The Benefits of Using a Free Trial to Evaluate a New Product Before Launching

Adding a free trial to your product launch campaign has a lot of benefits. First, the word “free” is one that always gets people’s attention. Second, the trial is an opportunity for prospective customers to sample your services and give you feedback. Third, it allows you to see if your offer is attracting the kinds of customers you intend.

All of this is possible as you weave a free trial into your launch campaign. Still, I find that many infopreneurs get stuck on how to appropriately implement a free offer in their product launch. To help, here are five different examples.

Offer a free 15 minute consultation. For example if you are a computer repair consultant, schedule out a small time block for people to call in and talk to you about their computer issue. This will give you a chance to listen to a number of prospective customers and decide which opportunities you want to take further.

Offer a free special report about the dangers in your industry. If you are a certified public accountant, you know about the variety of dangers for those that file their taxes without professional supervision. By creating a special report that identifies these dangers, you can see which problems resonate the most with your audience and create services around those.

Offer a free instructional video. For example, a realtor can create a simple video that shows a home owner what things to fix as they try to sell their new home. By creating this free video you are “training” you next clients on what to do expect when they meet with you.

Offer a free “tell-all” ebook. A yoga instructor could write a simple ebook that explains everything clients should know before signing up for their first yoga class. This “tell-all” book could include where to look for a good class, how much to pay, and what to ask the instructor. By writing this “tell-all” ebook you are providing an example of the openness and honesty that occurs in your practice.

Offer a free list of frequently asked questions. A marriage counselor could create a list of questions a married couple normally asks before signing up for counseling. The list could separate the questions that men typically ask from those that women typically ask. This is a good way to show how thorough you are when you work with clients.

Having a free offer only improves the sequencing of your product launch. Not only that, it creates a valuable opportunity for interaction that helps you increase the connection between you and your potential customers. Remember that a free trial is more than a giveaway, it is an opportunity for market research and increased positioning.