We Made $103k+ from Our Lifetime Deal But There's a Catch
Onur Genes
PublishedatWe recently concluded our lifetime deal at Nureply. Initially, we were not interested, but one platform reached out to us and convinced us.
But why should you consider a lifetime deal? The answer is simple: it provides greater visibility and attracts many users. This helps you refine and adjust your product to better suit your target audience.
Are we satisfied with the results? Yes. But there's a catch.
TL;DR: We generated $122,000 in sales with a net of $103,119 and deposited $62k in Nureply's bank account, but it cost us our sanity and led to various opinions about our product.
First of all, what is Nureply?
Nureply is a cold email automation tool. In simple terms, we manage and automate your emails while you focus on the most critical part: the email copy.
Not everyone is capable of writing effective email copy. That's where we incorporate AI to assist you in crafting better copy. If you want to learn more, visit https://nureply.com.
We are in our second year since the initial launch, and our lifetime deal may have come a bit late.
How did you decide to offer a LTD (Lifetime Deal)?
Several platforms reached out to us every month, asking if we wanted to offer a lifetime deal. We eventually decided to collaborate with RocketHub (https://rockethub.com). But why RocketHub?
I met the Founder, Charlie, in the initial meeting, and our expectations were aligned: We wouldn't offer LTDs merely for the sake of money. Both parties needed to profit from this deal.
This perspective drew me to the LTD. However, I didn't want to present designs made hastily that didn't reflect our branding. They did a fantastic job, and the results were impressive.
After signing the agreement, we awaited the launch day.
But, as always, life throws curveballs when you least expect them.
A week before the deal, my father, Osman, passed away.
I didn't talk to anyone for days, but the deal was approaching. Instead of postponing it, I decided to proceed.
I couldn't keep up with what was happening, but I checked the stats when I can, and they looked promising, almost perfect.
Honoring My Father's Legacy
Amid all this, I decided to add another package to our Lifetime Deal: the Osman Exclusive Edition. This was a $994 package limited to 24 buyers. (To understand the reasoning behind these numbers, I am adding the announcement to the bottom of this post).
We made $23,856 within 24 hours! (After platform fees, it became $22,663)
I introduced this plan because I wanted to host a charity event.
So far, 100% of proceeds - including RocketHub’s portion - from these sales have been donated to a charity that supports orphaned children.
Our community backed us, and it was heartening to see people donating to local charities in my father's name. (Thank you to every single supporter who helped me make something meaningful during the most challenging time of my life ❤️.)
Total Sales
We generated $122,000 in sales but some people refund for whatever reasons (nature of the LTD industry). Luckily, RocketHub handles all the transaction processing and headaches.
We made $103,119 within 41 days. (This includes the charity sales.) But of course, 50% of the Lifetime Deal proceeds go to the platform owner, RocketHub in this case.
However, not everyone is as fortunate as we were. Most platforms demanded 60% to 70% of the sales from our LTD. RocketHub helped us secure a better deal, which was far superior to others.
I know, while reading this, you might immediately think THIS IS TOO MUCH! You are both right and wrong.
You're wrong because they handle all marketing aspects with minimal input from your side. We merely provided our branding kit, including the logo, colors, fonts, etc., and they took care of everything else. They invest significantly in paid ads, promoting your product on newsletters, guest posts on blogs, and marketing on communities (mostly lifetime deal-focused communities, but they still pay for it).
So, they're not earning 50%. I estimate it's around 25% to 30% for them not even taking into account their staff costs (salaries, time, etc) so they absolutely need to crush it to have a profit at the end of it - which they clearly did!
You're right if your product relies on external resources that require payment. It is too much. But if you've developed your product independently and it only costs a few servers, it's not too much. You'll just need to add a few more servers for new LTD users, and you'll be all set.
What's the Catch?
People love to talk. Not when things are going well, but mostly when something goes wrong in their lives. In this case, they're expecting a fully featured, perfectly functioning product for a fraction of the monthly subscription price.
I understand this. You paid for something, and you want it to work. But even the largest companies in the world (including giants like Apple and Google) have bugs in their software. It's usually not a big deal, and as soon as someone reports it or you catch it in your tests, you fix it.
But no, lifetime deal seekers expect zero bugs, PERFECTION ALL THE TIME! They want it to work and work right now. Every issue becomes the most important issue in the world, and they expect you to fix it within an hour.
Eventually, it became too much for our team, and we stopped responding to these SUPER ANGRY customers.
What we do is important to many people. They're acquiring new clients every day and making money with the help of Nureply. This is why we started this company in the first place, but let's be real: if Nureply goes down for an hour (which didn't happen at all), no one will get hurt or lose customers. Closing a new deal will be delayed by a few hours at most.
The worst part is, as soon as an issue arises, they start posting negative reviews wherever they can find a platform. Chasing them and addressing these issues is another story.
Because of this attitude, we decided to end our deal early. We planned to stay on RocketHub for 60 days, but we stopped at 41 days.
So, Are Lifetime Deals Not Worth It?
No, that's not the case. It was a great experience to see many people talking about Nureply, creating reviews, posting videos, and there were thousands of positive reviews everywhere.
But as a human being behind the computer (most people forget that we, the founders and employees of SaaS startups, are also human), you can feel exhausted.
At the same time, we collected many excellent feature requests. We're about to implement them into Nureply to make it more competitive.
What's Next for Nureply?
As of now, we understand what our customers want. We've already started implementing these requests into the new version of Nureply.
We're making significant and bold changes while keeping the roots of our current version. I believe we now understand better why and how people send cold emails.
In general, this lifetime deal has made me a better Founder. I gained twice as much experience as I did in the last three years combined.
Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter if you have any questions.
We’re on a mission to be the best cold email outreach software. So, don't forget to give Nureply a chance! (But please don't leave a negative review before asking for help and giving us a chance to respond! :)
Announcement mentioned in the post:
Hello Nureply Fam,
Today, I am writing this post with a mix of emotions: sadness, gratitude, and hope.
Over the past weeks, your enthusiasm and support for our community have been truly inspiring. Yet, I confess, I've been grappling with a personal challenge that has prevented me from fully sharing in the excitement.
On November 4th, my beloved father, Osman, passed away. To say that he was a generous and supportive figure would be an understatement. He was an extraordinary man whose kindness radiated in every interaction, whose wisdom guided every decision. His loss has left a void in my heart that words can't express.
Osman was not only my father but also a respected businessman, a mentor from whom I learned invaluable lessons about business. He had a unique fondness for the number 4, a quirk that manifested in every aspect of his work. Whether it was the pricing of an item or the cost of a construction offer, the figure would invariably end with the number 4. It was his signature, his unique imprint on the world.
In honor of his memory and to carry forward his legacy, I have created a special plan, a tribute to Osman.
Today, I am both humbled and proud to announce the 4th plan of Nureply's Lifetime Deal: The Osman Exclusive Edition. This limited edition plan will feature:
Unlimited Email accounts
Unlimited warm-ups
A generous allowance of 999,994 emails per month
In keeping with Osman's tradition, we have priced this plan at $994. As a tribute to his love for the number 4, we will be offering this plan to a select group of 24 individuals.
The proceeds from this sales will go towards a cause close to our hearts. Every single dollar will be donated to charity, in the name of Osman Genes, creating a ripple of kindness that extends his legacy beyond our immediate community.
As a token of our gratitude, everyone who joins us in this special tribute will receive a personal thank-you letter, as well as upcoming Nureply merchandise. Each package will be personally prepared by me, as the Founder of Nureply, and delivered to you, wherever you may be in this beautiful world.
Thank you for being a part of this journey, for standing with us in times of joy and sorrow, and for helping us keep Osman's spirit alive. Your support means more than words can express.
With deepest gratitude,
Onur Genes Founder of Nureply