Do You Believe In Giving Things Away for Free?
Do freebies lead to paid services and product purchases?
I will be (very) honest.
I don’t believe in freebies. Specifically, I don’t believe in the idea of giving away things for free.
For one, customers will never treasure it.
Next, why are we giving things products and services away for free when we are buying products and services from others?
The same goes for knowledge. Your academic, professional education comes with a price tag, is that not?
Sell First. Distribute Your Freebies Afterwards.
“Whatever you are used to doing, do everything in reverse.”
That was my straightforward response.
“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”
I shared my journey as a freelance copywriter with Joanna. In the beginning, just like many others, I got busy producing lead magnets. It wasn’t just 2 or 3. There were videos, social media posts, E-Books, articles, About Me, educating people using free emails. I accepted all podcasts and livestream invitations to talk about anything and everything related to copywriting.
Guess what? I wasn’t meaningfully busy. I was distracted.
My lead magnets generated $0 revenue. Of course, as with Joanna, you may argue that my lead magnets are not up to par. My counter is a simple one.
“Joanna, think about it this way. Why do you need lead magnets if you have a high conversion rate? Or, do you already have prospects coming your way? As in, what is the purpose of the lead magnets? You got what you wanted!”
She was quiet. The surrounding air felt heavy. I spoke after 5 minutes to break the silence.
“Why don’t you sell first? Secure your copywriting contracts. When they start consuming your services, give them your lead magnets. These digital assets help you increase the services your prospects will subsequently buy from you, while they pay you for your work TODAY.”
She stared at the ceiling for a while. Sighing. Then, she looked at me and said the following.
“You know what. I am going to give your tactic a try. And if it doesn’t work, dinner is on you.”
That discussion with Joanna occurred in December 2021. We met for dinner last week, and I posed this question when the bill came around.
“Joanna, do I have to pay for dinner?”
She laughed.
“No need, Aldric. I will take the tab. You saved me time and helped me earn more from my existing customer base. I think I owe you money!”
Our YouTube Channel – Knowledge Topics
On our Youtube Channel, we produce content to uncover topics that permeate all walks of life. Our community can understand what it means to be in the trenches of our interest.
Here are some topics of interest we recorded with high viewership:
Why we buy what we buy.
Mindset and Career.
Marketing on a Dime.
Green Technology.
Robotic Era.
Mental Health.
Our goal is to share our research with our community from a practitioner's standpoint.
Summary
What are your thoughts on giving your expertise, products, and services away for free?
Does it lead to paid services and consumption?
Are you genuinely growing a business with $0 revenue generated from your customers (if you consider them customers)?
The job of Bottomsup Perspective is to research, discuss, and share our findings so our community can grow with us.
This topic is one example of sharing our practitionership.
Do you believe in what we do?
If you do, push this big purple button.