A WSO Marketing Lesson for Newbies!

21 replies
Hi all,


My squeeze page has been live a week and I've had 150 sign ups. In my excitement I decided to post a WSO (Warrior Special Offer) on warrior forum. I paid my $20 and went to bed excited that I would wake this morning to a flurry of new sign ups.

The harsh reality was disappointing, not many at all! Where had I gone wrong?

When I looked at my post compared to everyone else's I quickly realised I hadn't 'marketed' it.

I thought by adding the word FREE that would entice people to have a look, but it paled into comparison next to the other great 'hooks' people were using, so my title alone didn't really pull people in.

Then because I'm simply trying to get people to sign up to my list, I didn't post it like a sales page, once again, I was confident a FREE product would attract enough attention, but next to the other sales pages, mine just looked like an amateur having a go.

My message is that just because what you have is FREE doesn't necessarily mean people will automatically look at it and sign up. In fact many of the products on there with high price tags get a huge amount of visitors (and by huge I mean 10's of thousands), because their title is good and their sales page is outstanding. Will they deliver? Who knows...
But then who knows I will either.

Us newbies must remember at all times when we're trying to get our message across, people don't know who we are, they don't trust us yet, and they don't know we're going to deliver and in some cases over deliver, so the title of your post and the way you sell it is all you've got to get them through the door.

If you're thinking of utilising the WSO for any future products either free or paid for just remember to front your fantastic product with an even more fantastic sales pitch and hook!

Good luck guys
#lesson #marketing #newbies #wso
  • Profile picture of the author Paul Barber
    Are you going to try again with some better hooks? If you do it would be interesting to see what increase in signup you get for the same promotion but better headlines, giveaways etc.

    Good luck
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  • Profile picture of the author MerlynSanchez
    Thank you for sharing your experience!

    We often assume that free offers will just naturally get attention and we fail to realize that there is a plethora of free information vying for our prospects!

    I did check out your sig line and signed up for your list. I can't comment on the quality of your freebies as I haven't downloaded them yet but I enjoyed your video. You have a natural approach which is a welcome change from all they hype we see every day.

    I also love your "entreprenette" persona!

    Good luck and I hope you try again with better results!

    Merlyn
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  • I think there have been so many free products offered that were just crappy products to prepare people for upsells, has killed the free wso market.

    I know several warriors (and I am one of them) who do not even look at WSO's if they have free in the Thread title.

    Instead, save it for the end. At the end of your copy say "Oh, I forgot to tell you...this is totally FREE." or something like that. That should convert better for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author George Wright
    That's some nice insight you've shared with us. Thank you.

    Let me throw in my 2 cents.

    I'll get yelled at by the "business men/women" on the WF, however, I can take it.

    A lot of WSO buyers don't want to start a business. They just want to make some money or at least save some money.

    Based on your sales copy here are some subject lines that would cause me and I'm sure a few others to at least look if not join.

    I poured $350,000 down the drain. Don't you do the same.

    Watch over my shoulder while I show you how to waste $350,000.

    Hosting $10, URL $8, Mistakes $350,000, You avoiding these charges, PRICELESS. Really, priceless because I tell all at no price to you.

    Just my take.

    George Wright
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    "The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book." Mickey Spillane
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    • Profile picture of the author MerlynSanchez
      Originally Posted by George Wright View Post

      That's some nice insight you've shared with us. Thank you.

      Let me throw in my 2 cents.

      I'll get yelled at by the "business men/women" on the WF, however, I can take it.

      A lot of WSO buyers don't want to start a business. They just want to make some money or at least save some money.
      No disagreement from this "businesswoman"


      Originally Posted by George Wright View Post

      Based on your sales copy here are some subject lines that would cause me and I'm sure a few others to at least look if not join.

      I poured $350,000 down the drain. Don't you do the same.

      Watch over my shoulder while I show you how to waste $350,000.

      Hosting $10, URL $8, Mistakes $350,000, You avoiding these charges, PRICELESS. Really, priceless because I tell all at no price to you.

      Just my take.

      George Wright
      Absolutely brilliant!
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      • Profile picture of the author Entreprenette
        Originally Posted by Paul Barber View Post

        Are you going to try again with some better hooks? If you do it would be interesting to see what increase in signup you get for the same promotion but better headlines, giveaways etc.

        Good luck
        Definitely Paul. I'm not sure how long to leave it? A day, a week or doesn't it really matter?

        Originally Posted by MerlynSanchez View Post

        Thank you for sharing your experience!

        We often assume that free offers will just naturally get attention and we fail to realize that there is a plethora of free information vying for our prospects!

        I did check out your sig line and signed up for your list. I can't comment on the quality of your freebies as I haven't downloaded them yet but I enjoyed your video. You have a natural approach which is a welcome change from all they hype we see every day.

        I also love your "entreprenette" persona!

        Good luck and I hope you try again with better results!

        Merlyn
        Thanks for your comments Merlyn, and for signing up! I really hope you'll enjoy the direction I'm headed in (still got a lot to learn, but hoping to share and learn along with all my list members).

        Originally Posted by Charles Montgomery View Post

        I think there have been so many free products offered that were just crappy products to prepare people for upsells, has killed the free wso market.

        I know several warriors (and I am one of them) who do not even look at WSO's if they have free in the Thread title.

        Instead, save it for the end. At the end of your copy say "Oh, I forgot to tell you...this is totally FREE." or something like that. That should convert better for you.
        Thanks Charles, I did notice that the FREE ones seemed to have less posts, but I thought maybe that was more to do with the posts themselves. Following your advice - I'll try that!

        Originally Posted by George Wright View Post

        That's some nice insight you've shared with us. Thank you.

        Let me throw in my 2 cents.

        I'll get yelled at by the "business men/women" on the WF, however, I can take it.

        A lot of WSO buyers don't want to start a business. They just want to make some money or at least save some money.

        Based on your sales copy here are some subject lines that would cause me and I'm sure a few others to at least look if not join.

        I poured $350,000 down the drain. Don't you do the same.

        Watch over my shoulder while I show you how to waste $350,000.

        Hosting $10, URL $8, Mistakes $350,000, You avoiding these charges, PRICELESS. Really, priceless because I tell all at no price to you.

        Just my take.

        George Wright
        This is genius George! Thank you, I've been wondering how I could perhaps use that more to my advantage and you've done it! I love these forums, a few brains are so much more powerful than 1!!!
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    • Profile picture of the author xatsmann
      Originally Posted by George Wright View Post

      That's some nice insight you've shared with us. Thank you.

      Let me throw in my 2 cents.

      I'll get yelled at by the "business men/women" on the WF, however, I can take it.

      A lot of WSO buyers don't want to start a business. They just want to make some money or at least save some money.

      Based on your sales copy here are some subject lines that would cause me and I'm sure a few others to at least look if not join.

      I poured $350,000 down the drain. Don't you do the same.

      Watch over my shoulder while I show you how to waste $350,000.

      Hosting $10, URL $8, Mistakes $350,000, You avoiding these charges, PRICELESS. Really, priceless because I tell all at no price to you.

      Just my take.

      George Wright
      Nothing like a humorous or clever headline to get my attention.
      Good job.
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      • Profile picture of the author davidjames42973
        Online marketing requires a lot of trial and error. Sometimes something will work and other times it won't.

        Try redoing your copy and try again.

        You are on the right track for sure!

        You're new to internet marketing and you're building an email list? I wish I started building my email list when I started out in this biz...
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  • Profile picture of the author VegasGreg
    Also, a WSO is something that is supposed to be 'special' or 'discounted' to Warriors and when I see a FREE offer that is nothing more than an Opt-In page (The same free offer as any Joe Blow that shows up to your site) I am immediately turned off.
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  • Profile picture of the author TimG
    Jo,
    Something else you might consider is using your signature file to promote your WSO although I see that it would be competing with your link to your actual squeeze page.

    The signature file is a good place to put the info that George provided.

    Respectfully,
    Tim

    PS - I know I still owe you a reply to your email -
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  • Profile picture of the author Anthony La Rocca
    Hi Jo,

    I find the WSO section is a "buyers market" and not a "I am going to check out this section for another amazing freebie market". I find more and more people you are targeting to these days become immune to the "Free" wso's. People realize ugh this is just another trip down the ol' fill out my name and e-mail and hope what I download is decent.

    Try to treat your free product as a real product and title your WSO's and phrase your Ad Copy accordingly. This way if you already grab someones interest AND they find your Ad copy compelling, boy are they more interested when they realize "Omg I would've paid $10 for this...but its Free..I gotta check this out!"

    So It definitely does not hurt to switch your title variations up.

    Secondly, those very few leads you have, cherish them and keep on with the free content. Monitor how many of those leads download your new free content. If its above 50% then people are starting to take you seriously.

    Lastly, momentum is everything. If you are getting leads to your WSO, keep it active and glue yourself to the thread to be as responsive as possible.

    My 2 cents =)

    -Anth
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  • Profile picture of the author InternetM39482
    Hi Jo,

    You took action and that's awesome.

    And, you've got the right approach towards it... instead of being disappointed (as I've seen many get), you've tried to find out what's not working which, again, is a good thing.

    Personally, I feel there's a lack of a call to action on your WSO. Try improving on that part, and see if it helps.

    And like Charles said, try testing without the word free in your title. Might improve conversions a bit. :-)

    Cheers,
    Swastik
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  • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
    Originally Posted by Entreprenette View Post

    I thought by adding the word FREE that would entice people to have a look, but it paled into comparison next to the other great 'hooks' people were using, so my title alone didn't really pull people in.
    Hi Jo,

    There's an old story about a guy who put his old refridgerator out near the street with a big "FREE" sign taped to the front.

    Every night he'd have to put it back into the gararge, and this went on for a week.

    Then he got smart and put "For Sale - $75" on the sign and the refridgerator was stolen by that afternoon.

    The point is, no matter what you are trying to sell or give away for free it has to be tied to some value or nobody will be interested.

    Your $20 bought you an incredibly valuable lesson that will last you the rest of your life.

    What a bargin...

    ~Bill
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    • Profile picture of the author BrainCopy
      Originally Posted by Bill Farnham View Post

      Hi Jo,

      There's an old story about a guy who put his old refridgerator out near the street with a big "FREE" sign taped to the front.

      Every night he'd have to put it back into the gararge, and this went on for a week.

      Then he got smart and put "For Sale - $75" on the sign and the refridgerator was stolen by that afternoon.

      The point is, no matter what you are trying to sell or give away for free it has to be tied to some value or nobody will be interested.

      Your $20 bought you an incredibly valuable lesson that will last you the rest of your life.

      What a bargin...

      ~Bill
      Bill, I might just have to swipe that quote from you. A very valuable lesson it is. You should always look at others "hooks" and sales pages to get an idea of how to construct your offer.

      Best Regards,
      UFG
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  • Profile picture of the author James Sol Radina
    This was a great post, You get a big thanks. I am recently did my first WSO, and I put my consulting and blueprint at 1/2 price. When i asked for feedback as to why not more people were taking me up on it, they said my price was too high and that most people charge $7 or $17 or $27.

    So then I bumped it and put it as FREE! I thought for sure I would get some takers. Nope Zero. It did worse at Free. I was pretty confused to say the least.

    So this post makes it all clear. Thanks to everyone that was honest in their feedback. You have to love this community. All the responses were very helpful! If I bump it again, I will do $7 instead of Free. hahahaha.
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    I offer Product Launch Blueprints and Product Launch Management Services. I studied under Jeff Walker's Product Launch Manager Coaching Program. I also provide online marketing for Personal Development Guru's in the Self Growth Industry. Looking forward to support you in any way I can. Namaste, James Sol Radina http://www.facebook.com/briantracydirector

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  • Profile picture of the author Trivum
    I haven't seen your WSO, but I saw the video from the link in your sig, and I would suggest thinking about making it more "specific." You say "how to start your business," but that could be a million different things, and it doesn't speak to anyone in particular. It's a little like saying, "Warriors, Would You Like to Make Money on the Internet?"

    People have their "things" that they're interested in, and they gravitate to those WSOs. If someone is interested in PPC, they will click on something related to PPC. Someone who hates social marketing, however, is not going to click on a WSO that talks about Twitter.

    You have to give them something to hang onto, a magnet that's going to attract them.

    If it is a general "how to not make general mistakes in an online business," then I would aim it at newbies (even if someone more experienced could learn from it). You have to pick out some group, some niche, and let them get traction on it.

    That was my first impression anyway. ... By the way, I did sign up. But, truthfully, I did so mostly because of this thread in order to check it out. You've made it more interesting to me with this thread ... but for general marketing purposes, I would still stick with my impressions above.
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  • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
    There is no such thing as a free WSO and everybody here knows it. You may not pay money, but you pay by providing information, which is just as good as money. Soooo, even your "free" offers have to be appealing. The mere use of the word "free" doesn't hold much weight if there is a crappy presentation behind it.

    ABS... ALWAYS BE SELLING (even if what you are selling is "free")
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    Founder of JVZoo. All around good guy :)

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  • Profile picture of the author ladyspinner
    It is always said...you learn from your mistakes. The good thing is...you will never make that mistake again. It was worth the $20 to find out, no?
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    • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Kelsall
      You know what I've found?

      You can move more units at $27 or $97 than you can at FREE because the IM crowd is now trained to the fact that the only reason they ever get something free (99% of the time) is so that you can sell them something tomorrow.

      I'm not just guessing here either....

      We had 2 pieces of software that we tried to GIVEAWAY - we had 75 download in 24 hours. The next day, we left the copy pretty much exactly the same, but slapped a $27 price tag on it, and had 250 sales in the next 18 hours.

      The perceived value of free for the most part in Internet Marketing = A bag of dog turd....Some other marketers that I have talked to have pretty much said the same thing.
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      • Profile picture of the author Dialady
        Thank you for starting this discussion. As a fellow newbie, I've learned a lot from you and other's comments.

        Now back to working on my next PLR project
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      • Profile picture of the author BrainCopy
        Originally Posted by Jeremy Kelsall View Post

        You know what I've found?

        You can move more units at $27 or $97 than you can at FREE because the IM crowd is now trained to the fact that the only reason they ever get something free (99% of the time) is so that you can sell them something tomorrow.

        I'm not just guessing here either....

        We had 2 pieces of software that we tried to GIVEAWAY - we had 75 download in 24 hours. The next day, we left the copy pretty much exactly the same, but slapped a $27 price tag on it, and had 250 sales in the next 18 hours.

        The perceived value of free for the most part in Internet Marketing = A bag of dog turd....Some other marketers that I have talked to have pretty much said the same thing.
        Jeremy, thank you for sharing that. It's sad that you legitimately tried to give something away that's of value, but screw it! you made some money with it anyway haha.

        Best Regards,
        UFG
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