If you were to look up some shareware called Spyware Doctor 3.2 on www.Tucows.com you’ll see that about half a million users download a free copy every week. Want more fireworks? OK, go to www.download.com and you’ll see that another shareware title called AVG AntiVirus Free Edition was downloaded about 1,126,408 times when I last checked. These huge download numbers hover close to this figure every week!
Consider this: what if you had some popular shareware title that users downloaded over a half million times every week? Can you see a way to make some money here?
Here are a few ideas how you can make money with shareware: First, you need the rights to a universally needed software program. Look for an application that most everyone on the Internet has a need for. However, there are plenty of niche markets with extremely high demand as well. Research the categories that are in high demand.
Second, you need to spend the money and time to create a product that out-performs everything else out there regardless of the cost. Most good shareware creates a “buzz” in the Internet community. People love passing on a good deal and if you can tell a friend about a five star rated program that is not only rated the best but is free to download you will have earned a whole pile of brownie points with your friends!
Shareware is an information product that can be delivered instantly and for little or no cost to you, the creator. Once in the hands of millions of users it can become one of the most efficient advertising platforms available!
With over ten million people having downloaded Spyware Doctor so far you can see that the traffic to a site like www.Download.com is enormous putting their Alexa traffic ranking around 89. Post your shareware to similar shareware sites to have a chance of having your title downloaded a lot.
My research showed tens of thousands of such sites but there are probably more. Just type in free downloads or free software as a search term in Google, Alexa or Yahoo.com . You could not spend enough money to get anywhere close to that level of traffic. So, why bother? Why even have a web site?
Can You Get Rich With Shareware? Mr. Thomas Deedy, a developer and closet genius, revealed many ways that shareware developers make money giving away software.
There are a multitude of ways you can make some money. One of the biggest is by offering users support services. The key here is to carefully and meticulously develop a database covering every possible support issue. This database is installed into a trouble-shooting solution key for the technical people handling support.
Then, they sell support packages at $50 to $150 an hour. The developer installs the trouble-shooting menu tree software on the computers of a support staff. He hires a programmer who may be constantly working to refine and improve the software to manage the support room. He provides the support when the trouble shooting menu doesn’t have all the answers.
As users call in with support issues they are added to the trouble shooting menu that is shared by all support personnel. Once the support tree has reached this stage the overhead cost of providing support drops very low. For example, you could charge $10 per issue to users. But, since all issues may only take a minute or less to locate and deliver from the support tree this is nearly pure profit.
For example, you could design the support service so that the client calls a 900 phone line @ $5 a minute or he can purchase a full hour of support for $75 and use it in ten minute increments on an “as-needed” basis.
A more advanced approach is to professionally prepare an installation and support video with actual screen shots from the shareware. You can include a troubleshooting menu and sell the training and support package for $250 including a couple hours of live support if needed.
Companies are more than happy to pay $250 for a support package like this. The numbers could get very exciting if your shareware was downloaded 250,000 times and only 2% purchased support.
That works out to 5000 orders for the video and trouble-shooting software @ $250 each or $1,250,000!
If you handle it this way you can actually automate the entire business and your costs are limited to the initial development costs for the software and the cost to create a powerful video tutorial and help file. You can outsource all this work simply by creating a detailed flow chart of exactly what you want the program to accomplish and how you envision it working for customers.
Sound interesting? Why not visit www.elance.com or www.Vworker.com? You can enter a project proposal free of charge and have professional coders bidding to work with you within 24 hours. Outsourcing to coders in other countries can be very reasonable.
Best of all you own the copyrights and need pay no royalties yet you can turn around and license the use of your software to distribution companies to market under a private label.
I believe shareware development may be one of the best ways to build a million dollar revenue but you need few technical skills to succeed.
Simpler shareware programs don’t require much if any support but they can be equally profitable.
Many programs are offered on a free trial basis. After 30 to 40 days the program requires you to register and pay the license fee or it expires. Or, you can set up a “DONATE BUTTON” and collect donations. As an incentive offer your users unlimited access to any upgrades plus some support for their modest donation.
————————————————————————————————————————– ” Please support my efforts to provide users with support and improve this software with a small donation. In return, you’ll receive a link to an extensive tutorial, help files and you’ll be advised when you can download the latest updated version of XYZ software. You’ll receive lifetime updates all for your small contribution of $10 or more.” ————————————————————————————————————————–
It is easy to setup a donate button using PayPal. Set up three buttons if you like starting with $5 and go on up.
Every time a user donates or purchases the upgrade option you collect his name and email address. Ultimately, building a big opt-in list has the most value!
If you’d like to become a shareware millionaire try and find an application that will have wide-spread appeal. Look at what others have done and then do it better.
Finally here are a few more ways to make money with free software.
1. Make your basic shareware version good but show the users what they are missing by displaying lots of powerful features that only come with the Pro Version. When they click on the upgrade link email them the unlock code to all the Pro Version features.
2. Build an email list by offering something to your customers like an e-zine with insider user tips. Or, simply bribe them by offering them another of your software programs free when they register their copy of XYZ software that they just downloaded. As I said, above, owning a massive opt-in email list can be worth a fortune.
3. Create a “player” for games or lessons. Give it away with a package of outstanding free games or lessons. But, include an online, updateable link to new games (or lessons) with even more features. People love games! Once your publicity is out and the public is aware that they can get highly rated games free simply by going to your site or download.com and downloading your “game player” you will have an automatic customer base of hundreds of thousands and maybe even millions. It all depends on how good your free package of games is and the buzz that your package generates.
I hope this has been helpful and that you realize that coders can do all the technical stuff for you. If so, you may just have found the perfect way to become a shareware millionaire.
Before you spend your hard eanred money creating software consider becoming a shareware posting agent to earn a fee on every paid upgrade. Click on shareware posting agent for complete details. Also published at How To Make A Small Fortune Giving Away Software!.
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