Pricing is one of the highest-leverage decisions in any business. AI can’t make the decision for you, but it dramatically accelerates the research and analysis.
Competitive Pricing Research
Market Price Discovery
Prompt for Perplexity:
"I'm pricing a [product/service description]. Research current market pricing:
1. What do direct competitors charge? (find 5-8 examples)
2. What are the typical pricing models in this market? (per seat, flat rate, usage, etc.)
3. What is the range from budget to premium offerings?
4. What features typically justify higher pricing?
5. Are there any pricing trends in this market?
Focus on current 2026 pricing and cite your sources."Competitive Positioning Analysis
Prompt for Claude:
"Help me analyze pricing positioning for my [product] in this competitive landscape.
My product:
- Description: [what it does]
- Target customers: [who]
- Key differentiators: [what makes it different]
- Cost structure: [rough margins if comfortable sharing]
Competitor pricing I've found:
- [Competitor 1]: $X/month for [features]
- [Competitor 2]: $Y/month for [features]
- [Competitor 3]: $Z/month for [features]
Recommend where I should position:
1. What pricing tier makes sense?
2. Should I be above, below, or at market rate?
3. What pricing model fits best?
4. What risk does each positioning carry?"Pricing Model Selection
Choosing the Right Model
Prompt:
"Help me choose a pricing model for [business description].
My situation:
- Business type: [SaaS / service / product / marketplace]
- Revenue goal: [annual revenue target]
- Customer type: [SMB / Enterprise / Consumer]
- Average deal size: [$X]
- Sales motion: [self-serve / sales-led / hybrid]
- Key value metric: [what customers get value from — seats, usage, outcomes]
Analyze these pricing models for my situation:
1. Flat-rate subscription
2. Per-seat pricing
3. Usage-based pricing
4. Tiered pricing (Good/Better/Best)
5. Freemium
6. Value-based pricing
Recommend the best model(s) and explain the tradeoffs."SaaS Pricing
Tier Design
Prompt:
"Design a 3-tier pricing structure for my SaaS product.
Product: [description]
Key features:
[List all features]
Target customers:
- Tier 1 target: [small businesses / individuals]
- Tier 2 target: [growing companies]
- Tier 3 target: [enterprise / large teams]
Design each tier with:
- Name (avoid Starter/Pro/Enterprise if possible — suggest alternatives)
- Monthly price range
- Features included (what to withhold at each tier)
- Intended user/seat count
- Key limit that differentiates tiers
Also recommend: should there be annual discount? How much?"Freemium Analysis
Prompt:
"Analyze whether freemium makes sense for my SaaS product.
My product: [description]
Current situation:
- Monthly revenue: [$X]
- Customer acquisition cost: [$X]
- Churn rate: [X%]
- Sales cycle: [X days]
- My conversion rate from trial to paid: [X%]
For freemium, assess:
1. What would the free tier include (without cannibalizing paid)?
2. What conversion rate is needed for freemium to be NPV positive?
3. What acquisition volume would I need?
4. What are the hidden costs I should budget for?
5. Examples of comparable SaaS and their freemium outcomes"E-commerce and Services Pricing
Product Pricing Analysis
Prompt:
"Help me price [product].
My costs:
- COGS: $[X]
- Shipping/fulfillment: $[X]
- Overhead allocation: $[X]
- Total cost: $[X]
Market research:
- Lowest competitor price: $[X]
- Median market price: $[X]
- Premium competitor price: $[X]
My differentiation: [what makes mine better/different]
Recommend:
1. Launch price
2. Target gross margin percentage
3. Whether to match market, discount, or premium
4. Promotional pricing strategy for launch"Services/Consulting Pricing
Prompt:
"Help me price my [consulting/freelance] services.
My situation:
- Years of experience: [X]
- Specialty: [area]
- Location/target market: [where]
- Target annual income: [$X]
- Hours available to bill: [X hours/week]
- Current rate: [$X/hour] (if applicable)
Market data I've found:
- Junior market rate: $[X]/hour
- Mid-level market rate: $[X]/hour
- Senior market rate: $[X]/hour
Help me:
1. Set an hourly rate
2. Consider project-based vs. retainer vs. hourly
3. Determine what premium I can justify
4. Structure a scope creep policy"Price Change Communications
Announcing a Price Increase
Prompt:
"Write a price increase announcement email.
Context:
- Current price: $[X]/month
- New price: $[Y]/month (X% increase)
- Reason: [cost increases / new features / market alignment]
- Effective date: [date]
- Existing customer treatment: [grandfathered / transition period / immediate]
Tone: Transparent and direct without being apologetic. Emphasize value.
Write:
1. Email to existing customers
2. Update to website pricing page
3. FAQ answers for 5 likely customer questions
Avoid: Excessive apologizing, vague reasoning, or promising to 'make it up to them'."Pricing Psychology
Pricing Page Optimization
Prompt:
"Review my pricing page structure and suggest improvements.
Current structure:
[Describe your pricing page]
Goals:
- Increase conversion to paid plans
- Steer users toward the middle tier
- Reduce price sensitivity
Apply these pricing psychology principles:
1. Price anchoring
2. Decoy pricing (middle option appeal)
3. Charm pricing considerations
4. Social proof placement
5. Friction reduction
6. Loss aversion framing
Suggest specific changes to copy and structure."Building a Pricing Model in Spreadsheet
Financial Model Prompt
Prompt for Claude:
"Help me build a pricing model spreadsheet. I need to calculate:
1. Revenue at different price points
2. The customer volume needed at each price to hit $[X] ARR
3. Impact of churn rate on retention revenue
4. Lifetime value at each price point
Inputs:
- Price options: [$X, $Y, $Z]/month
- Assumed churn rates: [X%, Y%] monthly
- Conversion rates: [X%] of leads
- Lead volume: [X] per month
Provide the formulas and structure I should use in Excel/Google Sheets, with sample values filled in."