Freebie Seekers Aren’t Buyers (The Hard Truth Gurus Don’t Want You To Know)

I talked with nearly 40 creators last year. Want to take a guess what strategy the majority of them used?

The same boring one you’ve seen everywhere:

• Drive traffic
• Offer a freebie
• Send a welcome email
• Pitch something
• Hope for some sales
• More free education

Yawn

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of predictable sequences that blend into the background. What happened to creativity?

Do people really think repeating the same style as everyone else will yield game-changing results in a crowded space?

Let me let you in on a little secret: it won’t.

Here’s the truth the gurus won’t tell you…

Nearly 90% of creators use this cookie-cutter approach. And most fail or see mediocre results at best.

Why? I’ve boiled it down to 3 core issues:

1. It’s predictable and boring
2. Freebie subscribers don’t equal leads
3. It only works if you play the high-volume game

Let me explain…

Problem 1 – It’s Predictable and Boring

People aren’t stupid. They know a sales pitch is on the horizon when you offer a freebie.

There’s no excitement or uniqueness. No “wow!” factor. Just the same old sequence they’ve seen from every other creator.

Boring, right?

Imagine if every TV show had the exact same stale formula. No one would watch!

We crave novelty as humans. When something feels new and fresh, it grabs our attention.

But most creators aren’t giving their audience anything unexpected.

It’s always:

Here’s some free value → now buy my expensive course!

There’s no attention curveball. No disruption of anticipated patterns. Nothing that gives subscribers that “hey, THAT was different!” feeling.

Everything just bleeds together into one long sales funnel that no one gets thrilled about.

If you aren’t interrupting patterns and catching people off guard, you simply turn into white noise.

And good luck getting conversions then! You’ll end up blending into the endless sea of other creators promising transformation from their “$2,000 masterclass.”

Zzzzzzz……

Problem 2 – Freebie Subscribers Aren’t Leads

Let me let you in on a little secret: that person who signs up for your free training or ebook isn’t necessarily a primed buyer ready to snatch up your $1000 program.

I know, shocking right?

Here’s the deal: most people downloading your lead magnet have only one thing on their mind – getting access to that free content!

They aren’t looking to spend money. They likely won’t even make it to your sales pitch.

The moment they realise you actually want them to buy something is when they head for the hills.

So why do so many creators make this mistake?

Because we equate an email signup with a lead. But these aren’t the same thing!

A true lead has buying intent. They understand value and are open to paying for a solution.

On the other hand, freebie subscribers are often aspiring newbies looking to learn or dabble. They aren’t ready to invest yet.

It’s like comparing someone googling “learn guitar” with someone searching “Fender Stratocaster for sale”. Totally different mindsets and intents!

This means bringing tons of wide-eyed freebie lovers into your funnel spells disaster.

You get the illusion of growth and a packed email list. But terribly low conversion rates tell the real story.

Because out of the 1000 people who grabbed your ebook on “easy veggie meals”, how many truly want your $600 healthy cooking academy right now?

Maybe 5. If you’re lucky.

See the disconnect?

Problem 3 – Only Works at High Volume

So by some miracle, you manage to get a buyer or two from your sequence. I guess something worked, right?

Well, kind of.

Here’s the reality – any strategy will yield a few sales if you run enough people through it. Just a numbers game at that point.

But for most small biz owners rather than celeb influencers, getting hundreds or thousands of email subscribers per day just isn’t feasible.

So banking on a low-converting sequence only works if you can drive enough traffic to produce a few sales by chance.

It’s like finding a needle in a haystack. But it isn’t efficient.

For the rest of us not named Justin or Tai, we need to be more strategic. Craft messages that speak to serious buyers from the start.

Otherwise, you end up on a pointless hamster wheel.

Just driving more and more irrelevant traffic into a leaky bucket of a sales funnel. Then wondering why you have no money to show for it.

Does constantly chasing after the next person to give your sales pitch sound like a solid business strategy to you? Me neither!

But so many creators keep clinging to this model, despite mediocre results. Why?!

What Does That Mean?

After seeing so many creators spin their wheels with lackluster results, a few lightbulbs went off for me. A couple of big assumptions we need to challenge:

Leads are captured… when really, they need to be created!

Here’s what I mean…

Rather than waiting for that rare aligned buyer to come across your freebie, you nurture leads intentionally.

Focus on identifying and engaging serious prospects from day 1. Educate them on the transformation you offer.

This way, you generate excited buyers rather than passive freebie seekers over time.

Selling too soon backfires… even though everyone wants quick cash

Sure, pitching your $2K masterclass on email #2 seems smart for fast bucks.

But look at email open and conversion rates lately? Exactly.

When you give immense value upfront, spend time and effort shaping their beliefs, and build a relationship without asking for a cent in return, people come to trust you.

They become eager to buy when the time is right.

Yes, it means delaying that instant gratification. But haven’t we learned by now that real growth doesn’t happen overnight?

Think slow burn rather than flash in the pan.

Predictability kills conversions… yet everyone sticks to the same sequence

I think I’ve beaten this point to death by now. So I’ll keep it short…

Surprise and delight = sales. Bore your list and watch them ignore you.

Simple as that.

How Do We Solve This?

So by this point, you understand why the typical approach most creators use fails to generate leads and sales long-term.

No surprises there – the numbers speak for themselves. Low open rates and conversions even with huge email lists.

Now what? Keep banging your head against the wall hoping for a breakthrough?

Or are you ready for a proven, results-focused alternative that attracts buyers from day 1. One that solves the 3 problems we just covered step-by-step.

We called it the Belief-Sequencing Email Strategy.

It uses narrative storytelling and logical progression to install and shape their beliefs (what the readers need to believe in advance before investing in you and your solution).

The outcome?

1. Pattern interrupt? Check. Belief sequencing intentionally disrupts the familiar funnel format through unusual messaging that grabs attention and makes prospects curious to hear more.
2. Qualified leads? You betcha. We focus on targeted attraction, segmentation, and zeroing in on our ideal aligned members quickly, versus bringing in a hodge podge of freebie seekers with no buyer intent.
3. Sustainable success without quicker bigger schemes? Duh. This framework generates more revenue and engagement in months than many see in years chasing quantum leaps. Because we bypass fake growth hacks and focus on lasting community development.

Simply put, belief sequencing helps turn casual visitors into engaged leads by challenging assumptions. Then we nurture those leads into delighted buyers when the time is right through consistent value and belief shaping.

No bait-and-switch nonsense or sleazy sales tactics necessary. Just good old-fashioned relationship building based on mutual understanding and respect. Pretty cool, right?

This stands in stark contrast to boring sequences that bombard cold leads with product pitches right away in the hopes that something sticks.

Keep in Mind

If I’ve done my job, you should be shaking your head by now asking yourself:

Why in the world do so many creators stick to the same formulaic sequence when it clearly stops working at scale?

There’s no innovation. No attempt to sincerely connect with subscribers and understand their needs.

Just the same old…

• Drive traffic
• Toss up a lead magnet
• Pitch something immediately
• Hope people buy
• Bombard them with more offers if not
• Repeat indefinitely

Perhaps it’s sheer laziness. The unwillingness to try something new and risk failure.

Or maybe the short-term profits blind creators. Some do bank for awhile using these hacky tactics.

But between you and me? I think most industry leaders are straight-up clueless. They assume if others are doing something, it must work wonders!

Meanwhile, their email metrics tell a whole different story.

Open rates in the gutter. Engagement in steady decline. No one paying attention anymore.

What makes you any different? You now know how to separate yourself starting today.

The days following the herd are over. Time to breakthrough using smart growth strategies that actually CONNECT with your dream subscribers.

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