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Opinions Wanted.. PAID ebook, or FREE ebook?

by Brock Poling
10 replies
I am launching a new niche site which will take several products over a group of seemingly unrelated subjects and stitching them into a "curriculum" that will show a group of people how to improve the quality of their lives.

My ebook will essentially serve as a framework for what materials to study and my suggestions about how to apply them to the opportunity at hand. Those reading the book will have to invest in the materials if they want to pursue my method.

The application of some of these ideas are a bit sensational and I suspect that if the ebook is free a lot of people will download it and send curiosity emails and never move beyond the free ebook. This will (obviously) burn a lot of time answering questions to people who won't ever invest in the course materials.

The real revenue potential here is through affiliate commissions.

So my question is this... is it better to charge for my ebook and weed out the curious who will never buy, or seek the broadest possible audience and figure out how to handle a large volume of inquiries that will never materialize into sales?

I am torn and could use your opinions.
#ebook #free #opinions #paid #wanted
  • Profile picture of the author minsight
    How about both?

    A free version which contains a portion of the content that is in the paid version?

    Authors often include the first chapter or two of their next book at the back of their paperback releases. Just make sure to end your cut-down free version with a bang, leaving the reader wanting more!
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  • Profile picture of the author DrewClement
    Give the Ebook away for free.....in order to build the relationship and your overall email list.

    Insert affiliate links within the book to test the buying power of the user base, and/or send out an email the following week with an upsell. If no one buys..you know your database is not one looking to spend money.

    If your automated email garners sales...you know the market and your list are ripe and ready to spend.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kevin Williams
    Yeah you can release a "demo" but you better have a lot of faith in your product. I would recommend just doing it for free - especially if you're trying to capitalize on affiliate commissions anyway.
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    High Quality Content - Articles, eBooks, and Salesletters, Oh My!
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris G
    Another here for giving your ebook away for free. You'll have a much better success rate for people to opt-in to your list. Offer valuable content to your list. Build a relationship with your list.
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  • Profile picture of the author chadb
    Give away your best stuff for free is what i have always heard
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  • Profile picture of the author chadb
    or even better - test it our try it both ways and see
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  • Profile picture of the author Supernatural_fan
    i don't think a demo will be enough to offer them the motivational info that they would need in order to decide to buy the e-book. my opinion is that you should charge for it, but not too much. After all, most people seeking free e-books don't really have the money to invest in those methods of yours. The way I see it, everybody here voted for different options. If I were you, I'd be even more torn up between decisions.
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  • Profile picture of the author justen_mllr
    Now here's what I would do. This is a little more work for you but is in my opinion the best way to sell anything online.

    Make your ebook into a real book. By that I'm saying get in contact with a fullfillment company and have them print out your book and bind it.

    Then give your book away for free and charge $8 for shipping and handling which will cover the costs of the fullfillment company. For more money, just add an one time offer before the confirmation or thank you page. Then on the thank you page just give them a download link for the ebook version of the book.

    Doing this separates the freebie seekers and the real customers. And since they had to come out with some money for the book, they will be more likely to follow what it says.

    This is what I do on my website (found in signature). I seems to be working great.
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