FREE FREE FREE! How to be free of all the free stuff and not become one of them

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Man is free at the moment he wishes to be. ~ Voltaire

Don't you just detest headlines that scream at you? Yes, me, too. Mostly because the claims are often unrealistic and just plain false. Is the FREE thing really free?

Sometimes the "free" things "cost" a lot of time as the ensuing e-mails cause a steady time grab as I go through and read some and delete others. Oddly, even though they claim to "not sell" your e-mail address, I find that my e-mail inbox explodes with tens of hundreds of new e-mails from other groups selling or touting the same "free" stuff! They will even mention the name of the person or group I originally received the "free" info from. UGH!

How can we free ourselves of all the FREE stuff?

1. Well, first off, I believe, like in the quote above by Voltaire, we have to choose or "wish" to be free. But wishing to be free isn't enough.

2. Freedom lies in being bold. ~ Robert Frost
As Frost states, we have to be bold. If you want to free yourself of all the "free" stuff, you must boldly unsubscribe to the multitude of e-mails that typically follow up a "free" thing.

3. Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. ~ George Orwell

All of these "gurus" do not want to be told that you don't appreciate all the excess e-mail. They do not want to hear it, but you have the responsibility to tell them what they don't want to hear.

4. Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds! ~ Marcus Garvey

We DON'T have to keep receiving e-mails and offers and whatever else the original "free" thing comes with. But we have to choose.

We can choose to continue to receive all the "junk" mail (to be fair—there are occasionally great snippets of advice in the e-mails). Or we can choose to unsubscribe. Trust me, it takes less time to unsubscribe than it does to delete all the emails!

How to NOT become one of them

Many of us offer free things to customers or potential customers. But how do we avoid becoming one of the" leaches" above that suck the life out of you and the inbox space in your e-mail?

I think it is pretty clear—don't fill up their inbox!!

1. Make it clear to them when they sign up for your free promotion or item if you will be sending further e-mails.

2. If you are going to be adding them to an e-mail list, let them know the frequency of the e-mails they will receive whether that be once a day, once a week, once a month, or once in a while.

3. If you plan to offer other items through your e-mail list, make sure it is appropriate for the customer.

Granted, this can be difficult because who really knows what anyone wants? However, if they signed up for free information about building a website, don't start sending them information about another topic that is unrelated. Obviously, they are interested in websites and things related to websites. Send them like-minded material or don't send them anything.

4. Make sure that whatever you offer, give them the option to easily unsubscribe! If they have to search for how to get rid of your e-mails, they will likely get frustrated and it could lead to a negative review on your site.

5. Make sure you are offering things of value.

If you offer a course on building a website, make it valuable to your potential clients. If you offer a class on underwater basket weaving (a BIG thing when I was in college), then make sure you cover the information thoroughly. Test out your ideas on your friends or enemies or both.

6. Offer free introductory items.

BUT, don't send them a million upsells! People don't like that! Try a few upsells directly related to what they received for free. Make the upsells reasonable and relevant and not too expensive.

The Bottom Line

Most of us love free stuff! I know I do. But when the "free" comes with an "expensive" price tag, we need to rethink things so we don't become one of "them."

What things can you do to increase your mailing list without annoying your potential customers?

I hope this post made you think today. Put yourself in your customer's shoes before you send out a ton of e-mails. Unless you personally love to get tons of e-mail, use e-mail sparingly.

I hope you all have a happy and productive week.

(And remember, these are just my thoughts about e-mail. I know a lot of the e-mails I receive say that you need to keep your name or brand in front of the customer. I think you can do that without being overwhelming!)

Best wishes for a great 2021!
Karin

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Recent Comments

39

I dislike when I am told something is FREE and then receive a request for $4.95 to cover the cost of shipping and handling. C'mon, this is the digital age, give people options. Some information I want digitally and some hardcopy. I love to curl up with a good book, not a manual.

Agreed! And it seems more and more of those “free” offers are popping up!

I agree Karin.
Many definitely pass or sell on your email address. Because you buy one item and hundreds flood your inbox, often selling that same thing and then several times a day they are back. It is VERY annoying.
More annoying is when the same person starts sending under a slightly different name or email after you have unsubscribed.

This is why I haven't made a real effort to build an email list because I don't want to harass people in the same way.

Thanks for the comments, Linda. It can be super annoying especially when I have better things to do than try to sort through hundreds of emails...

I have created a couple of small lists, but I hardly ever send e-mails out because I don't want to become annoying! 😵

Best wishes for a great 2021,
Karin

Excellent post, Karin.

I personally don't want to be spammed with a lot of e-mails either, especially when it doesn't have anything to do with what I signed up for. Luckily there's the unsubscribe button although it may take them 8 business days to delete me from their system but hey! At least they are worth looking into.

All the best,
Myra

Thank you for your comments. Yes, the unsubscribe button can be a blessing! No doubt about that. If something says it is free, I like to at least give it a chance. I have been pleasantly surprised a few times.

Best wishes for a great 2021,
Karin

This is one of the best short writeups I have read about email funnels- damn. I have always been quite leery and have unsubscribed so many times that I have lost count- I prefer email campaigns that only provide value and not ones always selling the same damn product but with different wording coming in every damn day

I am adding this to my list of favorite posts

I am glad that I wrote it. It was a kind of venting thing for me, but at the same time, a reminder that we must be thoughtful of the people who are receiving our emails, too! We have to provide value to our people!

Best wishes for a great 2021,
Karin

Agreed Karin it is better that there is full disclosure so that you know what comes with the free item. Too often this is left out. One small point, emancipate yourself form mental slavery is attributed in part to a speech by Marcus Garvey however in the main it was written by Robert Nestor 'Bob' Marley.

I love Bob Marley! Thank you for clarifying this.

Best wishes for a great 2021,
Karin

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