Am I selling too early?

Hey Evan, great question.
Your main principle is solid, as in you're giving something (free) of value in exchange for their email.
But to answer your question, I believe you're actually trying to sell too late! Most sales funnels will work similarly to yours by offering the free product for an opt-in. But once the prospect opts-in, they're immediately offered the chance to buy a product. If they decline, no big deal and they're directed to their free content.

Then in the follow-up email the prospect is given some free valuable content again, and in yet another follow-up the prospect is introduced to a paid product offer.

This is classically how it's done. Offer something for free to get an opt-in. Immediately offer a paid product. If no sale, no big deal, grant access to freebie. Then pitch paid product again in 2nd follow-up email.

This sales funnel is everywhere, and I'm sure you've been through it yourself in the past. Tried and true.

Hope this helps!

The answer to this question is in the testing phase for you. Every marketer needs to test what works best for their particular market. I personally do not send them right into the sales funnel when they sign up on my squeeze page, others do.

Different things work better for different people. I pitch my list during the first week because that is usually the best chance of getting a sale. You can still get them later, but it is easier when they are actively searching for answers.

Kate

This all depends on what you are promising them at the time of
signing up. Are you just saying, sign up and get this free ebook?
Or do they know that you are trying to sell them something
from the page where they opted in?

Most people new to marketing talk about selling as though it
were a bad thing. If what you are offering is valuable then you
should sell at the beginning and the end. You should be selling
from within the free ebook and in all the emails though you
don't have to 'hard sell' in every email. Sell, sell, sell.

-Ray Edwards

With that you immediately ruin any credibility and it will not make you much money anyhow.

Much smarter: deliver valuable content in an ebook.

If you want to promote affiliate products do so openly in an email. You make at least 10 times the money and do not ruin your credibility.

I would say yes, a bit early. I would send out about another weeks worth of free content until then. However, just straight up recommend a product via your list.

You'll have to test it as there's no definitive answer.

If they aren't buying or hitting unsubscribe the second you pitch you're doing something wrong.

If they are buying and continuing to open future emails you're doing something right.

Hey Evan! When someone enters in their email, direct them to a thank you page saying "Thank you, you're ebook will be given to you shortly. In the meantime I'd like to share with you a product that you might find useful." Or something similar to that. That product can be an affiliate product.

Offer the product in the first few emails and create scarcity and a sense of urgency on why they need to buy NOW! It could be a limited time offer or an amazing bonus offer if they buy now.

My rule is to over-deliver ALWAYS. Because people buy when they are ready. So keep building the relationship. Come up with new tips and ideas to send to your list, like a Free App or a link to a discussion forum that you create. Also, try to keep engaging your target market with value added. Then keep building multiple sales funnels. Go to wordpress.com and set up a few niche targeted blogs and then send links out to these from your auto responder. Let them know you are offering tips and helpful resources but always strategically embed your money links. Most important, be the #1 Authority in your niche. You do that by finding all the keyword variations by using your seed keyword phrase.

Hi Evan,

You are sharing massive value right off the bat. Well done!

So you can sell.....if you share value, share value, share value.

Some emails might be sales-pitching emails but I would still add some free tips and value in their to butter up your readers.

Add value, become valuable, in every email and at every turn.

All the best!