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Should You Use Freebies to Build Your Email List?

By on January 5, 2013

Email marketing is one of the most lucrative ways for the bloggers to monetize their blog, but building your own email list can be a tricky process. Two bloggers, using the same strategies to increase the number of their subscribers, can have very different results depending on their niches, their level of authority and, of course, the audience. One of the most famous techniques is offering a freebie in exchange for the email address, but it doesn’t fit every blogger’s style.

If you’re thinking about offering something valuable for free to your future subscribers, here’s some food for thought.

What is a “freebie”

An e-book guide, or a series of video tutorials that you’ll create in order to get more people to subscribe to your blog – these are the most common forms of incentives used for that – are commonly used to encourage people who have come to your blog to leave their email address. It works very well if they’re already thinking about subscribing (which has a lot to do with whether they’re already perceiving you as an author and expert), or if you’ve made an exceptional material and presented it in such a way that they simply can’t resist it.
The goal of giving such content away is simple: once they leave their email address, they’re in your“database” of people willing to receive further emails from you; then you can send them, apart from the “freebie” that they have signed up for, other emails in which you will try to connect with them and get them to know you and to trust you, from where you can do all sorts of things: send them various offers that you’re promoting (if you want to directly monetize your list), or turn them into loyal followers who will help you build your online reputation (if your primary goal is to became the authority in your industry).

The mistakes and the downsides of freebies

The mistake that most bloggers make is that they either pay some cheap writer to create an ebook (so called), or do that themselves without thoroughly researching whether there’s a real need for such content. Just think about how many blogs you have come across that are offering a “complete guide to blogging for beginners” or “blogging your way from rags to riches”. These are the kinds of content that every single new blogger wants to read – and if you have given your email address in exchange for some of them, how many of those “guides” have actually given you something valuable, something that you haven’t already read elsewhere? Probably not many (unless you’re very lucky); what people usually do when they see that the “guide” is crap and that the blogger is just trying to sell them stuff without providing any real value to them – is to unsubscribe. And you better don’t forget that, unsubscribing takes only one click, as well as subscribing

Another downside of offering freebies as an incentive is that, well, you’ll end up with a lot of people subscribing only to get the free content, and then either unsubscribing, or never opening your emails again (there are a lot of people who filter the emails from specific senders, or those who will give the email address that they aren’t actually using – and there are those who are collecting all kinds of content on the Internet, and never read it). You have to count on the fact that a big number of your new subscribers will fall into one of these categories, and closely monitor the behavior of the people on your list; every subscriber costs you (just check the price plans on any major auto responder service), and you want to make sure that your money is well spent.

Conclusion

If you want to increase the number of people on your list by offering them the free content – then make that content stand out from the beginning: the heading and the call to action have to be different than what they are used to see, and they have to understand right away that the content they’re about to get will really be useful to them. The content itself has to be created with the end users in mind, and if you want them to stay on your list and get involved, it has to be cleverly made, so that they do get the feeling of tremendous value, but also to understand that there’s a lot more (of knowledge, tips and tricks) where that came from.
So, if you’re in it for the long run, think about whether you’re able to create that kind of content as a freebie. If not, then don’t be afraid to pay a good and reliable writer to do it for you. Especially if you’re a new blogger and no one knows about you yet – the investment should pay for itself shortly if you do everything else right.

Andrew is a content manager for a small business website in New York.

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32 Comments

  1. vishvast

    April 12, 2013 at 11:51 am

    Everyone love freebies and these are things,which are love by every single person on this world and we can use this to increase our mailing list and we can make a lot from it also.
    vishvast recently posted..Top 5 best Alternative browsers for iphone

    Reply

  2. Rohit

    March 15, 2013 at 12:55 pm

    freebies are very good way to allure your readers to join your blog or make them to subscribe you. everybody wants free stuffs. it dosent matters whether it is a ebook or a video.., it will surely enhance one’s subscribers list.
    very nice article:)
    Rohit recently posted..Find the sum of the even-valued terms of fibonacci

    Reply

  3. Shane

    January 29, 2013 at 6:47 pm

    I think it is fine to offer them but not make it a necessary part of subscribing.
    Shane recently posted..Why keyword negatives are important

    Reply

  4. krishna

    January 24, 2013 at 9:58 am

    have not started building any list yet, and was just planning to start building using a special freebie.I think so, you could try to use freebies to build e-mail list.thank you sharing!
    krishna recently posted..Banking Software

    Reply

  5. mohit

    January 20, 2013 at 6:18 pm

    Everyone love freebies and these are things,which are love by every single person on this world and we can use this to increase our mailing list and we can make a lot from it also.
    mohit recently posted..TricksTreat Launching Post

    Reply

  6. Adam

    January 19, 2013 at 10:34 pm

    I tried to give freebie for an email address for my google adwords campaign and I got banned. It’s against their rules. Although it’s great way to build mailing list, it doesn’t work with adwords
    Adam recently posted..What Attracts Women

    Reply

  7. Sonali

    January 18, 2013 at 9:12 am

    Blogs and affiliate advertising are my tried and tested. Thanks for mentioning other ways; will try them out too.

    Reply

  8. Julia Spencer

    January 16, 2013 at 7:06 pm

    I agree with you that people should be very careful with freebies, because people who will get them shouldn’t be disappointed with their quality. Because, as a result, it can influence greatly on your blog’s image or brand’s one.

    Julia Spencer’s recent post.. Special Spring Facebook Bundle: 20 Templates for $1,95 per each

    Reply

  9. Ryan Stone

    January 15, 2013 at 9:28 pm

    Has anyone seen whether the use of freebies or discounts to build an email list works very well to actually convert to sales? For example if one offered a 20% off coupon for an email, like Kohls department store does, do those people often convert or do they end up on your email list forever.
    Ryan Stone recently posted..401k & IRA Contribution Limits Increase for 2013

    Reply

  10. Sai Kumar

    January 14, 2013 at 2:03 am

    Hi Mitz, Great Post! Most of the bloggers are using freebies to build their list. They are Providing Free Ebooks and building their list. I feel Freebies and Giveaways are the best way to build good email list. Thanks for Sharing!

    Reply

  11. Tran Le

    January 13, 2013 at 1:05 am

    I have not started building any list yet, and was just planning to start building using a special freebie.
    After reading the article I am not so sure if I will include a freebie increase the signups..
    An alternative to use the freebie for signups can also be a “tweet to get” option.
    Tran Le recently posted..Long Tail Pro 75 % Discount [7 Days ONLY]

    Reply

  12. Saurabh

    January 10, 2013 at 9:37 am

    Great post. your voice is very echo y, I spent 2 years as TV producer, I would suggest using a lapel mic and not recording in environments that echo, also having your main light source primarily facing you, would improve the shot. Coming in from the side at the angle you have isn’t too bad, just a thought.
    Saurabh recently posted..5 Weird Travel Tips: Burns, Burglars, and Bed Bugs! Oh My!

    Reply

    • mitz

      January 10, 2013 at 11:28 pm

      Thanks for the tips…I really need to brush up on my video audio. :)

      Reply

  13. peth

    January 9, 2013 at 11:57 pm

    Blog readers are smart enough to use a computer and navigate around the web. They are usually smart enough to spot poor content. It’s good advice to make your freebies “short & Sweet and Full of Meat”
    peth recently posted..How to Write Good Blog Titles?

    Reply

  14. Becca

    January 9, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    In some ways freebies help we know it. Very interesting article that you’ve posted. Found the views to be quite informative and intriguing. Thanks for sharing.
    Becca recently posted..Mobile Locksmith Willetton

    Reply

  15. Glenn Paul

    January 9, 2013 at 9:59 am

    I really have a bad experience using freebies to attract members to join the list because, they join us for getting the freebies and whenever we try to sell something to them it scares them away! They always expect something for free…

    Reply

    • mitz

      January 9, 2013 at 10:58 am

      Ahh it is a delicate balance we need.. You cannot just sell sell sell. You need to give give give sell, give give give sell. So they are waiting for the give but will definitely consider your sell as well.

      Reply

      • Glenn Paul

        January 10, 2013 at 10:28 am

        But Mitz… finding the right balance is a challenging task isn\’t it? Like I said.. when we go free, free, free and the sell, they just go off….

        Reply

  16. John

    January 8, 2013 at 3:43 pm

    Hi Mitz, brilliant advice. I have created a mini ebook highlighting the main points. I used the ebook to link back to my blog where I had in-depth content that the reader could uses as reference. By doing this I showed my reader that there was more information on my website, thus turning him into a habitual reader. I believe when they receive my emails they are more inclined to open my mails.
    I hope this helps

    John
    John recently posted..Cure thermale Bizarre – Massage en or

    Reply

  17. KevinR

    January 8, 2013 at 1:01 pm

    Ive always been a big fan of giving away free stuff as an inventive, but I’d never considered its drawbacks so that was quite informative. Ideally, if it were me, I would make sure that the ‘prize’ is something that people would want, something that would be valuable to them. Why not give away a free copy of your 2 year old eBook which is already quite popular – something that people would want. About the second point, again, a valid concern. Thing is, if you’re putting up valuable content, I would WANT to subscribe to you, regardless of whether I get an ebook in return or not. Your content should be a big-enough incentive for people to want to subscribe to you.
    KevinR recently posted..Best WordPress Plugins for 2013

    Reply

  18. Ron

    January 7, 2013 at 6:15 pm

    I agree with you in that the freebies should have good content and not just something that is thrown together. You don’t KEEP people in your list giving them junk, free or not. You keep them when you give them quality content, even if it is free. Thanks for the tips and post.
    Ron recently posted..Home Schooling PLR Articles 2 with private label rights

    Reply

  19. Maja

    January 7, 2013 at 3:50 pm

    Hello Mitz
    You are always from a unique ideas. To use the freebies is one of the best idea.We can build list by using this technique but hard work is required.
    Maja recently posted..A Chance to Avail the Coupons

    Reply

  20. Saurabh

    January 7, 2013 at 12:15 pm

    your voice is very echo y, I spent 2 years as TV producer, I would suggest using a lapel mic and not recording in environments that echo, also having your main light source primarily facing you, would improve the shot. Coming in from the side at the angle you have isn’t too bad, just a thought.
    Saurabh recently posted..A Guide to Choosing Sailing Holidays for the Experience of a Lifetime

    Reply

  21. Pankaj

    January 7, 2013 at 9:54 am

    It’s important to use good and useful stuff for your freebie so that your subscriber can notice the value of freebie. Otherwise if you’re subscribers are not satisfied with your stuff then they can easily unsubscribe your list.
    Pankaj recently posted..Hire SEO Freelancers (dofollow)

    Reply

  22. Sam

    January 7, 2013 at 6:35 am

    When you will apply these kind of different ideas for your online work then you can make your good network to gain and share unique technologies.
    Sam recently posted..Goa Holiday Packages

    Reply

  23. TracyAnn0312

    January 7, 2013 at 6:08 am

    I think so, you could try to use freebies to build e-mail list. I will be able to know these idea to. Thanks for sharing these idea.
    TracyAnn0312 recently posted..Glock accessories

    Reply

  24. Silas

    January 7, 2013 at 3:38 am

    Offering freebies isn’t a problem and can be made to work. The actual problem is when the bloggers don’t create the content themselves or get someone to do it for them, but rather find them on other sites that offer freebies by simply searching “free eBooks” on google.
    As a blog commenting this can easily be spotted as they dont bother to even change the pictures or titles.
    Silas recently posted..How to name your blog (dofollow)

    Reply

    • mitz

      January 9, 2013 at 11:08 am

      Yes getting stuff created or outsourced is a risky business. You need to put your personal touch on everything. The best way to create a free ebook is to get your best posts and make them into a book.
      mitz recently posted..Create a Simple Sales Page in Thesis (dofollow)

      Reply

  25. Steven Jude

    January 6, 2013 at 8:13 am

    This is a pretty unique take on using freebies to build one’s list. However, i believe using freebies is an effective way to build a list that you can have a good relationship with.
    Steven Jude recently posted..How To Create A Powerful Lead Capture Page + Sympathy for Plastic Surgery

    Reply

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