Introduction to Freebies

• What is a 'freebie'?
  A 'freebie' is really anything that you can get for 'free', be it a physical item (product sample), or a digital item (software, online courses etc.)
• Can you really get free stuff?
  Absolutely! You can get loads of great stuff - on a daily basis - by looking for the multitude of freebies and free stuff available on the web. And best of all, you can check our freebie forum for daily freebies.
• Are these freebies worth it?
  Freebies are not just useless junk. Freebies are real products and services offered by big and small companies that want you as their customer, or that want you to try out their products.
• How did freebies come about ?
  Freebies and free offers are not a new concept. Free products, free samples, and services have been offered for decades by the advertising and marketing industry as a means of reaching the public, getting their feedback, and enticing them to try new things.
• Why do companies offer freebies ?
  Basically stated, freebies are a marketing tactic.
  
  1) Grow customer base
  2) Sell related (or expanded) products or services
  3) Get customers to try new products or services
  4) Conduct a market test for a new product/service (to determine if it will be used and accepted by consumers)
  
  Obviously there is a cost involved for companies to give freebies away and to ship or post them (if necessary). But the returns on a successful freebies campaign are great and the feedback that can be collected to fine-tune new products and services is invaluable.
  
• So whats the catch ?
  Freebies and free offers are in part or in whole free, but that doesn't mean you get them for nothing. Companies who provide freebies, free offers, and free services expect to get something in return.
  That something will vary between offers and is dependent upon the goal of the freebie campaign. It might be that a company is looking for your opinion and expect you to fill out a short survey in order to get freebies or after you have tested their product. It might be that you have to buy one item to get another for free. It might be that the company is looking to add your contact information to a mailing list (snail mail or email) so they can continue to market to you. Or it might just be that the company providing you with freebies just hopes that you will love it and want to buy more.
  

Freebies - General Questions

• What freebies can you get ?
  Just to give you an idea, here's a list of some of the most abundant freebies on the internet today:
  
  1) Freebies targeted to specific populations like moms, dads, teachers, teens, and kids
  2) Free offers for baby and infant food and care items like diapers, wipes, diaper bags, baby snacks, baby lotions, creams, cleansers, shampoos, and even free formula; babies are big business and baby freebies are one of the most prolific kinds of freebies
  3) Food samples for everything from drinks to soup, crackers, candy, mixes, herbs, flavorings and spices
  4) Coupon freebies that get you something free at the local market or get you a percentage off an item
  5) Free offers from the government for scholarships, grants, loans, and information about government programs
  6) Free software including plug-ins for browsers and chat features, and antivirus and antispyware
  7) Free internet services like blogs, browsers, email, voicemail
  8) Health and beauty freebies for weight loss, nutrition, pain relievers, make-up, cleansers, skin creams and lots more
  9) Music freebies like free downloads and memberships
  10) Freebies for pets including pet food samples, toys, pet health care products and insect control
  11) Informational freebies like free courses and newsletters and ezine subscriptions, as well as trial subscriptions to print magazines
  
  
• What types of freebies can you get ?
  Something not everyone realizes when they begin their foray into freebies hunting is that there are different types of freebies. Not all offers for freebies are as simple and straight forward as giving an address to have a free sample delivered. All types can still be very worthwhile and net you some really great stuff for free, but it does help to know what you might be looking at.
  
  100% free freebies
  Just as it sounds, these freebies are one-hundred percent free with nothing more to buy and no shipping and handling
  
  Minimal fee required
  Technically, the product is free, but the freebies–offering company requires a small fee to cover shipping and handling; s&h fees should not be much – as a rule, under 5% of the cost of the product if you were to buy it
  
  Trial offers
  These types of freebies give you something for a specific period of time at no cost, then charge you if you don't cancel before the trial period ends for the freebies provided. Freebies like these are usually the ones that require a credit card number. If you don't want to be charged, you have to keep track of contact information and cancel the subscription/offer before the designated time is up. The free trial is usually for between 30 and 90 days. Magazine subscriptions often use this type of freebies marketing, as well as organizations offering paid memberships.
  
  Incentives
  Incentives require additional participation ("free w/participation", etc.) in order to receive your freebies. You might have to fill out a survey or apply for more offers. A good thing to do with these types of freebies is to keep good track of what is required of you and when you will have fulfilled your obligation so you don't end up paying (also keep contact information so you can cancel as needed).