Do You Take Free Stuff Seriously?

I personally think "exclusive" is more powerful.

Free=crap quality. Exclusive=wow, I'm getting in on some great secret stuff!

I think if you know the marketer and have liked what they have put out previously then you'll appreciate the free stuff they give you. If you don't know the marketer but the title of the video/ebook sounds interesting then maybe you'll be interested, otherwise you'll assume it's junk.

Thats just how I respond anyway, so I guess others might feel differently.

I'm usually willing to opt-in for something free if I'm interested in the topic, but I tend to value the information I learn for free pretty low... like most people I think it's worth more if I have to pay for it.

Gary

Yeah, I take free stuff seriously. Just depends how good the content is.

Hmm, being an internet marketer myself, I rarely ever opt-in because of a free gift. I know most free gifts would just try and convince me to buy the REAL product. If I do opt-in it's because I like the marketer's style, their products or their techniques. However, when I was a newbie I did sign-up because of the free stuff but not anymore. UNLESS the free offer really is exceptional.

Adam

of course, when I first started, I literally had no money to invest in my online business.

I didnt even have a debit card let alone a credit card.

So if it wasn't for free reports I would of never been able to get started making money online.

A lot of free stuff is good, as many people like to offer their best content in free, opt-in-required reports. The law of reciprocity sets in and I usually buy whatever they've got if I think it'll help me.
If the free content isn't good, I don't even consider the paid-for products and unsubscribe from the list.

I do. If it's on a topic that I'm interested in I'll opt-in.

You have to have the right mindset I think... Free isn't begging PLEASE NOTICE ME...when done right it is a risk reversal.

The reader knows that nothing is free and you are going to pitch them sooner or later. If your free content delivers high value, they will listen with attention to your offer. You are auditioning your content when it's out there past the free line.

I find that there is a ton of resistance now in my niche to opting in. I get 25-30% opt in rates because by the time the client opts in they have already been exposed to blog posts and other free content, so the sales/commitment ladder goes...

Read free content
Buy more content with your opt in
Buy more content with cash (knowing the value of the brand from whom you are buying)
buy continuity programs so that you stay in contact with the infostream of consistent value from the brand.

I haven't received very much free stuff that is worth the space on my hard drive. If it interests me, I may opt in but I will normally opt right back out afterwards. I am on just a very few select lists and like it that way.

It's not the 'free' that gets me 'cause I'm certainly willing to pay for stuff. It's the content. And I like building trust with my list, and offering good 'free' content does that. Plus it's a great way to build your list.

-Debbie

I try to make sure that I give away at least one bit of important information each month, as it balances the karma

If people decide not to take it seriously then thats their problem as whatever I write in a report has been tested for months and it only get publicized if it works

There's free stuff that's better than exclusive and vice versa. What an offer says it can do and how it says it is the most important.

Tere is a big problem:
People like suffs for Free (i didin't say free suff)

Because people what to have something for free, but when you offer a free thing people generally devaluate it... they perceive it as crap. It is why some intelligent internet marketer add the value (a $ XXX value) or just say : "people are paying $xxx for it but yours is free"

Here's my take on it - it depends on value!

There are two factors at play here:
1) Price: which is free
2) Value: which is....?

So whichever decision you make will depend on the VALUE, because the price is free. Actually, we always make our decisions on value more then on the price. This is how it is possible to sell a high-price item.

Here are some criteria for determining the value of an offer:
1) Is it exclusive? If you write your own e-book or create your own product, then it is exclusive, which means you cannot get it anywhere else. Good old supply and demand works here! Something that you can only get in one place is much more valuable then something you can get everywhere!
2) Is it current? If an idea, strategy or software is not current, then the value of that is much lower then something new and exclusive
3) Medium... something in video is generally more valuable then something written...

There are many more criteria I won't get into here. I will be including a bonus in my upcoming product launch with more information on this... I think this would be beneficial to my customers...

Also keep in mind that viral e-books with PLR can be VERY valuable and a lot of the current launches are giving away A TON of free information usually in the form of videos!!

I usually don't take free stuff seriously because I feel like it's just a "teaser" for the paid product. The author is just going to lead me into some wonderful idea or answer and then stop before I get the full idea.
...so then I just don't read free ebooks to begin with.

Offering something (ebook, audio, content) for free it part of the whole process of internet marketing industry (as you call it : teaser)

Remember, you need to attract people to what you are offering and show them that you cna lead them to the solutions. When they suscribe to you list and see you are providing value to them for sure when you while recommend them something they will buy it!

I learn a lot from free ebooks and audios and most of the time I'm offering paid product for free to my subscribers, they appreciate it because their new the value and rush to optin because they perceive the value...

But if it just FREE stuff even if it is good content they will have a bad percetion of it... and maybe will not even pay attention to it!

Free is a big deal if you can contact it with the wants of the person on the other end. If you are providing them with info to solve their problem they will be more open to buy what ever you are selling that is related to their problem.

If the freebie is something I'm into I'll opt-in...

If after I'm happy with the freebie I'll opt-out...

Simple as that...

Only if I suspect it has any value to me but I don't usually have high expectations for free stuff.

It also depends on who is giving it away.

I won't opt out after I get what was promised. I'll wait for a couple of emails and see what they're about. Then I might opt out.

Sometimes I'll stay just to watch how they followup. Maybe I can learn something.

I love freebies for a lot of reasons. If the freebie is garbage, that tells you a whole lot about the marketer who gave it to you -- that person gives away junk and will happily sell you junk. Unsubscribe. If the freebie is good you've learned something, maybe a lot, and it's worth your time to stay subscribed and see what this person has to say, see if they know what they're talking about. I learned a long time ago to be very careful when deciding who to listen to in the IM market. Have you ever noticed that some marketers (no names here) write the same book over and over again, new title, new cover, almost exactly the same information?

Over time I have had some great pieces of information from free stuff. I always opt in and check things out. Then if I like it I'll keep it. If not, I just delete it.

I've found that even with stuff I pay for I often only find one or two things in the book/report, etc. that is worth learning. However, I figure that one or two things are worth the price so long as it's not too expensive. And free has no cost, so one or two good ideas are really a bonus.