Conditional Freebies
If you want to require an email address, or an agreement to receive promotions or to participate in an activity, in exchange for a freebie, this article is for you.
Ensure your requirements are met before your freebie is delivered. There are several ways. Some are more effective than others.
Note that in all cases, if the freebie is a download, the downloaded file can be freely distributed to others without going through your website.
Links to software mentioned in this article are near the end of the article.
Putting the Download Link on the "Thank You" Page
A form collects the information you require. When the form is submitted, the "thank you" page contains the link to the freebie download or contains instructions about how to obtain the freebie.
This has the drawback that junk data could be provided on the form, and the freebie would still be delivered. Also, the download link can be shared with others without your approval.
Most form handling programs will display the "thank you" page of your choice after the form has been submitted.
Willmaster Feedback is a free form handling program. If you also want the submitted information stored in a database, Master Form V4 can do that for you.
Emailing the Download Link
With this method, a valid email address must be provided or the freebie won't be delivered.
When the information form is submitted, an email is sent to the address provided on the form. That email contains the download link or instructions about how to obtain the freebie. The email may also contain a marketing message.
Master Form V4 and Master Form .PHP both are good software for this. In addition to sending an email to the email address provided on the form, it can also send you a copy, or even a separate email, and optionally store the submitted information in a database.
A drawback to this method is that the download link can be shared with others without your approval.
Emailing the Freebie as an Attachment
Like the previous method, a valid email address must be provided in order to receive the freebie.
No shareable download link needs to be in the email, because the freebie is attached. But the email can contain marketing messages.
Both Master Form V4 and Master Form .PHP can send attachments with the email they send out. This is the same software with the same features mentioned in the previous method.
Inhibiting Link Sharing
Here are two suggestions for cutting down on theft by unauthorized download link sharing:
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The download URL can be changed from time to time.
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The download link can be behind a password, and the password changed from time to time.
Links to Mentioned Software
Willmaster Feedback can be found at this location.
Master Form V4 can be found at this location.
Master Form .PHP can be found at this location.
May your giveaways be profitable.
Will Bontrager
