Most people won’t hand out their name and email address without some enticement, even if they’re interested in your list. You have to “bribe” them by giving them a freebie to spice up the deal. This provides an incentive, but also starts building your relationship with the subscriber on a positive note.
- Free Reports
The standard in internet marketing is to offer a free report, which is a short ebook that covers one specific, common problem or topic in your niche. Although this works quite well, the value of the free report has declined somewhat because everyone uses them.
- Free eCourse
A more valuable offer is to give your subscribers a free eCourse. Rather than one product they download at once, they get installments over a period of time. You can do this through the list itself or elsewhere online. Ecourses are great for relationship building because they give you more touch points with your subscribers.
- Free Membership
You can give your subscribers free membership to a site or service that usually costs money to join. If it’s difficult to give them a lifetime subscription, give them a free trial.
- Free Software
Give your subscribers a free software program or app that they can download when they sign up for your list. Like a membership offer, you can offer a free trial for this as well.
- Access to a Webinar
Give your subscribers free admission to your webinar. This is valuable and also great for building a relationship with them.
- Coupons or Discount Codes
Rather than a freebie, give your sign-ups a coupon or discount code. People see coupons as the equivalent of cash, so this is a high value offer. Many marketers also offer coupons for the products or services of JV partners.
- Video Download
After a person signs up for your list, give them a free video download. Interviews work wonderfully for this. Interview an expert or big name in your niche and offer the video exclusively to list subscribers. Audio is also good, but video generally has higher conversion rates.
- A Resource Guide
Give your subscribers a downloadable resource guide to help them find what they need online. For example, offer them a guide to the top tools you need for online business.
- Free Service
If you’re a service provider, offer a free service to new sign-ups. You can also offer a free coaching or consulting session. This is another great way to start building your relationship with your customers, and you can actually connect individually with each new subscriber.
You can give away absolutely anything. The important thing is that your freebie should be valuable. It needs to help your audience solve a problem or get the help they need. Make it something good that will blow them away and keep them coming back for more. On the other hand, it doesn’t have to be huge. It’s the value that counts, not the size.