18 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
18 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Do you offer a freebie for new email subscribers? Has it increased your subscription rates?

by SkittlezContentMarketing
16 replies
I've been heavily researching different email marketing techniques and one of the most commonly recommended ways to get people to sign up is to give them a free bonus for doing so, usually a book or a report related to your business and/or a special discount offer. But some of the other gurus I follow--most notably Linda Formichelli of The Renegade Writer Press--don't give freebies at all because they believe people who sign up for a freebie aren't really interested in what they have to say/won't become loyal customers.

At this point none of my clients offer a freebie with their email newsletter but some are actively considering it. Do you offer a freebie for new subscribers? Has it actually increased your subscription rates? Do you think people who sign up for the freebie stick around and become interested in your other work?

Any/all thoughts and advice you have to share would be greatly appreciated.
#email #freebie #increased #offer #rates #subscribers #subscription
  • Profile picture of the author agmccall
    Why did they have to put those 3 paragraphs at the end of their main page. The short article that tells people that they respect you. That is actually their freebie. They are marketing to people that think they are smarter than anyone else, so they tell them "We are the anti guru's here" "We respect you" So what you are going to get from them is the same as anyone else that markets via email. And that is promotional emails disguised as book recommendations. notice all the links go to amazon.

    One thing I think people should really think about when it comes to unsubscribes is why. Many people unsubscribe not because they just wanted the freebie but because the freebie was crap and unactionable and probably regurgitated PLR.

    If you give someone a freebie that they believe they would have paid for you will have a subscriber for a long time.

    al
    Signature

    "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas Edison

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10899879].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author SkittlezContentMarketing
      Originally Posted by agmccall View Post

      Why did they have to put those 3 paragraphs at the end of their main page. The short article that tells people that they respect you. That is actually their freebie. They are marketing to people that think they are smarter than anyone else, so they tell them "We are the anti guru's here" "We respect you" So what you are going to get from them is the same as anyone else that markets via email. And that is promotional emails disguised as book recommendations. notice all the links go to amazon.
      If you went to the website you would have noticed they are a publishing house, so their "book recommendations" are actually news updates about what they are currently publishing. I don't think they're misleading at all about their newsletter--they're pretty open about the fact that it will be news about the books they're publishing.

      I do agree that often people unsubscribe when a freebie is low quality(I've done it myself) but there are also many people who get the freebie, enjoy it, and unsubscribe anyway, usually due to inbox overcrowding. And of course there are bots, as Slimport mentioned.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10900001].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Slimport Canada
    my partner tried that for his site tradelox.com but the thing was many of them were bots
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10899989].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author niphal
    I've seen freebies work very well when approached from the perspective that you're essentially buying your audience.

    One of my clients runs a digital download business for adult colouring in and offers short term freebies that have value for her and the people downloading.

    The result has been about 500 extra subscribers on an audience base that's pretty niche already.

    One of the methods has been to give something away for free, while either requesting a FB share of that product, or a signup to email. Both methods have generated further interest and sales _after_ the freebie has expired.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10900194].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Ellen Chedid
    I think freebies work, if it is something that is related to your audiences wants and needs. There is no point offering a freebie for something that is far from related to what your is about. I also think it is important that you use delayed popups to offer the freebie. Only offer it once they have been on a page fro a certain amount of time. If a visitor is on your site for a while, it most probably means they are interested in your content. In that case, the freebie will increase your chances of them coming on board and being loyal customers.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10900447].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author SkittlezContentMarketing
      Originally Posted by Ellen Chedid View Post

      I also think it is important that you use delayed popups to offer the freebie. Only offer it once they have been on a page fro a certain amount of time.
      This is interesting to me because I honestly hate those popups. I get several newsletters that round up useful articles from a bunch of different blogs and I frequently open multiple tabs at once, so by the time I get to some of the articles these popups have all come up. I've considered doing it on my own website but I know a lot of the people in my niche(freelance writing) tend to have similar web habits.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10901637].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author debburns47
    Hi,

    I've spent a considerable amount of time creating quality freebies (or lead magnets as they are often called) and had no lasting luck with them at all. I think people are getting over them, and probably for the reason that, as someone else suggested: they are usually crap. You also know that if you sign up to a list you are probably going to get bombarded with salesy emails.

    A lot of people prefer to follow you on through social media where they know you will put new posts without having your inbox cluttered up.

    I'm not even offering sign-ups at the moment because I'm promoting a product that assigns customers to me forever. I will probably try again if I find a reliable way to build a quality list, which would still be a great thing to have, but so far I haven't found anything I would recommend.

    A good question.

    Deb
    Signature
    Download your unique FREE Productivity Blueprint
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10900650].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author discrat
    I like to include an E-book but make the Main Lead Magnet an Ecourse that you can spread out over 30 days,

    It seems to quality Leads better and they seem more attentive and serious as they are committing to it.

    I think the days of giving away the Free el cheapo PLR E-books are over with.
    Been overdone. You need to Offer more


    - Robert Andrew
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10901235].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author SkittlezContentMarketing
      Originally Posted by discrat View Post

      I like to include an E-book but make the Main Lead Magnet an Ecourse that you can spread out over 30 days,
      What software do you use to run this Ecourse? I've thought about doing something similar but I'm not sure how to set up.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10901638].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author robo916
    I think you can do what you want really...as long as it's quality and there's some value to it. You gotta remember we are in an internet marketing bubble but a lot of these people have no idea about any of this stuff so what's "rehashed" to experienced people is brand new to someone else who is just getting started and has no idea what SEO, JVZoo, and Fiverr are etc.... I know when I first started I had no idea any of that stuff existed....

    Me personally, I try to get buyers....
    Signature

    Internet business where someone else does all of the set-up, selling, and follow-up FOR YOU! ==> Click Here

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10901626].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Tomas w
    Why dont you try to offer a freebie a book and testing it to see if it works... or instead of a book you can offer a 5 days course of your subject.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10918787].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Xron
    The reality of website traffic is that most people who visit your website or online store are new visitors who will never visit again—unless, that is, you do something to keep them coming back. Building an email list helps you get around this issue and retain more of the traffic you worked so hard to earn. I use hostwinds service for email hosting. They are professional. i am glad.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10919097].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author DavidGWelch
    Talking as a consumer, and not as a marketer, I must agree that those freebie techniques are usually a lot of crap. I subscribed to a lot of places because they promised some "amazing ebook", or stuff like that, and when you get the freebie, is just a lot of well designed crap, with no good content on them.

    So the problem is not the technique, is how you use it, if you are giving away useless things, people will definitely unsubscribe to your email list, so we need to make sure the freebies we give away are not just silly things.

    I subscribed to the email list of a Freelancer called Nesha Woolery a few months ago, and her freebies were amazing, she sent some lessons regarding Social Media that were both well designed and valuable, I always open her emails because I know he doesnt send crappy stuff.

    There are a lot of other examples out there on how to this without making spam or lying to consumers.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10919128].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author winbig007
    hi,
    A freebee is a good way to go - only if you follow up with something the reader is interested in.

    Once you've got the email, the relationship building begins.

    they generally opted-in for some reason. Whatever your offer was, was something they are interested in.

    If you can show them, through your ongoing communications, (emails) that you are the leader they've been looking for, you have a winning strategy.

    Free giveaways work well - if they are quality and if you follow up building the relationship and showing them you are the leader. (as said)

    If they don't translate to sales, you are missing a piece of puzzle.

    hope that helps.
    Tony
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10919225].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Saul Carrillo
    How will anyone ever establish a connection with you, if all you do is push offers and such? Sure, that is the goal right? Make money. But if you want to do this well, you need to put them first and not yourself. Take the time to create some SERIOUS value. Could be ebooks. templates. Courses. Methods. Anything that has any weight to it, and actually takes time and effort to build. Slapping up a PLR ebook doesn't do you any good, you want to use your OWN creations to build loyal followers.

    If you take the time to seriously whip up something value, you won't have to ask if freebies are worthwhile!!

    Best of luck

    -Saul
    Signature

    People have been asking about my 8 Funnel Templates that I built from Scratch, so I thought I might share them! Preview and get them Free here --> http://bit.ly/2fDs6xZ

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10919559].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author desireedavid
    Yes, freebies work. But they need to be structured so, that the people become even more curious and interested of what else you can offer after the freebie.

    Have you tried to test between two pages so you can get solid data regarding your concern?
    Signature
    “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10924779].message }}

Trending Topics