How much do you have to give away to get someone to buy?

[Beverly]

For the past few years, I've seen this freebie trend online where people think you have to give away lots of stuff just to get people interested in a product or site. And, this could be considered a valid form of promotion as you can easily advertise your freebie in a signature line or email or on a forum. And, it will result in traffic.

But really it's counter intuitive. Just think about this, if you are trying to get paying customers, why target the freebie seekers who will just grab the free goodies and leave? This is one theory. Maybe giving away good quality ebook or information on an email list will result in lots of sign ups. But, will it net you any sales, not just sign ups? Maybe that depends on how well you have qualified the people on your list. What is your experience with giving away freebies? Does it actually result in paying customers?

 

[dirvine.com]

I gave away free ad spots on my forum and it did increase traffic for a little while and got more people interested in my blog. Giving away ads doesn't hurt your wallet.

 

[Oxycide]

Used to give away "Donator" status on my forum it worked until people started abusing it then complained when it was taken away .... i dont think i'll ever go down that route again

 

[Delirious]

Used to give away "Donator" status on my forum it worked until people started abusing it then complained when it was taken away .... i dont think i'll ever go down that route again

Did you set rules for the Donator status? As in if you abuse the rules as a donator you get them taken away?