The cost of purchasing Pro Audio software such as third-party plug-ins can amount to quite a sizable bill over the course of a year, but fear not, a vast majority of Pro Audio software developers and plug-ins brands do offer a wide range of different deal opportunities that we can take full advantage of to purchase their products at a fraction of the full price.

In this article we list the most common types of deals and promotions that Pro Audio software developers and plug-in brands offer. 

Seasonal Themed Deals

These types of deals are typically offered within annual calendar events and seasonal holidays such as:

• January: New Years
• February: Valentines Day
• February: President's Day
• March: St Patrick's Day
• April: Easter
• June: Summer
• July: Independence Day
• November: Black Friday
• November: Cyber Monday
• December: Christmas

The most popular annual events to get discounts on plug-in purchases are Christmas, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. These three seasonal deal periods typically offer large discounts but we can be spoilt for choice. Nearly every developer on the market offers "no brainer" deals within these periods making it difficult for us to choose the best deals. If you like to grab plug-in bargains within these periods then we recommend you set a budget for your deal spending spree and stick firmly within it as events, such as Black Friday, can easily lure us into spending more than we first intended.

Flash Sales

Flash sales are short time-limited deal promotions:

• Save 50% This Weekend Only
• 24 Hour Flash Sale - Save 50%

Flash sales typically offer reasonable discounts but only within a short time frame. Customers interested in a flash sale can be made to feel a little pressured into making decisions in regards to buy into it or not. Flash Sales are great promotions to take advantage of if you have had your eye on a certain plug-in for a while. Only buy into a flash sale if the product is something you really want but couldn't afford prior to the deal.

Newsletter Exclusive Deals

It's worth joining audio developer newsletters as many plug-in brands offer exclusive deals that are only available to their newsletter mailing lists. These types of deals are not offered to customers and communities outside of these mailing lists which is a good thing as some plug-in brands can be quite generous with their discounts within closed group promotions.

Introductory Offers

When Pro Audio developers release new plug-ins, software or virtual instruments brands typically offer customers the opportunity to purchase the product with a time-limited introductory offer. Introductory offers usually last longer than flash sales and they are a great way to save some cash off the cost of a purchase if the product is something you like. Top tip, always download the demo (if available) of a new product. Trial the product within the introductory offer period to see if the product is something of value to you and your workflow. If you decide the product is worth the investment then take full advantage of the introductory offer.

Loyalty Discounts

Loyalty discounts are when brands offer closed deals to their customer base. FabFilter has a great loyalty system that offers discounts to their users who own one or more of their products. FabFilter doesn't commonly offer intro offers when releasing new FabFilter plug-ins, instead, they reward customer loyalty by offering very tempting discounts on other FabFilter products without pesky time constraints.

Something Different

Recently, a new type of plug-in deal promotion was floating around social media that's well worth mentioning. The main problem with all these types of deals laid out in the article is that none of them are what we call engaging. All these types of deals have been done to death, most of the time we just glaze over when we see a "-40% Off" symbol on a banner but Sonbile, the makers of Smart EQ, tried something different to promote their recent plug-in deal.

It appeared that Sonible wanted to engage their audience, so they developed an online arcade game designed in the theme of one of their plug-ins that rewarded users with several discounts depending on whatever score users go in the game. The higher the score, the higher the discount.

Yes, this was a bit gimmicky but it was a fun idea. It's refreshing to see a plug-in brand try something new and engaging when it comes to offering plug-in deals.