Why Subscribers From Free List-Building Giveaways ARE Valuable!

Visit any popular Internet marketing discussion board and you'll see a lot of discussion about effective ways to build a list. Almost invariably, someone will suggest entering one of the numerous free giveaways that you see each month. Almost as quickly as this is suggested, some other "sage" will point out that "freebie seekers" are a waste of time... and that "they never buy anything."

Is this true, and if not, what is the key to eventually turning them into customers?

In my 11 1/2 years online, I have participated in dozens of free giveaways, and added countless loyal subscribers to my lists. Some subscribers HAVE opt-ed out of my lists as soon as they downloaded my free gift. Others have been on my lists for years, and do purchase from me regularly.

Free giveaways are one of several very effective ways that I've managed to build a database that numbers in the hundreds of thousands (in several different niches). I share some of my favorite list-building methods in a short report that I wrote on the topic here: http://TheRealSecrets.com/5200/

Before we get too far, I should probably explain what I mean by "free list-building giveaways." These are generally cooperative efforts where several marketers team up, each offers one (or several) free items from a central websites, and then they all promote the giveaway website.

Visitors to these sites: register, and once inside, they are presented with descriptions of each free gift, and usually, they have to visit each contributor's website in order to retrieve their free gift. The idea is that when they visit the contributors' websites, each contributor puts the potential subscriber through a "squeeze page" where the subscriber has to subscribe in order to get the gift. This is how it builds that contributor's list.

I don't ALWAY force visitors to my websites to register for the gift because if they don't want to be on my list, then I don't really want to force them. Instead, I often build backend into my gift, or I offer an additional, irresistible bonuses from within my original gift that they do have to register to get.

I've actually discussed this topic with numerous people who have had as much success with free giveaways as I have. We all agree that part of "the secret" is that you have to build a relationship with your new subscribers before you try to sell them something.

"People buy from people that they know, like and trust."

It's your job as the marketer, and list owner, to get your new subscribers to know, like and trust you. That often takes time.

One of the true masters at doing this though is my friend Odinn Sorensen. Odinn understands the process so well that I recently had him on my radio show where we discussed his list-building techniques for a full hour. Odinn has added as many as 5000+ new subscribers to his list from a single giveaway, so I figured he could teach my radio audience a thing or two.

You can actually listen to the recording of my interview with Odinn at: http://BlogTalkRadio.com/WillieCrawford/ You may also download the MP3 recording of that show directly from that page and listen to it at your convenience.

Odinn explained that one of the keys to a successful giveaway, and to getting subscribers that you immediately start building a good relationship with, is to offer only quality gifts. You should NEVER give anything away that is not actually good enough to sell. To do otherwise insults your new subscriber, and that's certainly no way to start off a new relationship.

Another, not so intuitive reason that some free giveaways are more successful than others, is that you need a good theme for a free giveaway. People are suspicious. They want to know WHY anyone would give them something for free. Without that good "reason why" many potential subscribers won't even pay attention to your free giveaway.

Three excellent examples of free giveaway that demonstrate my point are:

1) Odinn's Daddy's Birthday Giveaway, where his reason why is that "as a birthday present to himself, on his 39th birthday he quit his regular job." To celebrate he's giving gifts to his subscribers. That's a reason that anyone wanting to quit their jobs and run a full-time business from home can relate to. It gives potential subscribers a warm feeling and they want to celebrate with Odinn.

You can see how Odinn set his giveaway up at: http://TheRealSecrets.com/DaddysBirthdayGiveaway/

2) Doug Champigny's and Xavier Nelson's Free PLR Giveaway. With this free giveaway, the attraction is that subscribers get free, unrestricted, private label rights to products that they can rework, put their name on, and market as their own.

Doug and Xavier required all contributors to contribute gifts that subscribers would truly value, and consequently, I think that they have a winner. You can see how they set this giveaway up at: http://TheRealSecrets.com/Free-Private-Label-Rights.html

3) Rob Richards noticed that the Internet marketing niche was getting a little tired of the free giveaways where all of the contributors seemed to be offering the same old worn out products. It's obvious when you check out some of these giveaways that some contributors just took some outdated product that they had resale rights to, and "tossed it into the mix." In the WORST of these free giveaways, you'll see numerous contributors offer the SAME free gift. That constitutes a double insult to potential subscribers. It says, "Not only am I offering your a freebie with very little value, but I'm offering your something that dozens of others obviously also have giveaway rights to.

Anyway, Rob's twist was to put together a giveaway where each gift is first of all a complete business in a box. That is, it's a product, with a reseller website, and graphics, where all the new subscriber really need to do is download a product package, add their own payment link, and upload it to their site, to have a product that's ready to market.

Rob also added a number of other slight twists. For example, instead of making the giveaway totally free, he set up a memberhip site where you have to pay $1.97 to get in, and THEN you have access to the 20+ products. He also required that the products be totally top quality. Some of the products offered in this giveaway were created just for that giveaway. I know that FACT because I wrote an ebook entitled "Secrets Of The Clickbank Millionaires" just for Rob's giveaway.

Odinn had taught me well, so when I looked at what to contribute to Rob's project, which is called "Bizzy Box Giveaway," I understood that the secret to getting quality subscribers was starting the relationship off on a positive note. So I gave them an ebook that I could have easily sold for $47 (along with resale rights).

You can check out Rob's model and see his other subtle, winning twists at: http://TheRealSecrets.com/Finally/

If you study these three giveaways, you'll see that, first of all, free list-building giveaways do work. More importantly, you'll see the types of free list-building giveaways that generate quality, targeted, responsive subscribers. You'll see giveaways where the contributors understand, or are coached in the proper way to build relationships, and turn "freebie seekers" into raving fans.

The big secret, by the way, is to honestly care about, and respect your potential subscribers. It's to only give them something that you'd value if someone gave it to you.

When you think of it in those terms, it's not so complex is it?

Use this secret, and you'll be one of those rare individuals who responds to the threads on Internet marketing discussion forums arguing emphatically that free list-building giveaways do work. You'll argue that they do produce quality subscribers, because for you they will :-)