35 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
35 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

What freebie would excite you enough to REALLY want to opt into someones list?

by jamesmol
26 replies
Like most people, it has taken me a while to work out that I really do need to build a list! So...

I am looking to test a few sales funnels to build my list and it has really got me thinking about what to give away.

My question is twofold:

Firstly for each one personally, what sort of free give away would really excite you enough to actually double opt-in to someone's list? - what products have you jumped at in the past?

Secondly, for those of you who have had some success with building lists by giving away "ethical bribes", what type of products / niches have converted the best?

I will get the ball rolling with my best offer to date. My best converting freebie was for a YouTube course I created which had a good quality eBook and was accompanied by step by step videos showing one how to create a video ranking on the first page of Google. I originally did not have too much luck with selling the entire course, until I gave the eBook away as a free WSO and sold the videos as an up-sell.

Thanks in advance.

Regards
James Molfetas
#excite #freebie #list #opt #someones
  • Profile picture of the author Horny Devil
    Banned
    Originally Posted by jamesmol View Post


    What freebie would excite you enough to REALLY want to opt into someones list?
    A night with his wife?

    No, seriously, I personally don't need freebies to entice me onto someone's list. I've only ever been on half a dozen lists in my entire life and that was because of the quality of the information, not by being bribed or enticed with freebies.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8154126].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jamesmol
    Have you seen his wife? LOL
    Signature

    My 30 Day Profit Challenge>>> Follow my journey to make $1,000 in 30 days

    CIMR >>> For all the Internet Marketing resources you will ever need, all in one place

    My-Kindle Gameplan>>> A complete Kindle Publishing Strategy

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8154181].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Jeff Schuman
      I personally like "blueprint" freebies in the form of a free report. Something that is laid out and easy to follow. I do not like to watch videos I have to opt in for and I do not like long ebooks that I do not have time to read.
      Signature
      Jeff Schuman - SEO Blog Writer For Hire! Buy affordable, SEO, quality, MMO niche blog articles. Fast turnaround.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8154191].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author TheContentAuthority
    James,

    Like the devil, I have not opted into many lists but the ones that I have were offering genuinely good content and I had already been visiting their websites for some time before I ever signed up for anything. I think that first and foremost, you have to be a thought leader and put a lot of great information out there for your target market in order to not be seen as spammy.

    Best,

    Shawn
    Signature
    Outsource to the experts...

    We customize your Blog, eBook, Press Release and Sale Copy content with your message.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8154197].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ahernhouse
    I am in the process of building and marketing my own site - involving subliminal messaging - and I "give away" as a thanks for opting into my list a monthly ten minute subliminal byte - a different subject every month.

    So, after, say, twelve months a subscriber will own a small library of twelve subliminal recordings in different areas of personal development.

    I am hoping that, besides creating interest, the value of my free gift will garner a certain trust in my subscriber - warming them in readiness for future offers.

    What do you think?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8154237].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    Freebies are not the way to go. Gain their trust through high quality info.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8154264].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author scrofford
      Originally Posted by writeaway View Post

      Freebies are not the way to go. Gain their trust through high quality info.
      High quality info can be offered for free. I think the OP is using the word "freebie" as a free give away, not necessarily a low value product that sucks and nobody wants.You can gain trust by giving away valuable content for free as a "freebie."
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8157079].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        The opt-in isn't an isolated event.

        Even if the person lands on your page from their first click on their first search, something went before the opt-in and more will follow it.

        They searched, followed a link from an article or video, or whatever because they wanted to learn or do something. Once you correctly target that something, getting the opt-in is simple. You just have to convince them that what you offer is going to help them achieve that desire.

        Of course, winning the lottery is simple enough, too. All you have to do is pick the right six numbers and you're wealthy.

        To get the opt-in, decide who you want on that list. Figure out what they really want. Offer it to them in a way that makes them believe you can deliver.

        As for those people building magic bullet lists, most of those people don't really want a magic bullet. They want to fantasize about having a magic bullet, and opting in for such a freebie feeds their fantasy. It's like the lonely bachelor spending Saturday nights with their shelf full of 'how to pick up women' products instead of spending them with women (or trying to).

        The prospect pool of for this type of list is very deep, indeed.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8158620].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author cshilling22
    It depends, what type of people are you trying to attract and in what area or niche?
    Signature
    Get your FREE e-book, Learn and Lead: 2 Simple Steps to Ignite Performance.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8154322].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Unlike some of the others, I've signed up for many a list over the years. I've yet to do so because of the freebie.

      That said, the most valuable freebies I can recall have all been either short reports/white papers or bits of software that do one small, specific job (like stripping the html from a web page).

      My best freebie has been a weekly newsletter, with the freebie being a PDF of the previous year's content. This was in a hobby niche, and fairly specialized. By many standards, the list wasn't huge, but they were loyal and responsive. Unfortunately, this was about the time I caught a bad case of Shiny Object Syndrome, and let it die while chasing bits of light - pretty but no substance.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8154565].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Caden
    For me, it's always an ebook and it has to be something I'm very interested in to double-opt in.
    Signature

    Are you looking to sell your items quickly for cash? Skip the wait and sell to companies directly! Your solution for a swift and hassle-free sale! https://www.fiverr.com/s/r86qqy

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8154763].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CyberAlien
    I almost never optin for freebies. If I need something bad enough to give them my email, then I need it bad enough to make a purchase.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8154920].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author RockNRolla
    I try to offer good content to get people to join my list but I also do offer a free ebook. I think that the freebie will always serve a purpose and boost your sign up rates slightly, and even significantly if you have a really sweet incentive.
    Signature
    ---> CLICK HERE! How To Start An SEO Business - THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE! <---
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8154924].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Plugin Profits
      Most people use squeeze pages to build lists, so there is no "valuable info", until After they submit their email for a free 'valuable' info gift.

      People claim to get 50% + optin rates on their squeeze pages, so it must work.

      To me it seems, no one really wants free stuff anymore, anymore than they want paid stuff, which is not much.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8154966].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JPaston
    I'll tell you what NOT to do!

    In the past I've been lured onto people's lists by Freebies that seemed, from the squeeze page, to offer a complete Blueprint or 'How To...' system only to be disappointed by a fluffy, low info report that is just designed to lure the reader into buying the main product.

    Fact: conversion rate with this type of low info freebie is very low. The best converting giveaway reports are the ones that offer valuable information that show that the author knows his or her stuff. That engenders trust and gives the reader enough confidence to buy the main product.

    All too often so-called list building courses say you can give away freebies based on PLR reports. I've seen a lot of these and, trust me, they don't work unless extensively rewritten.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8155008].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author clickfund
    I think that simple to follow ebooks, and not long copy so I don"t have to spend hours reading
    Signature
    Ready For Free UNLIMITED Traffic to ANY Website?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8155106].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mikelmraz
    Free beer. Nothing else excites me.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8155121].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Willie Crawford
    A piece of software that automates some repetitive task that
    I now do.

    An ebook that concisely explains how to overcome a
    challenge that I face.

    In both cases, the copy has to sell me on the quality...
    I'd probably look at WHO is behind the product and
    what their expertise is.

    Willie
    Signature

    Here's A Ready-Made High Ticket Product To Make Your Own.
    Click To Go BIG!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8155122].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jamesmol
    Hey guys

    A big thank you to Horny Devil, Jeff Schuman, TheContentAuthority, ahernhouse, writeaway, cshilling22, JohnMcCabe, Caden, Chase Watts, RockNRolla, Plugin Profits, JPaston, clickfund, mikelmraz, Willie Crawford

    My first observation has surprised me somewhat but also restored my faith in genuine marketing a bit. The quality of all your posts has been excellent and genuine. In fact I have read them all a few times to make sure I take it all in.

    I n the products that I have created, I have always tried to give real value and teach people useful things. I recently took on some coaching on how to build a list. There were about 15 of us in the class and the people that got the most opt-ins got it with "magic bullet" type generic freebies. Personally I hate this but obviously it works - to build the list anyway.

    The message I am getting from almost all of you is that focused marketers do not need to opt into lists for a freebie. Nor will most of you.

    I am an opt in maniac because of the type of business that I run. But honestly, I only open messages from about 5 marketers. I do so because of good content. So content works! The big question for me when considering my subscribers is how to get them to opt-in in the first place. This is really key because I am sure that there are hundreds of other marketers who's lists I have opted into that have great content but for some reason I have never really been compelled to open that FIRST MAIL, so there has been no chance of them even having an opportunity to build a relationship with me.

    I think that every marketer whose mails I open actually have good products in the marketplace.

    (By the way Willie Crawford, you are actually one of the marketers whose stuff I open - you have some of the absolute best stuff I have ever seen)

    Again, I can remember if I opted in for a freebie or got on the list because I bought something...probably because I bought something.

    Of course it is a bit like the chicken and the egg...I am kind of saying I only opt in once you are successful!

    So this still leaves me with trying to figure out how to get quality subs to opt into my lists in the first place.

    Any thoughts on this?

    Kind Regards
    James Molfetas
    Signature

    My 30 Day Profit Challenge>>> Follow my journey to make $1,000 in 30 days

    CIMR >>> For all the Internet Marketing resources you will ever need, all in one place

    My-Kindle Gameplan>>> A complete Kindle Publishing Strategy

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8155685].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Willie Crawford
      Originally Posted by jamesmol View Post

      I am an opt in maniac because of the type of business that I run. But honestly, I only open messages from about 5 marketers. I do so because of good content. So content works! The big question for me when considering my subscribers is how to get them to opt-in in the first place. This is really key because I am sure that there are hundreds of other marketers who's lists I have opted into that have great content but for some reason I have never really been compelled to open that FIRST MAIL, so there has been no chance of them even having an opportunity to build a relationship with me.
      Many of us opt-in to lots of list, sort of as a way to make sure that we don't miss anything, and to see how others market. I do that but filter all ezines to a special folder that I scan at a certain frequency. When I scan that folder, I read favorite ezines, or move them to my "To Do" folder.

      Many email marketers that I know have a less than 1% open rate... I've seen some of their autoresponder system back offices. That's pretty dismal!

      The keys to getting your emails opened is having a clear "From" field (assuming your subscriber enjoy hearing from you), and a compelling subject line. I feel that the from field is the most important.

      Once you get your email opened, assuming you are selling something, the key to getting the click is a compelling offer.

      I've noticed that the cut-and-paste copy provided with a lot of affiliate products isn't very effective at doing that. Many product developers are not very good copywriters, yet they insist upon writing their own copy. Many of them are also horrible at spelling, and don't seem to know how to use a spell-checker :rolleyes:

      It really is often better to put a product recommendation in your own words. Cut-and-paste emails generally won't be in your voice unless the product owner studied how you write and then created some special copy just for you... which they WILL do if they are certain that you will promote, and they know that you can produce results!

      (By the way Willie Crawford, you are actually one of the marketers whose stuff I open - you have some of the absolute best stuff I have ever seen)
      Thanks.

      It goes in cycles, but I share from my actual experience, and what my friends share with me (with their permission).

      Willie
      Signature

      Here's A Ready-Made High Ticket Product To Make Your Own.
      Click To Go BIG!

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8155705].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author george b
    Personally I would prefer some kind of tool that would aid me.

    I feel If someone is giving away a blueprint/guide/scheme, its either going to be way to simple or there is going to be an up sell in there somewhere.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8155741].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Vlad R
    Ebooks are boring to me...I personally skim through them because most ebooks out there are over-saturated I don't feel like someone is really trying to help. I like free graphics, free templates and free membership sites with a community.

    Hope this helps!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8155752].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Igor Fridrihs
    Freebies are not necessary to create a list. The question is to find targeted audience that is willing to spend their time and money to get free or paid product from you
    Signature
    50-100 Clicks HQ Solo Ads

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8155866].message }}

Trending Topics