For those who have implemented a price increase, how did you announce it to your customers and what kind of backlash (if any) did you experience?

Based on the discussion in Price to Scale, many companies that have implemented price increases have handled the announcement in a transparent and thoughtful way. Here are some key takeaways:

• When increasing prices on the existing customer base—even if the product features aren’t changing dramatically—successful companies first explain the rationale. For example, many SaaS businesses have raised prices annually to meet growth objectives (even amid concerns about NPS) when growth has slowed. The book highlights that if growth falls to around 20%, a well-justified price increase can be the simplest way to hit revenue targets.

• Communication is key. Rather than quietly rolling out the change, companies often choose to communicate the update either through direct emails, customer calls, or even webinars. This helps ensure that customers understand why the price is rising, even if it is not accompanied by an immediate feature change.

• There is an important difference in approach between pricing for new customers and existing ones. While new customers “get to choose” and may be more price-sensitive at the outset, existing customers have an established relationship with the product. The book notes that forcing annual price increases on current customers requires extra sensitivity, as it can trigger more backlash if not managed carefully.

• Backlash can occur but tends to be limited if you are clear about the necessity of the increase. The book describes a cautious approach: if you’re upfront and tie the price increase to the broader need to sustain growth or even to support future improvements, many customers understand and eventually accept the change.

In summary, successful price increase announcements as recommended in our saas pricing book, Price to Scale, typically combine transparency with an honest explanation for the change—balancing the need for revenue growth against the risk of customer dissatisfaction. The idea is to minimize backlash by ensuring customers recognize the long-term benefit and value behind the price adjustment.