Go to http://www.tucows.com/ and look up free software called Spyware Doctor 3.2 for Windows. You can download it free, you along with the 500,000 other consumers who download it every week! OK, now go to http://www.download.com and check on the number of downloads for the AVG AntiVirus Free Edition. This title was downloaded 1,126,408 times last week and similar astounding quantities every week!
Many shareware titles never hit these big download numbers but what if you had a title that got downloaded just 100,000 times every week. Could you make some money with it?
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.
2. Research your market to see what the competition is doing. If the market is big enough you may decide to spend the time and money to improve on the most popular title out there. Get lots of free publicity with word of mouth advertising by developing a five star shareware program.
Remember two things. First, software is a digital product. Your cost per unit is zero because sites like tucows and http://www.download.com/ are only too happy to provide the bandwidth resources so that millions of people can download your software.
Download.com shows that over ten million people have downloaded a copy of Spyware Doctor from their site, so far. These free download sites do all your promoting for you because they attract literally millions of visitors a week. Tucow's Alexa traffic rating is 988 while Download.com's traffic rating is a phenomenal 89! That means there are only 88 web sites in the software category (that has over 7 million competing web sites) that have more traffic on the Internet. You will want to have your software listed on every site that offers free software to the public.
Were you to search for free software, shareware or freeware on Google you'd no doubt see over a million sites listed. Simply by posting your shareware titles using a PAD file to numerous shareware sites you can get the benefit of free promotion.
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 several powerful income generators that you could employ. For example, if you create a complicated program that has many applications you may want to offer paid support services. Some developers know the answers to every possible complication in the installation, development or on-going operation of their software. So, they create a powerful trouble-shooting menu tree that any technical person can follow.
These developers sell support packages for as much as $150 an hour by charging by the minute. Or, they sell annual support contracts for $250.
When the database of issues is about as complete as it can get the support system can charge, say $10 per issue. But, it will only take the staff a couple of seconds to look up the solution and deliver it. So, they make money all day long.
Believe it or not 900 numbers can be a profit source with support. The user simply picks up the phone and is charged either by the minute of a flat fee.
On an expensive program you could sell a support package that includes video and troubleshooting software. For a shareware program that might sell for $2500 at retail you could easily sell this package for $250.
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.
Do the math: 5000 orders @ $250 each is $1,250,000 in gross sales!
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.
You may wish to visit www.elance.com or www.VWorker.com to see about posting a software project. There is no charge to post your project and you'll be able to look at lots of bids within 24 hours or less.
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.
This may be America's easiest way to become a multimillionaire and you don't even have to be a programmer to do it!
Simpler shareware programs don't require much if any support but they can be equally profitable.
One way is simply to ask users for a monetary contribution, a donation, within the software. By inserting a pay-link for a donation to support the programmer many people who like the software will decide to contribute five, ten or twenty dollars. After all, they've received really useful software at no charge and they want to encourage the programmer to support his software and come out with newer, improved editions. And, that is exactly what programmers say:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- " 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." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would then include three pay links. To contribute $10 click here. To contribute $15 click here. To contribute $25 click here. I would add a bonus of some really nifty software worth several hundred dollars for those who donate $25.
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!
My Advice: Get started on this project right now but avoid creating software that has too narrow a market. You want the most universally needed application you can imagine. You want to create a title that nearly everyone on the Internet knows they need and really wants. You could look at the download numbers and identify a massively popular program and then improve upon it (if that's possible) by making it more powerful, easier to use or with special features that no other software has.
Other ways to make money with shareware:
1. You'll want to create a full version and a basic version from the start. Deliver the full version but make it function with an unlock code. Then, when users pay for the upgrade just send them the unlock code.
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. I created a free lesson creator and reader for students. Then, I set it up so that teachers could purchase a much more powerful lesson creator which would enable them to create Advanced Lessons that they can sell on my site. I share the revenue from these Advanced Lessons. See www.Tutorbug.com
Yes, some of these ideas will take effort and cash to set up. But, I believe this may be one of the most realistic ways an ordinary person can become a millionaire almost overnight.
Many shareware titles never hit these big download numbers but what if you had a title that got downloaded just 100,000 times every week. Could you make some money with it?
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.
2. Research your market to see what the competition is doing. If the market is big enough you may decide to spend the time and money to improve on the most popular title out there. Get lots of free publicity with word of mouth advertising by developing a five star shareware program.
Remember two things. First, software is a digital product. Your cost per unit is zero because sites like tucows and http://www.download.com/ are only too happy to provide the bandwidth resources so that millions of people can download your software.
Download.com shows that over ten million people have downloaded a copy of Spyware Doctor from their site, so far. These free download sites do all your promoting for you because they attract literally millions of visitors a week. Tucow's Alexa traffic rating is 988 while Download.com's traffic rating is a phenomenal 89! That means there are only 88 web sites in the software category (that has over 7 million competing web sites) that have more traffic on the Internet. You will want to have your software listed on every site that offers free software to the public.
Were you to search for free software, shareware or freeware on Google you'd no doubt see over a million sites listed. Simply by posting your shareware titles using a PAD file to numerous shareware sites you can get the benefit of free promotion.
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 several powerful income generators that you could employ. For example, if you create a complicated program that has many applications you may want to offer paid support services. Some developers know the answers to every possible complication in the installation, development or on-going operation of their software. So, they create a powerful trouble-shooting menu tree that any technical person can follow.
These developers sell support packages for as much as $150 an hour by charging by the minute. Or, they sell annual support contracts for $250.
When the database of issues is about as complete as it can get the support system can charge, say $10 per issue. But, it will only take the staff a couple of seconds to look up the solution and deliver it. So, they make money all day long.
Believe it or not 900 numbers can be a profit source with support. The user simply picks up the phone and is charged either by the minute of a flat fee.
On an expensive program you could sell a support package that includes video and troubleshooting software. For a shareware program that might sell for $2500 at retail you could easily sell this package for $250.
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.
Do the math: 5000 orders @ $250 each is $1,250,000 in gross sales!
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.
You may wish to visit www.elance.com or www.VWorker.com to see about posting a software project. There is no charge to post your project and you'll be able to look at lots of bids within 24 hours or less.
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.
This may be America's easiest way to become a multimillionaire and you don't even have to be a programmer to do it!
Simpler shareware programs don't require much if any support but they can be equally profitable.
One way is simply to ask users for a monetary contribution, a donation, within the software. By inserting a pay-link for a donation to support the programmer many people who like the software will decide to contribute five, ten or twenty dollars. After all, they've received really useful software at no charge and they want to encourage the programmer to support his software and come out with newer, improved editions. And, that is exactly what programmers say:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- " 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." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would then include three pay links. To contribute $10 click here. To contribute $15 click here. To contribute $25 click here. I would add a bonus of some really nifty software worth several hundred dollars for those who donate $25.
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!
My Advice: Get started on this project right now but avoid creating software that has too narrow a market. You want the most universally needed application you can imagine. You want to create a title that nearly everyone on the Internet knows they need and really wants. You could look at the download numbers and identify a massively popular program and then improve upon it (if that's possible) by making it more powerful, easier to use or with special features that no other software has.
Other ways to make money with shareware:
1. You'll want to create a full version and a basic version from the start. Deliver the full version but make it function with an unlock code. Then, when users pay for the upgrade just send them the unlock code.
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. I created a free lesson creator and reader for students. Then, I set it up so that teachers could purchase a much more powerful lesson creator which would enable them to create Advanced Lessons that they can sell on my site. I share the revenue from these Advanced Lessons. See www.Tutorbug.com
Yes, some of these ideas will take effort and cash to set up. But, I believe this may be one of the most realistic ways an ordinary person can become a millionaire almost overnight.
About the Author:
Before you spend your money creating killer software titles consider becoming a shareware distributor to earn a fee on every paid upgrade. Click on SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTOR for complete details. Unique version for reprint here: How To Make Money Publishing Shareware.
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