Do you tell people in advance which books they’ll receive for free?
Offering free books as part of newsletter drip campaigns is popular and an often recommended marketing tactic for authors. A common question is do you actually tell the readers which books they’ll receive for free. There are a few reasons for this.
- Readers might wait to get the book for free rather than purchasing it.
- Readers may not sign up if they’ve already purchased the book.
- Readers may prefer a different book.
This is the case no matter what kind of lead magnet you’re putting together. As a virtual assistant, I help many entrepreneurs put their free offers into their newsletter opt-in process. They may have a how to video series or PDF about learning a particular skill. What if readers want something different? That’s something you’ll have to learn and determine through following your analytics and metrics.
Sometimes you may give away a book someone has already purchased. It is up to you to determine how you handle this. This is the “box of cereal problem”. You purchase a box of cereal last week. The next week the store puts it on sale. You can’t go back to the store and demand a discount; you didn’t purchase the cereal while it is on sale. It’s up to you how to you wish to reimburse your reader, usually by offering a different book for free. You also don’t have to–again, they may have purchased the book prior to your using it for free.
What if readers prefer a different book? Again, like the cereal it’s up to you how to determine the resolution. You could offer a different book, or if you’re fairly generous with your list, tell them to wait for the next giveaway. It’s up to you.
Personally I would always announce up front what book(s) the reader receives for free. This way the reader can make an informed decision about whether to opt-in or not.
Interested about other ways to improve your newsletter? Check out my book Perfect Author Newsletters.