Since launching My Fishing Cape Cod 12 years ago, I have kept the monthly $9.99 cost of membership the same. Over the past decade, the prices of nearly everything have gone up, but I have always been reluctant to raise the price of membership, because I wanted to make sure I kept the site affordable.
Over the years I have been told by many people that MFCC membership is worth far more than what I have been charging. Recently, I’ve realized there will eventually come a day when I can no longer afford to keep My Fishing Cape Cod going, unless I become open to the idea of occasionally raising the price of membership.
That's why I wanted to let you know well in advance, that starting on June 1st, I will be raising the price of membership for new and existing members.
For existing members, the price of membership will increase from $9.99/month to $12.95/month.
This tiny increase of just $2.96 is less than the cost of a bagel with cream cheese at Dunkin', but it will help to ensure that My Fishing Cape Cod is properly maintained and improved throughout 2023 and beyond.
If you're currently a member of My Fishing Cape Cod, you have the option to switch to an annual plan before June 1st and receive a huge discount! Any current member who switches to an annual plan before June 1st will get their next 12 months of membership for just $110.
That is a savings of almost 30%!
In 2024, these discounted annual membership plans will automatically renew at the regular $142/year rate.
For brand new members who join after June 1st, the price of membership will be $15/month, which is still less than the cost of two dozen sea worms.
There will also be an annual membership option in which brand new members can receive one month free if they choose to pay annually (just $165/year).
These modest increases will allow me to continue creating and improving upon everything My Fishing Cape Cod has to offer. This means I will be constantly re-investing time and money in order to improve the membership experience.
For example, the table below highlights some of the additions I have made to My Fishing Cape Cod since the website launched in 2011.
What MFCC offered in 2011
What MFCC offers today
Looking ahead, I will continue adding and unveiling new additions and services to further justify the price increase (which again is still less than the cost of a bagel with cream cheese at Dunkin').
One example is the weekly podcast we'll be launching on May 5th. This new and improved podcast will feature local experts and Cape Cod bait shops like the Goose Hummock, Riverview Bait & Tackle and Red Top Sporting Goods. The podcast will run through October.
I first announced my idea of a slight increase to the cost of membership a couple months ago inside our forum. At the time I was looking for feedback and opinions and I received a big response. I have included the members' thoughts and opinions below in the comments section.
Please feel free to leave your own comment as I would be happy to hear what you think. You are also free to contact me personally at [email protected] or by clicking the green chat bubble in the lower right hand corner of your screen.
Thank you very much for reading this post and I hope you can understand where I'm coming from. Rest assured that this small increase in pricing will be well worth it!
Tight lines 🎣
I’m planning to stay and switch to the annual plan. I would be in favor of “longevity rewards” to provide incentives for long standing/ active members. Thank you for putting out an excellent product Ryan! Drew
Sounds good Drew. I’ll see what I can come up with regards to the longevity awards. That’s a great idea.
No problem!!! The compounded inflation rate since you started your business far exceeds your annual increase of membership!
Tight lines and tight lies!
Keep up the good work!
Lance isham
Happy to hear you are onboard with the small increase. Thanks for the comment Lance. It’s great having you as a member. 👍
First increase I think since I’ve been a member. And use the discount code from membership.
That’s right Larry, first increase ever. I’m sure a business coach would have told me to increase the price many years ago, but better late than never. I plan to also increase the quality of the content and perhaps add some new services moving forward. Charging a little bit more will help me to do that. Thanks again for your support all these years!
When cable goes up I swear and complain. If this goes up no biggie 🙂 I will switch to annual but you better not skip town Ryan 😜
Awesome Value …..
Keep up the great work
Worth every penny
Hey Ryan, I enjoy the information you provide and the team does a great job with all the content. One reason I decided to join and pay the monthly fee is also to get knowledge of best places on cape cod to fish. I have found that you do not share any specifics of where you fish. I would think that if I am paying you monthly that it would be included for members. Even your competitor OTW on their tv shows let you know and even show their plotter screens at times with their coordinates.
I am leaning towards canceling because of this. Not sure if any others have voiced there opinion on this or perhaps you are providing this information and I am missing it?
Thanks
Ron
Hey Ron, thanks for reaching out! I’m glad you enjoy the content. 🙌🏻
With thousands of people reading and watching my content, sharing information about fishing is always a balance. It’s a balance between:
1) inspiring and informing people to get out and have a successful day on the water, and
2) sharing too much information and “burning” a fishing spot.
This is why I don’t share exactly where I’m fishing in the tv show or here on the website. I’ll post general areas and give helpful hints, but if I posted exact spots, then that would be unfair to the fish, other anglers, and people who live near these spots. Posting exact spots on the internet can cause serious problems. This is how myself and most folks who are members here on the website feel about this issue.
Here’s a link to a great article which explains more about my take on this sensitive subject https://flylordsmag.com/fishing-ethics-etiquette-spot-burning/?amp.
With that said, I do help members find spots on a 1-on-1 basis. You are always free to email me at [email protected] with some information about what you’re looking to catch and accomplish, and I’d be happy to recommend some areas to you privately.
Please let me know if I can help explain anything else. It’d be great to continue having you onboard as a member. Thanks Ron! 🎣
Thanks Ryan – that’s fair.
Couple of things on this. You can almost always figure out where Ryan is from the background shots, and I think that’s intentional. And unless you’re bottom fishing, fish aren’t going to be in the same spot every day. There are principles to finding fish that you can learn, vs just getting “a spot” from OTW.
Thanks Ryan – Just signed up for the annual plan! MFCC is still a bargain!
Perfect, thank you Gretchen for your continued support! Awesome having you as a member.
Thanks Ryan, also just went for the annual plan.
Just signed up for the annual plan. A bargain for sure. Thanks Ryan!
I am in…$12.95 is still a bargain for the information and cooperation shared here. Thanks @admin for soliciting our opinion, something that most other business would not do, it truly shows us that you value us as a community!!!
12.95 is ok with me. I don’t comment often but I read every day and I’ve learned a lot. People that spend big bucks on high end reels and plugs can’t complain about this modest increase. Just don’t start cutting into my beer money.
no issues with an increase Ryan. As seen yesterday at the seminar, this is a very well run group and the benefits are absolutely worth it. Its also a collegial group and having a cost to the membership helps keep it that way.
To the people who use the platform regularly, $13 is well worth it. If I meet someone and we trade intel that leads to me catching fish I wouldn’t have caught … well worth it. If I get tuna intel that saves $150 in fuel…. Pays for itself.
This site is much more valuable to me than any other free site, especially since it’s directly focused on the Cape and not just general fishing. I have been busy with grad school the past 8 months and have started to read the forum regularly again the past few weeks, and I didn’t pause my subscription. I don’t see an issue with the first increase since the site’s inception. If someone has a problem with it, that’s their choice. But I do like the annual subscription billed at once compared to the monthly renewal.
Just to throw some data in, other subscriptions that aren’t as old as this site (Disney+, *cough cough) have already increased their prices and they didn’t see a dramatic drop in subscribers as they predicted.
I am a small business owner. I am more than happy to support a truly local small business, the money stays local. $36.00 is a small sum in the big picture. I’m in.
I think it comes down to … Is it worth a few extra dollars a month in exchange for the knowledge I get from MFCC?. Easy answer for me…YES. A few people may leave but I think the majority recognize the value of the site. Plus, you’ve held the price for 12 years. Keep up the great work.
While I can thankfully afford to pay more and would happily – like others I would caution against reporting bias, which inline with the 20/80 rule of participation and value, I think most of the people that reply to this are more likely to be active members as opposed to the majority, assuming their passive members.
Hey all,
Haven’t been able to post or read much lately with a new job but I saw this thread pop up in and figured I’d put my two cents in.
I think an increase is more than acceptable. I do like the suggestions around membership tiers. I know I usually try to chip in a free year of membership for Ryan to giveaway every now and then will continue to. I don’t like the suggestions of any more advertising. I think there’s more than enough places to be overwhelmed by ads and the current version of being able to sell your personal brand in a thread is a good line to hold. I agree that On The Water has become a lot more of a commercial these days and I think the product is still good but they definitely overhype gear as a fix all in some situations.
All that said, thanks Ryan for providing such a wonderful place for fishing nuts to gather and spread good cheer. Hopefully I can be a more frequent visitor this summer.
I have a full time job, two young children and coach sports and am married. I find this site very valuable as I don’t have capacity to be out doing recon. Checking the site for updates particularly Tuna info makes my limited time on the water much more enjoyable. I will happily pay an increased fee. The cost is minimal compared to the benefit I get from the site.
Ryan, considering an increase for those who are members here is a very serious business decision for you to make . If the value your place on the information being shared here warrants this increase then as a business person in reality the choice has been made already for you . When looking at the amount of any increase also look at the future expected increase of costs and hopefully a increase of content along with other types of increased revenues . The idea of advertising hats, sweats, shirts can be a profitable place to start and develop. Keep It quality . Obtaining more tackle shops , charters , even some gear then now, also might open some doors to increased revenues over time. Peace and Prayers
I’ll just tell my wife she has to cut back $3.00 a month on her beauty subscription.
Please use my extra funds to plan my funeral. 😂 😂 😂
I’ll gladly pay the increase for such a good site and good group of people. 👍 👍
I have been a member since the beginning and fully support a price increase. I agree with Dex’s comments regarding new members and would suggest one price for everyone.
I suspect that the “guide service” you would be well utilized and I would encourage newer members to participate.
I live on the cape in Chatham I became a member because of the Intel on the cape as many did I don’t care about Rode island I’ll never fish there ,once the price goes up it is not worth it for me ,where does it stop I have heard 12 and then 20 . Grow the membership not the price just my 2 cents.
Ryan, as a small business owner (vending machines operations from Boston to Worcester and cape cod ) I would always fret and agonize over price increases.
My feeling is if you offer a product that is worth it then you do what you need to do. If someone has a better product and better service then you will loose that client. I can honestly say I never lost a client to a price increase because of the service I offered. Your product is unparalleled. You need to do what you need to do. I say do your increase and don’t look back.
I’m fine with the long overdue price increase. I love the idea of a one-month discounted annual rate. I don’t know how many members jump in and out just for the season. Hopefully not too many. Maybe this concept will entice some of them to stay on board for the full year.
For the value of content received, I see no problem with a small price increase. To me MFCC is more like a fishing club where the membership conducts a cordial exchange of ideas online instead of in a hall somewhere. I know that there have been many friendships made through the use of this venue either online or through the meet ups. Unlike some other sites where the banter can become venomous, I have yet to see a member attack another in the five years that I’ve been here.
Hi Ryan
I’m happy to pay the increase – even though I only get to fish the Cape 2 days per year
The wealth of knowledge and generous sharing of information has been extremely helpful to me
I’ve taken lure and technique recommendations and used them with great success in SW Floridaand eastern Long Island
Keep up the great work
It is all about market share. Paid subscription services are a challenge. There is so much free content and this will just continue to grow. The hard part is getting a new subscriber. The below was in the Buzzards Bay Coalition. So if they click on MFCC what will make them want to be a paid subscriber? I know On the water is $25 per year. Different format but I would hate to see MFCC go away because of “price”. We might all be willing to pay the $12.50 but will others? Is it sustainable?
I also wonder if there is a missed opportunity with Lauren’s Creatively Delish, site/business. I know, I for one, could use to get in better shape and eat healthier. While I am not sure what her different packages cost I can think of several woman and a couple of men that might like it as a gift. It is the sum of the whole, right?
Whether from the shore or on the water, Buzzards Bay has countless great fishing spots. If you want the latest intel on locations where local angers are catching stripers, tautog, and more in spring, check out Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod fishing reports and forecasts from sources like On the Water 1, Salty Cape 1, and My Fishing Cape Cod.
Increase the monthly fee.
I’ll increase my annual check if that will help.
Gene
Lots of good points being made here. With that being said, I am in favor of the increase. The content that you have put out over the few years that I’ve been a member is unparalleled.
The forum is a treasure trove of knowledge for people who are willing to put the time in.
What about doing some sort of long format podcast interviews with specialist (ie, surf anglers, plug builders, maybe some gear talk, new reels and rods coming out?) -just a though, I know there are plenty of others like that, but I listen to them all🤣.
I know the world is crazy still and the supply chain is what it is… but what about some new MFCC gear? Diff colors and styles of shirts and hats? I love wearing my hoodies and hats, but would love a tee shirt and long sleeve. Maybe set up a presale of what people would want, that way you don’t have to foot the bill and hope they sell?
Again thank you for all you do for us day in and out. In front of the camera, and behind the scenes. We wouldn’t have this community if it wasn’t for you. Whatever your decision, I am sure it’ll be the right one, and I will support it.:call_me_hand::call_me_hand:
Take my money, Ryan.
You’ve been putting out a great product for years, it’s time.
That being said, I agree with others – it would be nice if there was an annual membership option, with a small discount.
It’s a minor increase after years of none. I would imagine finding sponsors during this downturn is challenging too as everyone is beginning to tighten their belt.
That said inflation is hitting everyone right now from all angles; food cost is absurd and my teenage boy is killing me on that front. So I’m starting to look at the 15 different subscriptions and membership fees. Logically those are the first to go (that’s around $600 a month when I add it all up). Some things will go and some wont.
One thing to consider is some sort of notice for everyone – I saw summer 2023 somewhere which seems fair. Honestly I would start right out of the gate for new members now (like someone else mentioned previously they probably wont even blink).
One thing I would like to see is some more content for people who have been doing this for a while. I think the current content is awesome for the novice / intermediate but an occasional more advance tactical or technical content would be nice. @Sandbar1 is quite good at that as an example.
Just my 2 cents
I think Tim and Dex should have a live auction on some of their rare action lures to help cover all costs for nxt 10 yrs, just sayn…maybe a pool for 1st keepah gets free 1 yr membership…mambo out, i mean , i m in…selling some jigs and definitely re -structuring all cables, from now on i m listening to all games in shed on the radio,or in the car between the tides…
Just so you have some input from the silent majority that may not want to chime in.
I’ll play the role, leaning more in the camp of @Gerry. Who’s not alone and there are many more who probably won’t chime and reveal their thoughts, so I will.
I don’t work Full time anymore and not that I can’t afford it, but the cost vs usefulness/justification is something that gets considered on my end. I use MFCC for both entertainment and info, but could I do without it if the cost rises to much … some of us switch to basic from the silver or gold cable plans based on usefulness/justification vs budget.
I understand costs rise, I understand subscription members rise. I understand working costs rise as growth rises, specially if more work and content is provided.
That said, P&L number at $10/month with 1,500 members compared to $10/month with 5,000 members ($180K vs $600K). Maybe assuming the organic membership growth over the last 10 years was growing the bottom line outpacing operating cost increases over said years is how you were able to keep price stability, granted this is uninformed and presumptuous, but what some member think about.
I don’t know the details or business numbers but when Netflix and such subscription types of businesses raise their prices they take volume hits for price increases. Hopefully it works. It’s a calculated risk where you may take a sort term hit until more subscriptions will get you back to the same earnings. Then you may run into the creativity of shared accounts, you may have to contact Netflix on how to overcome that one.
Anyway, enjoy yet another difficult business call.
What I find critical in this system, you have a small percentage, maybe 5%, of members that share valuable fishing and technical info that makes this system work so well. That is what I hope you don’t loose any of. The annual added content is very entertaining but If you never add any more content but retain this shared info flow, there will always be a following.
Summary: I’ve learnt a lot, met some good people and I hope to continue, at $13, I’ll probably stay, or at least 8-9 month out of the year (may have to read the subscription contract for that decision), at $15+, I’m probably out. Hell that’s more than the NHL subscription
Not sure this helps or if you were truly looking for this kind of honesty but you opened the can.
I think Ryan said there were about 1,500 active members, but that’s not the point.
You mentioned Netflix. Back when they started out they didn’t care about password sharing because it added to their user base that would get hooked and those people wouldn’t want the subscriber to cancel or they might need to pay.
Now Netflix is charging for sharing the account to pay for the years of growth.
Like any subscription business if you want it to grow you have to keep the cost low until at some point it has to start making money.
Some people won’t think it’s worth it and leave. Nobody should question their decision. It’s their budget.
I’m in the same boat as you. I retired early and don’t have any income now. For me I have to drive an hour one way on average to fish and spend about $20 on gas not to mention losing sleep. If I don’t catch anything I’m not happy (and neither is my wife!).
If I get info from MFCC that helps me catch one fish more per month then I’ve got my payback.
At some point I might not need the info, but then it’s my turn to pay it forward to someone else. That’s what makes the MFCC community work.
Having this community is worth much more than the subscription cost.
I have multiple websites and they have raised the hosting cost just about every year. I can only imagine what have happened to your cost in 12 years. It is always hard but the loyal followers will stay, new members will come and probably not bat an eye at the $12.95 per month.
I like the idea of a discount if you pay for your annual subscription all at once but that is probably harder for you to manage cash flow. I’ve worked for multiple companies that have a subscription model. You could also tier it so that the $9.99 gets you limited access and you have to upgrade to get some of the premium features, etc. You could offer a senior and military discount too.
You do great work and this is of huge value to me, so happy to pay a higher fee!
If you had small annual price increases then you could offer promotions for new members to join during the promotional period and lock in their rate for 2 or 3 years.
Front loading would discourage new subscribers who are not sure about the content and may think it to be unfair.
I use it constantly and enjoy the content. I have no issue with pricing.
It wouldn’t bother me.
I support the $12.95 price increase. For a business to operate over a 10 year time frame without a price increase is unheard of.
The year long subscription makes a lot of sense to me.
I do not support the idea of charging new members more than existing members or a “front load pricing model”. That does not seem to be the best way to add new members. Nor do I agree that new members should be charged more based on the belief that they use more of what the website offers than existing members. This may be true but is an active member less cost effective than an inactive one?
I appreciate Ryan asking for feed back when considering this change in policy and how it will impact members and their relationship with MFCC. For him to do this is not unexpected. Further evidence of why MFCC members have such fervent brand loyalty.
Ultimately, the decision is up to him and Lauren to make.
totally fine with a price increase! well worth it.
i also love the idea of being able to pay an annual fee so im all set for the year and dont even have to think about it. $156 ish once a year aint too shabby.
Having been a member for 10 years now, all I can say is it is about time you increased the cost of membership a bit.
I like the idea of a one year subscription, I plan to switch to that.
The site today has a lot more content and participation than when it first started.
Well worth a price increase. I am very happy to be a member.
I wouldn’t mind seeing ads for relevant products if that helps keep costs down.
Maybe showcase some plug builders to help expand their business and take a percentage of sales referrals from MFCC.
I would just caution about ads. One of the best features is that this is a purely organic and unbiased forum in terms of the discussion of equipment etc. OTW has basically become a flog sheet that’s advertising looking for an audience. That was the turn off for me. Saltwater Sportsman morphed into a glorified ad campaign years ago.
Just an opinion.
I generally agree
I think as a member paying a subscription, ads would certainly push me away
Better way is to have sponsors IMO similar to what @admin has been doing – events, trips, prizes, discounts
When I did a cigar podcast – I always worried about companies sending us product to “try” – I wanted to give honest opinions about a cigar and frankly such can be so individualized too as part of its is flavor profile not just performance
It’s a tough thing to balance for sure
Have you ever thought of doing any fundraising or something? Also maybe membership tiers? im sure there are more than a few members who have some disposable income (based on the “I bought new plugs for 2023 thread anyway lol”. Could help you stabilize and keep the price flat.
Fwiw – this blog is worth its weight in gold and I’d be happy to pay the increase.
I fall into the group that believes that MFCC has been worth every penny. I sympathize with the pain of considering increased cost but acknowledge that the costs for everything have risen and we cannot expect MFCC to remain unaffected. One thought might be to set a rate that serves to cover the increased costs incurred in maintaining the quality and services MFCC provides while simultaneously incentivizing longevity. As an example, you could have an initial rate of $20 per month to start. I’d imagine most people pour through the links and read the articles more in their first year and then keep up with things over time. Then for each year of “active” membership (contributing in some manner) the cost would diminish by $2 each year until you have been a member for 5 years and then it would stay at the original fee of $10 a month moving forward. I am no businessman but it is certainly the cumulative years of experience and wisdom of it’s members that add to the value for me. I’d love to see some way of rewarding that.
I’m fortunate to be able to afford the increase, and membership is well worth it. More frequent, more modest increases might be more palatable than a large increase every decade. Definitely think a discount for prepaid annual membership at a slight discount would be attractive to many. Also consider honoring the for the first year of membership the fee in effect when signing up.
So this is a really tough question that you ask without context to your business plan (which I am NOT asking for you to share …). At a base level, I certain could and would support a modest increase … I value the service you provide.
BUT … I’m not sure it gets you where you need to be. You will loose members, be it 5%, 10% or 25%. That’s just the nature of the beast. Without having numbers to crunch, I’m guessing the increase will not cover the loss of members, at least initially. I also think you are already at a psychologically optimum price point of $9.95/month. Subconsciously, people see UNDER TEN DOLLARS and it is easily justifiable to spend this. $10 dollars becomes a barrier, same as $20. I also think that the cost to run a website is fixed, so your goal should be to grow membership … your margin will grow also.
You’ve probably thought of this, but I would suggest you look at ways to optimize hosting cost and possibly sponsorship as ways of funding/reducing the fixed expense of the site.
I’m surprised to hear you’ve never raised the membership fee. This suggested increase will not even cover the inflation, which is about 35% since 2012.
I’m also on a fixed income, but thankfully the increase in cost isn’t an issue for me. For others it will be.
Splitting up MFCC and MFRI would require a lot of work to generate enough content to make it worthwhile for subscribers. It would be impossible to keep people from posting about RI on MFCC and vice versa. I advise against it.
I do advise expanding the content to cover more of the northeast to attract and keep subscribers at the higher price.
I also agree with more frequent evaluations of your costs and pricing. Smaller, more frequent price increases are easier to absorb than infrequent large increases. (Just ask your local cable tv company).
You should not be ashamed of keeping your business profitable. If you don’t do that then it will eventually shut down and none of us want to see that happen.
Every business needs to make adjustments along the way and your price increase is certainly justified. I would also like to see an option for an annual subscription. Thanks Ryan!
Worth the price but you might take a hit to your auto renewals. Perhaps there is another way to offer something additional to those with the means or a grandfathered price for those that can’t.
Depending on the services you use for the site, there may be a novel ways to reduce the cost to run things. Especially around media storage or WordPress fees/cost.
It may make sense to jump to 14.99 instead of it becoming a usual thing – IMO well worth it. Even at 20/month it’s a deal to support a well run local business and MFCC isn’t something that could be replicated.
I guess there always has to be one in the crowd, me. I also fit the fix income category. A 30% increase is more than modest. MFCC will be almost as costly as my cell phone service, Amazon Prime or my Stock Program. Over the years I have worked with many businesses, and it is always hard to raise prices. You do not want to drive your core supporters away. You also don’t want to drive people to stop their subscription for December, January and February, your net would be less for those folks.
I am going to guess the 80/20 principle can be applied to MFCC. 20% of the subscribers make up 80% of the usage and 80% of the subscribers only make up 20% of the use. You will never need to worry about the 20%, they are loyal and true. It is the 80% you need to be concerned about.
At the end of the day it is all about the money, you need to grow your business and prosper. I am sure you have factored in annual increase in membership or increasing advertising.
I am guessing funds are needed to develop and market the Rhode Island project. Will Rhode Island be included in the $12.95 or is it a stand alone with its own membership?
Maybe you could consider grandfathering people at say $10.99 or $130 annually. Push for new members at the grandfather price and after July 1st all new folks would be at $12.50. If someone stops their membership they would need to renew at the “new” rate. But this wouldn’t get you the 30% increase you desire.
When you own your own business you don’t need to ask about pricing but very nice of you to do so and get ahead of the curve. Thanks for listening.
MFCC is a well run site without equal for the Cape Cod angler. You need to charge an amount that allows you to successfully maintain the quality content we come for. Clearly, the fact that the price has not changed for 12 years, tells me it is overdue. $12.95 is reasonable to me. Don’t wait so long next time, maybe every 10 years :rofl:
$2-$3 extra to ensure MFCC lives on, for all of us to be a part of and enjoy for decades to come? count me in 😎
The increase is fine by me. MFCC is very worth it!
Well worth the price of admission!!!
I’d pay it. Awesome website with a ton of info.
I always wondered how you were able to keep the price the same all of these years. It’s only $3 more per month for a fantastic fishing site. The cost of everything is going up so it’s totally understandable to me. Thanks Ryan for all of the work you do to give us such a great resource. I read the forum about everyday I have enjoyed your site since 2012.
It’s a great community that many people love! I’m for the idea. Like you said, a lot has changed in 10 years.
One thing that some guys might be able to chime in on could be a yearly subscription for the people that remain on mfcc annually. Possibly a one time fee sort of deal.
Absolutely. I will definitely make that available. 👍