Should my ad offer be free, a free trial or a low-cost paid offer?

The lower the barrier, the more people you get at a lower cost, but the quality of those people changes.

A free offer with a low barrier, such as a free guide, free consultation, audit or booked appointment, is the easiest conversion to get and is far better to lead with than a straight signup for a high priced monthly plan.

A free trial with no credit card brings the most people, but Facebook learns to find people who do not like to pull out a credit card, so you get tire kickers. It can work in a high-value niche such as personal injury law firms, where the value you deliver is high. In other niches be cautious.

A low-ticket paid offer, such as a $1 offer or a $1 fourteen day trial, tends to attract real buyers better than a free lead form, because people with some skin in the game take it seriously. It still brings in more people than a higher priced trial. This is why our own 5 Day Challenge is a low-cost paid ticket rather than free.

For high value clients, risk reversal, such as setting the service up free for the first week, often works better than a paid trial. It is a balance between how many leads you want and what you spend. Whatever you offer in the ad must match your landing page.