Everybody wants the freebie, but nobody wants to buy. 

Is that really true? No way! Buyers are out there, and as a copywriter, you’re in the unique position of being able to help your clients find them. In this article, I’m going to let you in on five non-negotiable steps you must take to successfully move audiences from the freebie list to the red hot buyers list.

The best part is, these five steps work at any stage of the client’s marketing strategy and can be used to move audiences from free opt-in to the tripwire and on up the value ladder to the main offer and beyond.  

Step 1:  Provide Value

There’s a common three-step digital marketing strategy that goes something like this:

Lead magnet (free opt-in) > Tripwire (low-priced offer) > Main offer (moderately priced offer)

It looks super simple on paper, but is it though? Is it really? It’s so frustrating to slave over a beautiful opt-in and a flashy tripwire, only to end up spending a bunch of ad budget generating leads that never become buyers. 

The first step to moving people into becoming paying clients and customers actually starts with the free lead magnet. Make no mistake – just because a lead magnet is free doesn’t mean it’s worthless. 

A good lead magnet contains valuable information or services that the audience is willing to trade their email address for. In this day and age of spam-filled inboxes, people are less and less motivated to give away their email addresses. In other words, make sure everything you offer is GOOD. 

But just because the lead magnet needs to contain a lot of value doesn’t mean it has to be labor or time intensive for you. A good rule of thumb to follow is to make sure the lead magnet doesn’t require your personal time and energy beyond the initial creation of it. You’ll quickly burn out because that’s not sustainable.

Good lead magnets should be things that are one and done for the business owner or entrepreneur. Some examples of good lead magnets are downloadable guides or cheat sheets, e-books, or short training videos. These items can be easily delivered to an email inbox over and over again without needing the client’s direct input.

Step 2:  Create a Measurable Result

There are a lot of lead magnets out there that contain a lot of value that still don’t do a very good job of moving people from freebie-seekers to buyers. Yep, there’s MORE. The lead magnet also must, if implemented, create a measurable result for the user. 

For example, let’s say your client has a lead magnet that has 16 pages of information on why dentists need online sales funnels. Is that information valuable? Sure. There are plenty of dentists out there who could benefit from understanding what an online sales funnel can do to help grow their practices.

But it’s all facts and ideas. It’s a nice read, but it doesn’t give them a measurable result. There’s nothing there for them to say, “Wow, that’s amazing! Look at what that did for me. I’m going to stick around to see what else this guy has got!”

What if, instead, your client’s lead magnet was a step-by-step checklist with 10 steps they can take right now to make sure their website is ready for traffic? Now THAT’S a lead magnet with actionable steps and a measurable result. They read it, they do it, and when they’re done, they have a website that’s ready for traffic – something they didn’t have before.

Now your client is the expert in their eyes, and they’re going to pay attention the next time they see something your client puts out.

Step 3:  Give Them the Next Logical Step

Once the audience has been primed with an actionable, results-driven lead magnet, they’re ready for a paid offer. Not just any paid offer will do, however. There’s one main mistake I see clients make with the tripwire that practically guarantees the tripwire WON’T sell – and totally preventable.

They don’t offer their audiences a tripwire that’s the next logical step to the lead magnet. I’ll illustrate this with an example many of us can relate to – ice cream.

A Tale of Two Ice Cream Cones

It’s a super hot day, and you’re outside walking your dog in the park. Fido needs his exercise, hot or not, but you’re dying. Then you hear the happiest sound in the world – “Ice cream! FREE ice cream!”

You pivot towards the sound so fast that Fido gets whiplash. There, in the corner of the park, is a little ice cream stand, and sure enough, they’re handing out cones for free. YES! In about two seconds you’re in line with your hand out, and as your scoop of vanilla is made, the ice cream man asks, “Would you like a bowl of flamin’ hot chili for just $5 more?”

“Are you kidding me? It’s about a million degrees out here!” you exclaim. “A bowl of hot soup is the LAST thing I want.” You thank them for the free ice cream, and you wander off with Fido at your heels, happily licking your ice cream cone. You never think about the hot soup offer again.

That’s how it feels to people when the tripwire doesn’t match the lead magnet. Now, let’s look at this example again, only a little differently this time.

Same day, same dog, same ice cream stand. Only this time as you watch the ice cream man scoop your cone, trying not to drool, he says, “For just $5 more you can turn this cone into a double scoop and have access to the add-ons bar.”

You look where he motions, and there, next to the ice cream stand, is a salad bar display set up with all kinds of toppings – crushed candy bars, fruit, whipped cream, sprinkles – you name it, it’s there. 

No brainer, right? You fork over your $5, doctor up your double scoop, and wander off with Fido at your heels, happily licking your (now enhanced) ice cream cone.

Now THAT’S an offer. See the difference? Although the bowl of chili and the toppings bar were both food items of the same price, one was a raging success while the other was a flop. Why?

Because when the freebie is valuable (ice cream on a hot day) and provides a measurable result (something yummy that cools you down) people WANT to take the next logical step to whatever the freebie is. 

When your client’s tripwire is the next logical step for the audience member, they will be MUCH more likely to buy it.

Step 4:  Ask More Than Once

Of course, not everybody will go after the paid offer straight out of the gate. A number of people will walk away before taking the bait (even if it is as good as an ice cream toppings bar). 

Humans are skeptical, and this is a normal human reaction. Studies have shown it takes approximately seven unique “touches” to get people to take action. In other words, don’t give up too early!

Remember when you were a kid, and you really really wanted something? Like, REALLY really? You would dog your parents for days about it until you finally wore them down and they gave in, right?

I’m not suggesting that you do that to your client’s list. At all. But what I am suggesting is that sometimes our clients get discouraged and just plain give up too soon. So send the follow-up email. Engage the Messenger chat bot. Give those freebie fans one more chance to buy. 

Step 5:  Stay Visible and Present

Of course, the end goal is to continue to move the tripwire buyers up the value ladder so they’ll become main offer and potentially high-ticket buyers. Post-tripwire purchase is not the time to drop them. In fact, it’s time to turn up the heat, and by heat, I mean nurture them towards becoming red-hot buyers.

So make sure they’re added to the post-purchase email nurturing sequences. Have your client invite them to Like and Follow their Facebook page. Encourage them to keep up on their social  media posting. 

This is the long-game folks, and so many business owners forget that. They take the sprint, then die out before they ever reach marathon status, thinking that’s just the way it goes. 

It doesn’t have to be like that. Continuity and longevity is possible, and it’s vital to the growth of any business. This is the perfect opportunity for your client to stay in the game and use that amazing lead magnet tripwire combo you’ve helped them create to keep people in their spheres and serve them better.

More from Christa Nichols Messaging

Make sure the lead magnet and tripwire copy is a perfect match for the target audience by asking your clients the eight questions I ask all my high-ticket copy clients in my FREE guide, “8 Must-Ask Questions For Copy That Connects & Converts”.