There is a long post on TechCrunch about a study that was made on different freemium models. The post is long, and I didn’t have time to read it in full. But luckily the main point and the real gem of this study is at the end:

There are many factors to consider when you are evaluating whether to use the Freemium model or not. However, there’s one last secret that I didn’t share with you. During the study, while looking at the successful Freemium companies, a pattern emerged. They all had phenomenal products. All of these decision factors are useless if the product or service you are offering is nothing short of amazing. If your product is not creating great value for its users, no tactic in the world will make Freemium work for you.

The fact that the secret to success is having a phenomenal product that brings real value to your customers isn’t a surprise to me or you. But sometimes it’s nice to have a reminder.