done on finding where to post! Forums aren’t always as intuitive as we’d like!

[jacquelinedavies]

I understand what everyone is saying, but I’m retired now and my young granddaughter was showing an interest. Thanks for replying.

[Deborah-SSi]

@jacquelinedavies we do also have a Scholarship system where people who find the £10 a month too much of a financial difficulty can apply to have their subscription waived. If this is something that you would find useful, you just need to send an email to admin@saysomethingin.com with a brief explanation of your situation and reasons for learning Welsh