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DocsRevenue StrategiesEmployer Subscriptions

How to Sell Subscription Plans to Employers

Build recurring revenue with employer subscription plans.

Subscription plans provide predictable recurring revenue and deepen employer relationships. Instead of paying per posting, employers pay a monthly or annual fee for ongoing access.

Why subscriptions matter

Subscriptions transform your business model:

  • Predictable revenue: Know what's coming each month
  • Higher lifetime value: Subscribers stay longer than one-time buyers
  • Deeper relationships: Regular employers become partners
  • Lower churn: Committed employers keep posting

Subscription models

Unlimited posting plans

The most common subscription model:

Monthly plan ($299-$999/month)

  • Unlimited job postings
  • All features included
  • Cancel anytime

Annual plan ($2,499-$9,999/year)

  • Unlimited postings
  • Discounted rate (typically 15-20% off monthly)
  • Priority support

Tiered subscriptions

Offer different levels of service:

Starter ($199/month)

  • 5 active job postings
  • Basic features
  • Email support

Professional ($399/month)

  • 15 active job postings
  • Featured placement
  • Resume database access
  • Priority support

Enterprise ($799/month)

  • Unlimited postings
  • All features
  • Dedicated account manager
  • Custom reporting

Credit-based subscriptions

Alternative to unlimited:

  • Employers purchase posting credits
  • Credits used as needed
  • Unused credits roll over
  • Encourages advance purchase

Pricing subscriptions

Calculate your value

Base subscription pricing on:

  1. Average postings per employer: If employers typically post 3 jobs/month at $200 each, a $500/month subscription offers savings
  2. Included features: Resume access, featured placements add value
  3. Competitor pricing: What do alternatives charge?

Annual discount strategy

Encourage annual commitments:

  • Monthly: $399/month ($4,788/year)
  • Annual: $3,499/year (27% savings)

The discount compensates for:

  • Reduced churn
  • Upfront cash flow
  • Lower payment processing fees
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On this page

  1. Why subscriptions matter
  2. Subscription models
  3. Unlimited posting plans
  4. Tiered subscriptions
  5. Credit-based subscriptions
  6. Pricing subscriptions
  7. Calculate your value
  8. Annual discount strategy
  9. Building subscription value
  10. What to include
  11. What to reserve for upsells
  12. Managing subscribers
  13. Onboarding
  14. Retention
  15. Handling cancellations
  16. Subscription metrics
  17. Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
  18. Churn rate
  19. Lifetime Value (LTV)
  20. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
  21. Transitioning to subscriptions
  22. When to introduce subscriptions
  23. How to launch
  24. Balancing with pay-per-post
  25. Common mistakes
  26. Overcomplicating tiers
  27. Underpricing
  28. Ignoring churn
  29. No onboarding

Building subscription value

What to include

Make subscriptions compelling:

For job posting:

  • Higher posting limits or unlimited
  • Longer listing durations
  • Priority placement

For recruitment:

  • Resume database access
  • Candidate alerts
  • Application management tools

For branding:

  • Featured company profile
  • Sponsored content options
  • Newsletter inclusion

What to reserve for upsells

Keep some features separate:

  • One-time featured homepage placement
  • Premium content sponsorships
  • Recruitment services

Managing subscribers

Onboarding

Set subscribers up for success:

  1. Welcome email with quick-start guide
  2. Account setup assistance
  3. First posting review (if offered)
  4. Check-in after first week

Retention

Keep subscribers engaged:

  • Monthly usage reports
  • Performance analytics
  • Feature announcements
  • Renewal reminders

Handling cancellations

When subscribers want to cancel:

  1. Ask for feedback (optional survey)
  2. Offer alternatives (pause, downgrade)
  3. Process gracefully
  4. Keep the door open for return

Subscription metrics

Track these key indicators:

Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)

Total subscription revenue per month. The most important metric for subscription businesses.

Churn rate

Percentage of subscribers who cancel each month:

  • Good: <5% monthly churn
  • Concerning: >10% monthly churn

Lifetime Value (LTV)

Average revenue per subscriber over their entire relationship:

LTV = Average monthly revenue ÷ Monthly churn rate

Example: $399/month with 5% churn = $7,980 LTV

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Cost to acquire each new subscriber. LTV should be at least 3x CAC.

Transitioning to subscriptions

When to introduce subscriptions

Add subscriptions when you have:

  • Employers who post repeatedly
  • Proven job seeker traffic
  • Features worth subscribing to

How to launch

  1. Identify repeat customers: They're your first targets
  2. Create compelling packages: Bundle existing features
  3. Offer founder pricing: Discount for early adopters
  4. Promote the value: Show the math on savings

Balancing with pay-per-post

Keep both options:

  • New employers: Pay-per-post to test
  • Regular employers: Subscriptions for value
  • Occasional employers: Pay-per-post works fine

Common mistakes

Overcomplicating tiers

Too many options confuse customers. Start with 2-3 clear tiers.

Underpricing

Subscriptions should represent slight savings over pay-per-post, not massive discounts. You're selling convenience and commitment, not just volume.

Ignoring churn

A 10% monthly churn rate means replacing your entire subscriber base annually. Focus on retention, not just acquisition.

No onboarding

Subscribers who don't use the service churn. Help them succeed early.