Product - Monetization Model
Product — Monetization Model
Trystpilot’s monetisation strategy is sequenced from zero-cost community growth into premium subscription and enterprise tiers. No payment integration exists in the MVP; this document defines the target model for Phase 3+. All revenue models must be pre-approved by the payment processor (Stripe review required for platforms about private individuals).
Revenue Stream Overview
quadrantChart
title Revenue Streams — Effort vs Revenue Potential
x-axis Low Effort --> High Effort
y-axis Low Revenue --> High Revenue
quadrant-1 Build next
quadrant-2 High value invest
quadrant-3 Deprioritise
quadrant-4 Quick wins
"Display Ads (free tier)": [0.15, 0.20]
"Premium Reader (no ads)": [0.25, 0.35]
"Subject Verification Badge": [0.35, 0.55]
"Review Boost / Pin": [0.40, 0.45]
"API Access (developers)": [0.65, 0.70]
"Enterprise Reputation API": [0.80, 0.85]
"White-label Platform": [0.90, 0.80]
Tiered Model
flowchart LR
subgraph "Tier 0 — Free (MVP)"
T0A["Browse profiles"]
T0B["Submit reviews (fingerprinted)"]
T0C["File reports / removals"]
T0D["Display ads (future)"]
end
subgraph "Tier 1 — Premium Reader $/mo"
T1A["No ads"]
T1B["Advanced search filters"]
T1C["City-wide reputation digest (email)"]
end
subgraph "Tier 2 — Subject Verified $/mo"
T2A["Verification badge on profile"]
T2B["Priority removal processing"]
T2C["Response thread access"]
T2D["Reputation monitoring alerts"]
end
subgraph "Tier 3 — Enterprise API"
T3A["REST API access"]
T3B["Bulk reputation lookups"]
T3C["Webhook events"]
T3D["SLA + support"]
end
T0A --> T1A
T1A --> T2A
T2A --> T3A
Risk Factors
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Payment processor refusal (Stripe ToS) | Pre-approval review before any monetisation launch |
| CCPA/GDPR removal conflicts with paid tiers | Removal requests always free; paid tier cannot suppress them |
| Review integrity (paid badges creating bias) | Badges are identity-verification only — cannot influence review moderation |