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Free registration vs. "Freebie giveaway" - which one do you think is better?

by Bkelly301
15 replies
The way that my site is currently setup, I have it such that people can create a "free membership" with the option of upgrading to a "premium membership" for a 1-time fee.

I will be breaking up my content now, such that there will still be the premium membership for a 1-time fee, but I will also have several different smaller courses for sale. No matter what people buy, it will require them to create a username and password in order to access the content.

After I make this change, my "freebie giveaway" will be much less then what I was giving away before. Therefore, I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to also change the way that I get people on my list.

Simple aWeber form or keep the "free registration"?

The benefit of having them create a free registration is that it makes the process of buying much easier since they already have a username and password. The downside is that people may be more hesitant to fill out a registration form even though it's free.

The benefit of having them simply fill out an aWeber form is that it requires much less action on their part to get onto my mailing list.

I'm wondering which of the 2 options you would choose?

Thanks!
#free #freebie giveaway #registration
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  • Profile picture of the author DIABL0
    My 2 cents is that the easier it is to subscribe to your list the better.

    However, you could use the Aweber form to provide access to free content outside the membership area and then provide the option of free registration if they want to access additional free content.
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  • Profile picture of the author Declan O Flaherty
    Build the list with smaller offer first, and then send out a couple of emails showing the benefits of registering for the membership area where they'll get even more value for free.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    I would get the free lead first, then follow up on them with the paid membership offer. Getting them on the list and having a large group of people to follow up on gives you a consistent predictable flow of income. Plus the barrier is lower - rather than signing up for a free "registration".
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  • Profile picture of the author hardworker2013
    I would say the "freebie giveaway" that is how i have built up my email lists over the years.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sharaarti Bacha
    if i would be a buyer and registering to a website i would prefer the freebie giveaway
    then you can always advertise premium membership to free users.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Freebie giveaway because that has tangible perceived value. Free registration is like, "Yeah, so?" intangible, it doesn't appear to cost YOU anything.
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    • Profile picture of the author MichaelQuinn
      Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

      Freebie giveaway because that has tangible perceived value. Free registration is like, "Yeah, so?" intangible, it doesn't appear to cost YOU anything.
      I have to agree with Jason here, the perceived value of the freebie is much much greater than the perceived value of free registration. I think that's the best way to get them onto your list and interested in what you have to offer because you're giving them something in exchange for their email address and then enticing them to want more. Personally, the inconvenience of a thousand emails and notifications throughout the day, sifting through unimportant emails to find important ones, and the headache of unsubscribing from said unimportant emails make my email address itself much more valuable to me than a free registration. If I am getting something that I want in exchange for it, then I'm more likely to enter it.
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      • Profile picture of the author Bkelly301
        Thanks for all the replies here. It sounds like it is a unanimous vote for just a simple "freebie giveaway".

        I did want to ask a bit more about this though...

        Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

        Freebie giveaway because that has tangible perceived value. Free registration is like, "Yeah, so?" intangible, it doesn't appear to cost YOU anything.
        Originally Posted by MichaelQuinn View Post

        I have to agree with Jason here, the perceived value of the freebie is much much greater than the perceived value of free registration. I think that's the best way to get them onto your list and interested in what you have to offer because you're giving them something in exchange for their email address and then enticing them to want more. Personally, the inconvenience of a thousand emails and notifications throughout the day, sifting through unimportant emails to find important ones, and the headache of unsubscribing from said unimportant emails make my email address itself much more valuable to me than a free registration. If I am getting something that I want in exchange for it, then I'm more likely to enter it.
        The "freebie giveaway" that I am going to be giving away is just simply a page consisting of a bunch of links to videos, etc.

        I could direct them to this page either after they give me their email address, and then I send them a link to this page in the first email that they receive. OR they would be re-directed to this page after they fill out the registration form.

        My thinking was that it would be easier on THEM to access the free content immediately after filling out a registration from rather then having them fill out a (smaller) form, then going to their email to receive the link. The "registration" way has less steps for them to do, and it still gets them on my list.

        What are your thoughts on this?
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        • Profile picture of the author MichaelQuinn
          Originally Posted by Bkelly301 View Post

          Thanks for all the replies here. It sounds like it is a unanimous vote for just a simple "freebie giveaway".

          I did want to ask a bit more about this though...





          The "freebie giveaway" that I am going to be giving away is just simply a page consisting of a bunch of links to videos, etc.

          I could direct them to this page either after they give me their email address, and then I send them a link to this page in the first email that they receive. OR they would be re-directed to this page after they fill out the registration form.

          My thinking was that it would be easier on THEM to access the free content immediately after filling out a registration from rather then having them fill out a (smaller) form, then going to their email to receive the link. The "registration" way has less steps for them to do, and it still gets them on my list.

          What are your thoughts on this?
          My personal opinion is that whatever is easiest and fastest for the consumer would be better for both of you and I agree with your thinking on the matter, but I would have to defer to Jason on whether that is correct or not as he is much more knowledgeable and experienced than I am.
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        • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
          Originally Posted by Bkelly301 View Post

          Thanks for all the replies here. It sounds like it is a unanimous vote for just a simple "freebie giveaway".

          I did want to ask a bit more about this though...





          The "freebie giveaway" that I am going to be giving away is just simply a page consisting of a bunch of links to videos, etc.

          I could direct them to this page either after they give me their email address, and then I send them a link to this page in the first email that they receive. OR they would be re-directed to this page after they fill out the registration form.

          My thinking was that it would be easier on THEM to access the free content immediately after filling out a registration from rather then having them fill out a (smaller) form, then going to their email to receive the link. The "registration" way has less steps for them to do, and it still gets them on my list.

          What are your thoughts on this?
          Never hurts to make it easier for people to see how valuable you are.

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  • Profile picture of the author shivanshu digibask
    I would get the free lead first, then follow up on them with the paid membership offer.
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  • Profile picture of the author luciesmazanska
    Most sites do offer free registration privileges, thus it would mean less to most people. However, making Freebie giveaways, will not only encourage people to sign up, but refer their friends to also join them by signing up.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bkelly301
    Well, I ended up finding what I think is the PERFECT solution to this dilemma...

    I just simply offer a free 3-day trial. This gives them 100% full access to everything on the entire site. After the 3 days is over, people then are downgraded to "free members"

    This achieves 2 main things:

    - They get to fully explore the website
    - They get onto my mailing list

    This seems to be the perfect solution!
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    • Profile picture of the author dougp
      Originally Posted by Bkelly301 View Post

      Well, I ended up finding what I think is the PERFECT solution to this dilemma...

      I just simply offer a free 3-day trial. This gives them 100% full access to everything on the entire site. After the 3 days is over, people then are downgraded to "free members"

      This achieves 2 main things:

      - They get to fully explore the website
      - They get onto my mailing list

      This seems to be the perfect solution!
      By downgraded you mean that certain portions of your membership is restricted? Btw, what type of content are you offering? Downloads? Articles?
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      • Profile picture of the author Bkelly301
        Originally Posted by dougp View Post

        By downgraded you mean that certain portions of your membership is restricted? Btw, what type of content are you offering? Downloads? Articles?
        I have several courses for sale that are essentially just lifetime "memberships". I also offer a "full access" option which gives access to all courses, plus more.The 3 day free trial gives them full access.

        After the 3 days is up and they have had a chance to try everything out, they still have access to some stuff, which I call a "sample pack" (this initially was going to be my freebie giveaway before I thought of the free trial thing).

        Nothing is downloadable. It's all access stuff
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