How to create freebies that *actually* grow your email list
If you're a small business owner, or on the cusp of becoming one, you've probably heard the buzz words freebie, opt-in, or email list floating around on some of your research sprees 🔍
You've probably heard that growing your email list is crucial for building a strong and engaged audience (it is!), and offering a valuable freebie is an excellent strategy to attract new subscribers that are actually interested in your products.
However, not all freebies are created equal. You want to make sure you're attracting the right audience, otherwise your efforts will all be for nothing 🙅♀️
This week, we're giving you all our best tips and tricks to create irresistible freebies that will actually grow your email list with subscribers that actually want to buy from you, let's dive in!
What do we mean by a freebie?
A freebie, aka a lead magnet or opt-in, is a valuable piece of content that you offer to your audience for free in exchange for their email address.
It peaks your audience's interest, gives them a glimpse of what your business is all about, and should be enticing enough so that they are happy to trade one of their crucial pieces of personal information in exchange for it: their email address!
By offering freebies, you can establish a real connection with your audience, demonstrate your expertise, and build trust, all while growing your email list, which is sure to drive sales 💸
How to decide what your freebie should be about?
To create a freebie that resonates with your audience and bumps up your subscriber count, make sure to think about:
Your dream client
Before you create your freebie, you need to be pretty clear on who your ideal customer is! If you're not, you may create a great freebie nonetheless, but it won't attract clients that are actually interested in what you're selling!
Think about who you ideally want to work with, or what type of person is an ideal match for your product or services. Are they female or male? What is their profession? What are their interests, goals or passions? What is it that YOU will help them with?
Example: For example, you could be a business coach that likes to support emerging, strong female small business owners who want to start a podcast. They are fun loving, hard working, like to have a chat, and you're here to give them the structure and guidance they need to turn all that into a successful podcast that brings in a ton of leads to their new business.
Take note of who your ideal client is, and head to the next steps!
Customer pain points
A customer pain point refers to a problem or challenge that customers face. It could be something that frustrates them, causes inconvenience, or prevents them from achieving their goals. Identifying and understanding these pain points is what will help you not only come up with a great product or business idea, but a great freebie idea too!
Centring your freebie around aiming to solve even just one of these pain points is a great way for your audience to feel heard and understood, building their trust in you and your biz.
Example: Going back to our ideal client example, a major pain point of our entrepreneurs could be that they are very time-poor and they don't know where to start with their podcast. Already, this is giving us some ideas for potential freebies. You could offer a workbook or quiz for them to quickly find their ideal podcast idea, or you could create a planner or checklist with all the structured steps they need to launch their podcast asap!
Common questions you get
If you already have a few customers, think about the questions that they frequently ask you. These questions indicate areas where they need a little extra help or guidance, leaving a perfect gap for what your freebie could cover.
Remember, you want to provide value and establish yourself as an expert in your field, someone who is able to answer all their deepest, darkest questions 🔮
Example: For example, it could be that our aspiring podcasters frequently ask about what tech they absolutely need to get started. This is super easy to answer in a freebie along the lines of: "The Essential Tech-Tools You Need to Launch a Top-Rated Podcast"
Choose a problem, offer a solution
Thinking about the points above, choose a specific problem that your dream client faces and offer them a quick solution in your freebie!
We know that's easier said than done, so remember to keep it simple! You don't need to answer all their questions - that's what your actual product is for. You just want to give them a little taste of what it's like working with you and they'll be sold!
Provide a quick win or transformation
Your freebie should offer a quick win. People love free stuff, and they also love signing up to something that promises immediate results (but make sure you deliver!).
Try to reflect your transformation in the title and description of your freebie to entice your audience to sign up even quicker!
Example: For our ideal client, we're going to choose our workbook idea. It addresses a strong pain point: our solopreneurs aren't sure where to start and picking a podcast topic that resonates with them and their biz is a pretty big step forward. It identifies a problem, and offers a solution: by the end of the workbook they'll walk away with a concrete podcast idea (quick win!).
This freebie gives us the opportunity to showcase our expertise and personality, but also leaves our audience wanting more (what are the next steps after figuring out what their dream podcast will be about?), leaving plenty of room for us to put forward our coaching offer and for them to convert into loyal customers!
How to package up your freebie?
Now that you have an idea of what your freebie should be about, here's some popular freebie formats that you could try:
Workbook
Workbooks are so incredibly flexible and can cover just about any topic while providing amazing value to your new subscribers! They'll get first hand experience of your teaching style, so you want to make sure any workbooks you create are fun, interactive, on-brand, and digging deep into your topic.
👉🏼 How to create a fillable PDF workbook (in Canva for free!)
Mini Course
If you're selling a course, this could include a sneak peek like the first couple of modules, and is sure to engage your audience and get them eager for more.
👉🏼 How to host a course on Squarespace - Complete guide to Squarespace Member Areas
Quiz
Quizzes are super fun, quick to set up, and give your customers tailored results in just a couple of minutes (after they sign up of course), making this format highly engaging and shareable!
👉🏼 How to connect your Interact Quiz with your Squarespace site
Templates
Ready-to-use templates, like social media templates, branding templates, email templates, or planners, are a great format to provide a super quick solution by either simplifying a complex task, or saving your audience loads of time and effort, making this a very valuable option!
Where to share your freebie?
Once you've created your freebie, you'll want to maximize its reach. If no one sees it, unfortunately no one will sign up.
Post it on your website
Strategically share your freebie in various locations around your website or blog via a pop-up, a freebie sign up form, or a link to a dedicated landing page.
👉🏼 How to create an automatic opt-in download in Squarespace
👉🏼 How to redirect Squarespace forms to a freebie or thank you page
👉🏼 How to add a pop-up in Squarespace
Post it on social media
Leverage your social media accounts by sharing links to your freebies on your socials regularly. This is a sure way to bring in new followers and subscribers that align with your biz 💪
Bulk design posts or stories with fun visuals and clear calls-to-action promoting your freebie, ready to post to your Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and whatever other platforms you're using!
👉🏼 How to design kick-ass Pinterest graphics that are optimized to get clicks
Another great spot to add a freebie link is in your Instagram links page! Not only will those who click on it already be interested in learning more about you, a freebie that answers their questions is sure to transform them into loyal customers in just a couple of clicks.
👉🏼 Why you should stop using Linktree & how to create your own in Squarespace
By creating freebies that address your audience's needs, offer quick solutions, and provide tangible value, you can grow your email list steadily with high quality subscribers that are most likely to actually convert!
Experiment with different formats and continuously refine your freebies based on feedback and data. Remember to keep your freebies simple but filled with value to leave lasting impressions on your new subscribers. Send out newsletters regularly to keep them engaged, aware of deals and new products, and wanting more!
👉🏼 How to get started with Email Marketing: a simple guide for beginners
Want a ready made freebie landing page template that will save you hours of work? Check out our new freebie template pages for Squarespace here.
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