Ask HN: Should I keep this Job board for free or sell it as a lifetime deal?

[sk44]

HI folks, I've been in the data space for 12 yrs. I launched https://databirds.co to help people in data space to find their dream job.

I have a few ideas/doubts running through my mind. Please suggest which way is good?

1) Is the current niche good to start (Data Science, Data visualization, Data analytics) or is it too broad and I further niche down to Data Visualization (my core area) alone?

2) Should I keep this to one country (USA) specific or global?

3) Should I pre-vet the candidates so it saves time and gets quality candidates to recruiters (USP)?

4) Should I sell it as a one-off $1000 lifetime unlimited jobs deal? or a $99 per job?

5) Should I keep it completely free to post, but a small revenue from employer-sponsored banners or resume writing service for candidates?

6) something else?

Please let me know your thoughts.

[dhumph]

I'm not in this space but I would Ask your current customers and prospective customers what you can what you can do to improve. Test and learn. Add feedback mechanisms and other ways to capture input. Good luck

[sk44 → dhumph]

Thanks for your feedback. I started talking to recruiters to understand their pain points and how I can make it better for them to source quality candidates. I'm also talking to candidates how this platform can be made better. Their #1 thing was they need updates and feedback on their profile if it was rejected.

[devNoise]

Ignore #5 or think of it a supplemental revenue stream. Revenue from banner ads seems to be on the decline. Ab blockers and what not. My gut says that it's not a good way to fund your job board for the long haul.

[sk44 → devNoise]

I should have been clear, I did not mean the annoying ads that bring in cents for clicks. I meant sponsored banners on the side that costs $100-$200/a month for the employer to put up their brand.