20 Blog Freebie Ideas: Everything You Need To Know Now!

One of the most powerful ways to grow your blog and promote the products you sell is via e-mail lists. The snag- most people are wary about giving their e-mail away because they do not want to get spammed! People are much more likely to give out their e-mails if they feel like they are getting something in return. In this post, I’ll share my 28 top blog freebie ideas.

For a visitor on your blog to make a purchase, the person needs to get to know you, like you and trust you. Email is a great way to build these bridges. I have used Mailchimp before to manage my e-mail list but now use Convertkit!

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1. Step by step or how-to guides

Step by step or how-to guides can help your users with a lot of things. You will find that these types of blog freebies are helpful for any niche, whether it is because your user can learn something new or if you can share some guidance on how to achieve or do something.

2. Discounts codes

This can be one of the best lead magnet ideas to get a sign up to your e-mail list. Everybody wants a discount, and it can often help you rank for high-value brand keywords on search as people often search for specific brand discount codes.

You can negotiate discount codes directly with the provider (for example, on my pilot blog, I have negotiated a discount code with an aviation exam provider).
Alternatively, if seasonal discount codes are available for a particular product, e.g. free delivery/ discount etc.), keeping abreast of these can generate a lot of traffic for your blog.

Can anyone or blog negotiate discount codes?

Approaching established providers and brands is typically only possible if you have a sufficient amount of traffic for the niche and can demonstrate the possibility of driving further business with the company you want to discount code from.

Set realistic expectations, i.e. don’t expect Nike to give you a 10% discount code if you have 100 visitors a day to your running blog!

3. Checklist – blog freebie ideas

A blog freebie checklist as an opt-in incentive can be an excellent tool for almost any niche. Checklists are easy to create using Canva or word, or excel. I like checklists because they are not too time-consuming to create and can be adapted and optimised to suit almost any need!

4. Calculator

For any niche, you can come up with a calculator for SOMETHING e.g:

• Percentage Calculator
• Mortgage Calculator
• WooCommerce Product Configurator
• Car Payment Calculator
• Life Insurance Calculator
• ROI Calculator Form
• Savings and Investment Calculator
• Compound Interest Calculator
• Daily Calorie Intake Calculator

Using WordPress plugins like Formidable Forms can be an excellent way to introduce a calculator onto your website or blog.

5. Free ebook

A free ebook is an excellent item to give away to help with sign-ups and subscriptions. A word of warning – the ebook’s content needs to be strong and helpful to the user as if the book is weak or the user feels they have been cheated, then they will quickly become disengaged and even unsubscribe.

I have seen really good ebooks being given away when the site already had the book written and available on sale to woo potential visitors in buying other courses or products on their site. When users get a lot of value straight away, they are generally keen to purchase more product.

ebooks can be time-consuming to create, but done correctly they can help users get to know you and, build trust which ultimately could lead to a much higher value sales opportunity later on.

6. Free video

Producing a free video about a given subject is one of the best opt in examples. Depending on what your blog or site does, you may want to take it a step further by but offering a free video review of whatever your niche is.

One of the best examples I saw of this was Exposure ninja (Digital Marketing Agency) offering free website reviews of customer sites. They produce a thorough and honest video that encourages more conversation, ultimately gaining more business. As well as many other things, Exposure ninja helps clients drive more traffic and increase conversions on their site.

7. Audio transcript or file

An Audio transcript is a good idea for freebies. Using audio (and video) allows the user to connect with you as they can hear (and see you if using video). A great example of an e-mail opt-in is to give access to a free podcast or audiobook.

8. Access to exclusive Facebook groups

In terms of users, Facebook is probably the place where EVERYBODY is. This is good and bad. It is bad because the competition for visibility on people’s Facebook feeds is EXTREMELY competitive.

Access to Facebook groups means you are offering users the opportunity to use a platform that they use anyway. Once people have joined a Facebook group and interact with the group, if they have liked previous posts or engaged with the group somehow, future posts from the group will likely appear on their feed.

Facebook groups are very good because they allow users with a common interest to interact and you can help solve their problems. You can also use Facebook groups to promote your own products or info. Win win for both you and the user!

9. Behind the scenes content

DISCORD and Patreon are excellent ways to have memberships that provide exclusive content. Incentivising your visitor through providing specific access to behind the scenes content is a great way to get those email opt ins.

10. Free challenge – freebie format

Free challenges are a great tool for any self-improvement websites or blogs. A great example of an e-mail opt-in freebie format is the weight loss challenge offered by Avocadu (21-day weight loss challenge).

Come up with your own challenges to suit your niche and blog! Free challenges are particularly suited for a wellness freebie!

11. Mini-course (including email mini-courses)

Rather than just go for the general PDF printable or video, you can jump that process and create an mini course. A low cost way to deliver the mini course is to deliver the mini course via e-mail over a number of days.

This will encourage users to interact and keep the conversation going through email and build trust. If you have other products that may help the user after that, then great – you have the perfect opening and introduction!

12. Free consultation

For any self-improvement themed websites or blogs, a free consultation is a great idea in terms of freebies for subscribers. Done well, depending on your nice and blog, the free consultation can often be a good way to learn more about any friction points or problems a user may have.

If you have a solution to that problem, then you have a great opportunity to further the discussion without coming across as spammy or pushy for a sale!

13. Resource Library

If your blog, website or niche has resources (of use to your audience) that a scattered around all over the internet, then creating a resource page with all the necessary information in one place can be extremely helpful.

If you are helping someone else solve a problem they have by providing easy access, then getting a subscription to your e-mail list will come easily. The user will also begin to trust you because you are SOLVING THEIR PROBLEM.

14. Webinar

Webinars can be great opt-in ideas for coaches. Pre-recorded webinars are great as you make the webinar once and do not have to keep re-delivering it.

Webinar – Workshop & live training

For live webinars, one thing to bear in mind, particularly if your e-mail list takes off, is the amount of time you would need to put aside each week to deliver the webinar. If designing your blog or website to operate as a ‘passive income source’ – then you may want to consider carefully if live webinars are for you.

15. Worksheet

Having a worksheet or checklist for your niche and blog to allow users to work through can be extremely helpful. On my pilot training/aviation blog, I have an excel worksheet to help future pilots create a budget for their pilot training.

A worksheet is a great way to teach and coach others to provide value first and later hopefully encourage a sale.

16. Templates

Providing templates for your users to fill out to help them complete a particular task or solve a problem is one of the best ideas for freebies. What I have learnt is often deciding on freebies will be a trial and error process.

Try your freebie. If it does not work, or the uptake is really slow, don’t worry, try something else. The most successful bloggers and website owners will tell you it is all about testing, testing, and more testing!

17. Roadmap

Having a roadmap as a lead magnet is one of the best freebies for subscribers. Where you have a process or journey that has to be completed in certain steps as part of your blog or niche, a roadmap is an excellent tool.

A roadmap can be created relatively easily in Canva, but is very effective in providing value to a user to complete a particular sequence of steps or bring clarity to a complicated process.

18. PDF guide

A PDF guide is probably one of the quickest and easiest types of freebies. You can create a PDF guide for nearly anything using easily readily tools (Word, PowerPoint, Cavna etc.). If you already have a book written, then providing it as a PDF as an incentive for an e-mail opt-in could a great way to start a conversation and demonstrate value, ultimately leading to a much bigger sales opportunity.

19. Free trial

For new bloggers, a free trial could be difficult to achieve particularly if you do not have an established product. You can negotiate with some brands to offer free trials for a given period, for example, through affiliate marketing.

Your website or blog will probably need to have a relatively healthy amount of traffic for the niche to allow established businesses with a given product or service to offer you a free trial for your opt it.

It is always worth trying though – if you don’t ask, you don’t get!

20. Bundle of things

There is no harm in combining and bundling various incentives as you figure out how to create an opt-in freebie and what would work best.

There is no perfect answer as to what the best freebie opt in is. Just make it relevant to your niche and crucially, ensure it helps other people. Beyond that, it is all about testing and trying different combinations of freebies to see what would work best!

If you have any questions on blog freebie ideas, please leave a comment in the section below. We would love to hear from you!