How to Deliver Digital Freebies and Promotional Offers Using MailerLite

MailerLite provides multiple methods for distributing free digital products, lead magnets, and promotional offers to subscribers. The platform enables businesses and creators to automate the delivery process, ensuring that users receive their promised freebies immediately after signing up. These methods are applicable to various types of digital goods, including eBooks, printable guides, checklists, and email courses, which are often used as incentives to grow email lists.

Methods for Delivering Freebies

According to MailerLite documentation, there are two primary ways to distribute a freebie (lead magnet) to new subscribers. The choice between these methods depends on the desired workflow and user experience.

Delivery via Double Opt-In Confirmation Email

One approach involves sending the freebie directly within the double opt-in confirmation email. To utilize this method: * A form (landing page, popup, or embedded form) must be created that explicitly offers a free gift for joining the email list. * The "double opt-in" setting must be enabled in the form settings. This requires subscribers to confirm their subscription via a confirmation email before receiving the freebie. * An opt-in confirmation thank-you page must be created. This page should contain an external link or a button that allows the user to download the freebie.

This method ensures that the user has verified their email address before accessing the promotional offer.

Delivery via Automation Workflow

The second method utilizes an automation workflow to deliver the freebie after a user subscribes. This is a widely recommended approach for its flexibility and efficiency. The process involves: * Creating a form (landing page, popup, or embedded form) that promotes a free gift for joining the list. * Setting up an automation workflow that triggers specifically when a subscriber joins the group associated with that form or completes the form. * Creating an email within that workflow that contains either an external link to download the freebie or a button directing them to the download.

This automated process ensures that the subscriber receives the freebie immediately after signing up without manual intervention from the business owner.

Setting Up Content Gating and Automation

For businesses using WordPress, MailerLite can be integrated to "gate" content, meaning access to a freebie is exchanged for an email subscription. This creates a streamlined funnel for lead generation.

Creating the Form and Automation

The setup process generally involves creating an embedded form in MailerLite and embedding it on the WordPress site. Once the form is live, an automation must be set up to deliver the freebie. This automation triggers when someone signs up through the specific form.

The delivery method within the automation depends on the type of freebie: * Webpages: For freebies hosted on a webpage, businesses can either password-protect the page and email the password to the subscriber or redirect the subscriber to the page immediately after sign-up. * PDFs: For PDF documents, the file can be attached directly to the delivery email, or a download link can be included within the email body. * Multi-step freebies: For content delivered over time, such as a free email course, a series of emails can be created to "drip" the content out over several days.

Personalizing the Sequence

Once the freebie is delivered, the automation sequence can be used to personalize the subscriber's experience. Subscribers can be added to specific groups based on the freebie they selected. This segmentation allows for targeted follow-up content. For example, a subscriber who downloads a "Back to School Meal Plan" can be identified as a parent or teacher, allowing the sender to curate future content relevant to that demographic.

Additionally, the sequence can guide subscribers toward a next step, such as a paid service or product. If a subscriber purchases the product after the first email in the sequence, the automation can be configured to automatically cancel the remaining emails in that series.

Types of Freebies and Digital Products

MailerLite supports the creation and distribution of various digital products and freebies used to grow an email list.

Free Email Courses

Free email courses are highlighted as a highly effective opt-in incentive. They serve to grow an email list exponentially, offer significant value to subscribers, and train subscribers to consistently open emails. By walking users through a specific process or topic over a series of automated emails, businesses can build trust and engagement.

Digital Downloads and Lead Magnets

Standard digital downloads—such as eBooks, checklists, and printables—remain a staple for lead generation. Once a subscriber signs up for a freebie, businesses can use the welcome email to set expectations. This email should thank the subscriber, deliver the promised freebie, inform them of future content frequency (e.g., "twice a month"), and invite them to connect on social media.

Selling Digital Products

Beyond free distribution, MailerLite allows users to sell digital products directly. Users on an Advanced plan can create an unlimited number of products. The platform includes features for creating a website using its website builder, managing sales tracking, and utilizing forms and pop-ups. Users can create a homepage and specific product pages, and even include a blog. The success page following a purchase can include a Products block to encourage immediate upsells, or free subscribers can be promoted to paid customers via automated welcome emails or nurture sequences.

Best Practices for Freebie Distribution

Successful freebie distribution relies on automation and strategic planning.

Automation Efficiency: Once an automation workflow is established, it runs in the background, doing the "heavy lifting" for the business. This set-it-and-forget-it approach is efficient for long-term lead generation.
Multiple Offerings: Offering multiple different freebies across a site (multiple gates) allows businesses to gather data on audience interests and segment their list more effectively.
Building Trust: It is critical to deliver on the promise of the freebie immediately and reliably. Building trust through consistent delivery and valuable content encourages subscribers to remain on the list and eventually convert to paying customers.
Consistency: Once a list begins to grow, consistency in emailing is key. Sending emails at least twice a month (or weekly) keeps the brand top-of-mind for subscribers.

Conclusion

MailerLite offers robust tools for automating the delivery of free digital products, promotional offers, and email courses. By utilizing double opt-in confirmation emails or, more commonly, automation workflows triggered by specific forms, businesses can ensure immediate delivery of lead magnets. The platform supports various formats for freebies, including webpages, PDFs, and multi-step courses, and allows for deep segmentation and personalization based on user interest. For those looking to monetize their offerings, MailerLite also provides integrated tools for selling digital products directly through the platform.