Wondering what type of freebies you should create for your audience so they’ll join your email list? Today, we’re chatting about the different types of freebies you can create and how to make them irresistible so your ideal subscriber can’t help but download them! As a bonus for you, we’re hosting a free email marketing class to help you gain all the right subscribers with ease… in just one hour.  Sign up here!

Freebie Formats

When you start creating freebies for your audience, it’s going to be a little bit of trial and error. That’s just the way it is. You need to figure out exactly what your audience wants and needs, but they’re likely going to be one of these formats. First is downloads, things like ebooks, templates, checklists or guides. Another fun option is a quiz. In order to get their results from a quiz on your site, they have to provide their email address to you. There’s also free video training – things like webinar replays, masterclasses, or other pre-recorded video training you put together. Of course, there’s also things like waitlists and general “subscribe to my list” options. 

What is the point of a freebie?

Essentially the point of a freebie is to give immense value to your potential subscriber. This year, I’ve really tried to focus on creating freebies that are packed with great information but also leave my subscribers feeling like, “wow – I should have paid money for this” because it’s that good. That’s not to say you should be creating freebies that negate the value of your paid offers. But, you want to really show that you provide value and information they might not have gotten otherwise. Remember, someone is providing you their email address – which is valuable – because they know you’re going to sell to them. You simply want to give them something back. 

How to Make a Freebie Irresistible 

We’ve found that freebies will grow your email so much faster than a general “sign up” option. Once you’ve decided on the type of the freebie you want to create, you have to decide on the topic. Whatever the topic is – it needs to be something that your ideal client absolutely wants to download and use. 

Your Niche

That’s the first question to ask yourself: What relates to YOUR ideal client or niche, and what you ultimately want to sell? Creating a freebie that relates to your niche or what you eventually want to pitch matters. In our business, a lot of our freebies surround social media marketing, YouTube creation, organic marketing and email marketing. All of these topics are things that we have paid products for too. With that in mind, creating a freebie around those topics will align with what I do. 

What resonates with your audience 

The next thing to ask yourself when deciding on a topic is: What topics generally resonate well with your audience in free content, or what questions commonly come up with clients? We’ve come to realize that Instagram Reels resonate with our audience so it’s important to build a freebie around that topic, especially considering that we already have paid products to pitch to them in the end around that topic, too.

With your own business, figure out what that topic is and create a freebie full of value and information they absolutely need. This is one reason I’m a fan of content marketing because I can see what excites my audience or encourages more questions. This helps me figure out what they might want or need in a freebie later on. Then I can take that information and make a checklist, download, or ebook to offer to my audience. 

Easily Create a Freebie 

The other thing to consider is what type of freebies you can easily create. It’s one of the reasons I love using templates for my freebies. Most of the time, these are things I’ve already created or am using in my business. So it becomes super easy to turn around and offer that to my audience as a freebie because I’m not starting from scratch. And remember, you don’t have to offer ALL of something in the freebie. For example, if you have 30 emails you use for coaching – don’t offer them all in the freebie. Maybe offer 3 or 4 of them and the rest become a paid product that can be an upsell from your freebie. Just think about what you already use and what people ask you for that would be easy to create. That’s how you work smarter – not harder – when it comes to your freebies. Honestly, sometimes those really easy tactical freebies, like a workflow, can be more impactful in the end than an ebook full of information. So look around at what your audience is asking and see what you can offer. 

Stand Out 

The final thing I like to think about is to look at what’s common in your industry and decide what would stand out. If no one else in your audience is offering a quiz, make a quiz. Filling in a gap in the industry can be super powerful. For example, if everyone was creating Reels templates then don’t make those. You won’t stand out – it will just be white noise. 

I also want to say here that you don’t have to make a few freebies and have those be the only thing you offer for years. Experiment and make new ones if you’re ready. It’s okay to change things up – and it’s okay if you don’t either. Whatever works for you is what matters most. Don’t be afraid to try new things! And, here’s your permission slip: if something isn’t performing well, don’t worry about putting it on the back burner and figuring it out later. It’s completely okay. 

Driving Revenue with Freebies

Something else that I want to discuss and I think often gets overlooked when it comes to freebies is driving revenue with your freebies by tying them back to your paid offers. A really easy way to drive revenue from your freebie is to have a trip wire with your freebie. Basically when someone downloads the freebie, they’d be pitched a low-cost offer so you could earn revenue simply by someone coming for that freebie. This is why it’s important to create freebies that your ideal audience wants to download. If people are joining your list, you want them to be interested in your paid offers and this is a great way to confirm the right people are getting onto your list and they’re interested in what you have to offer. 

If you’re interested in learning more about email marketing with tips like this, be sure to join our free email list class! You’ll learn how to gain the right subscribers with ease, create an email marketing schedule and more – all in just ONE HOUR. Sign up here! Can’t make it live? Don’t worry – there will be a replay!!