How onX Hunt grows

Hunt's tiers map to a real user problem, access across the country: Premium covers one state, a Premium two-state package covers two, and Elite ($100) covers all 50 states plus Canada and Mexico, each with different durations. Shown at onboarding/paywall so users can grasp the difference immediately, unlike tiers sliced as arbitrary feature baskets. Guest advises not adding a second tier until there is a clear user need, since extra tiers add business complexity.

The Elite (highest) tier includes perks from partners: camo/apparel (FirstLite percent-off promo code for Elite members), a draw-odds and hunting research company, $200 off a dog training course for bird hunters. Deals are negotiated individually: some are mutual (partner gets sales and awareness from onX's audience, onX gets their audience's interest), others onX pays the partner to give members free access to their service. Goal: increase wallet share by adding value instead of raising prices, and raise LTV because members want to keep the perks. Elite also gets exclusive features, and the Elite tier is marketed heavily.

To justify the $100 Elite price, round out the tier with brand partnerships: Elite members get a discount or extra value from outdoor partners. Because hunting is an expensive hobby, a single partner purchase can pay back the app's cost. Partners such as outdoor apparel company First Lite also cross-promote onX, and being shown next to a premier brand builds association.

Advertises a 'door opener' feature to get people to try the product: for onX Hunt, land ownership maps. If that doesn't sell on the spot, follows up with educational content across influencers, ambassadors, retargeting and marketing automation, since flashing sales and deals attracts fewer power users.

A horizontal growth team sets the model per app. Hunt (most mature, strong brand, niche TAM, seasonal use tied to hunting seasons) runs a trial strategy; newer Backcountry faces freemium competitors like AllTrails and Strava with more casual repeat use. Large-TAM apps such as Duolingo can afford millions of free users; niche ones can't. The chosen model decides which metrics the team optimizes.