The original headline of this article compared gaining loyal customers to the work of a drug dealer: a free first sample, and then the person keeps coming back. It was provocative, memorable and probably attracted attention in 2014. Today I would retire the metaphor. A customer should not be dependent. They should have a good reason to return.
The principle beneath the provocation remains: before asking a person for money, show that you understand their problem. A useful article, checklist, template or short analysis can reduce uncertainty better than another paragraph about how excellent you are.
Free content is not bait, but a small proof
Good free material does not work because it is free. It works when it helps someone take a concrete step and shows how you think. It does not need twenty thousand words. Often one honest page that someone actually uses is better.
I start with questions the company genuinely hears in sales, support or consultations—not questions marketing wishes people would answer. The difference is usually considerable.
- What decision is the person making right now?
- What is missing: information, comparison, evidence or the courage to reject something?
- Can we help before the purchase without turning the material into a disguised leaflet?
- Does the content lead naturally to a next step?
Google recommends the same sound foundation: create primarily for people, demonstrate real experience and do not leave readers searching elsewhere for the actual answer. It is a good test regardless of SEO. It is described in more detail in the documentation for people-first helpful content.
I treat a historical result as evidence, not a recipe
In February 2014, 1 411 people subscribed to this blog within 28 days. The original article documented it with a screenshot of the statistics at the time. It is a nice historical result, but not a promise that today you can make an e-book, add a form and wait for the same numbers.
Platforms, the cost of attention and people's expectations have changed. Most importantly, a number of contacts without information about their quality is merely a larger number in a spreadsheet. What matters more is how many relevant people used the material, how many took a meaningful next step and whether the communication generated economically viable business.
The work starts after acquiring the contact
A contact is not a gold mine. It is permission for particular communication in a particular context. When someone wants a checklist for choosing an email tool, that does not automatically mean consent to an endless barrage of offers for everything the company happens to sell.
- Deliver exactly what you promised. Do not hide conditions after the form.
- Explain what happens next. Say how often you will write and about what topic.
- Follow the original problem. Segmenting by expressed interest is usually more useful than collecting ten data points in advance.
- Measure the next step. Not only a download, but a relevant click, reply, enquiry or purchase.
- Make leaving easy. Making unsubscribe difficult is not clever retention. It is a good way to upset both a person and their mailbox provider.
When content in exchange for a contact makes no sense
I would not make an e-book just because “that is what people do”. If a company cannot follow up with useful communication, has not resolved permission for sending or does not know what to do with a contact commercially, the form will mainly create operational work.
Nor would I lock away every good idea. A public article can earn links, build trust and reach someone while they are still naming the problem. Material behind an email makes sense when it provides additional practical value, not when it merely rearranges five public paragraphs into a PDF.
The point is not to give people a taste and then catch them. It is to do a small piece of good work before asking them for a major decision.
I discuss connecting content with long-term communication in How to connect a blog and email marketing. If you first need to align the whole marketing system, review the online project checklist or describe your situation on the collaboration page.