Get a Referral

An added twist to the idea of giving something away for free to your customers is to
require them to refer someone to you in exchange for what you are giving away.
Simply provide a space where they can enter the email address of one or more
people that they have to fill out before receiving the item you are offering. This is
especially effective when your free item is something the person can download
instantly.

This technique not only puts your message in front of the eyes of potential
customers, it also helps you build your own mailing list. You can send an email the
people that were referred saying “Your friend (name) saw this, and would like to
share it with you. By having the ability to use the friend’s name, it helps to establish
your credibility. This will decrease the possibility of person receiving the invitation
tagging your message as spam.

Like many of the techniques listed, this will only work if your visitor thinks what you
are offering is of enough value to make it worth giving you information about a
friend or family member. Friendships are built on trust, and most people will not be
willing to risk that trust on a worthless gadget.

Do not expect in instant flood with this method. It usually starts as more of a
trickle, but that trickle increases the longer it flows. Over time, the referrals will add
up. If each person that takes advantage of your free offer refers two or more
friends, it will not take long to have quite a list of potential customers, all at no
additional cost.