Short answer: both work, but they do different jobs. A free resource brings in more leads. A $27 offer brings in fewer people, but they're buyers: more qualified, more likely to show up and far more likely to buy from you again. In my experience the best answer is usually both: a free training followed by a $27 offer on the thank you page, or a free event with a low priced VIP upgrade. Below is how to set that up, step by step, with the copy and the numbers.

Free or paid? It's one of the questions I get asked most. Should your next masterclass, challenge or guide be free so you get loads of sign-ups, or should you charge $27 so you get people who are serious?

I've done both, many times. There isn't one right answer for every business, but there is a right answer for where you are right now, and once you understand what each one actually does, it's an easy decision.

This is part of my ultimate guide to evergreen funnels, where I show you how your free offer, your $27 offer and your emails work together to make sales on repeat.

What a free resource does well

The big benefit of free is volume. More sign-ups means more leads, a bigger email list and more people to sell to. As a rough example, if a free five day experience brings in 1,000 people, charging $47 for the exact same thing might bring in around 200. Free is also brilliant for people who don't know you yet, because there's no risk.

The downside? People don't always value what's free. They sign up with the best intentions, then don't show up, don't watch and forget about it. And if they don't experience what you do, you can't sell them the next thing.

What a $27 offer does well

I call low priced offers first time conversion offers. They're priced so that even if someone doesn't really know or trust you yet, it isn't a big or risky investment. It's a try before you buy.

• You convert people for the first time. Once someone has bought from you once, they're far more likely to buy again (in my experience, around 10 times more likely).
• People who pay, show up. Even a small payment means they're much more likely to watch and use it.
• Your leads are more qualified, and you find out who you'd love to work with on your bigger offers.
• It can pay for your ads. Revenue from low priced offers can cover your ad spend.

The downside is fewer sign-ups, so if your audience is small, a paid offer on its own can feel very quiet.

People buy in different ways

This is the bit most people miss. You're not choosing between two types of offer. You're choosing which of your buyers to serve. Some people will happily sign up to a free masterclass. Others never will. I'm one of them. I'm far more likely to buy a low priced offer, test the waters, then go straight into a core offer if I love it. If you only offer free, you lose buyers like me. If you only offer paid, you lose the people who need to try you first. So I almost always use both.

So which should you choose?

• Small audience, low trust: lead with free to grow your list, and add a low priced upgrade so you still find your buyers.
• Running ads: free training with a $27 offer on the thank you page, so the low priced offer can cover the ad spend.
• Lots of sign-ups but nobody shows up: try a low priced version. Paying people turn up.
• Selling a four or five figure offer: use a low priced experience as the stepping stone. People who've had a great experience with you are much easier to sell to.

How to set up free plus $27, step by step

Step 1: Pick the core offer it all leads to

A low priced offer isn't about the $27. Its real job is to create buyers for your mid and high ticket offers. So start at the end: which core offer will your buyers move into? Then list the five or six micro problems someone has to solve on the way to that result.

Time: 20 minutes. Done when: you've written your core offer's result and a list of micro problems underneath it.

Step 2: Create the free offer

Choose one micro problem and make a free training (a 20 minute pre-recorded webinar works brilliantly) that names the end result in the title and gives one aha moment and one action step.

Time: 1 to 2 days. Done when: the training is recorded and the opt-in page is live.

Step 3: Create the $27 offer

Choose the next micro problem: the thing people need straight after the free training. Make it pre-recorded or pre-created (a mini course, a template pack, a short workshop recording) and make sure it gives a quick result. Buyers need a micro win that makes them think "if this is what I get for $27, imagine what I'd get for $2,000".

Time: 2 to 3 days. Done when: someone can buy it and get a result within an hour of starting.

Step 4: Price it and add an order bump

$27 is the price point that's worked best in my testing for a thank you page offer: low enough to buy on impulse, high enough to be worth it. Add an $11 to $17 order bump at checkout (a checklist, swipe file or bonus training), which turns $27 into $38 or more. Here's more on order bumps and upsells. And if checkouts make your eyes glaze over, the Funnel Builder inside Ascendia OS sets up your checkout, order bump and upsell for you, ready to go live.

Time: 30 minutes. Done when: your checkout shows the $27 offer and a one click bump.

Step 5: Put it in front of new leads

Two ways. Option 1: on the opt-in page for a free event, offer a VIP upgrade with extras like longer replay access, resources or a Q&A call. Option 2: on the thank you page after someone opts in for your free training, say "your training is on its way, but wait, there's more", then show the $27 offer. Full details in the thank you page offer.

Price matters. In one launch I priced the VIP upgrade at $17, and in the next at $27. The $17 version sold three times as many upgrades. For a cold audience, the lower price was simply an easier yes.

Time: Half a day. Done when: you've opted in yourself and seen the offer appear straight after.

Step 6: Seed your core offer inside the $27 offer

Don't wait until the end to mention your next offer. Seed it throughout: "For those of you who join me in X, we go much deeper into this." Share client stories, invite questions and add a fast action bonus for joining in the next 24 to 48 hours. If it's a longer live offer (say 21 days), pitch around day 14 so there are still seven days to keep the conversation going.

Time: 1 hour. Done when: your $27 offer mentions your core offer at least three times and ends with a clear invitation.

Step 7: Let your buyers sell it for you

Give buyers the chance to become affiliates. I give 100% of the low priced sale to the affiliate, because the real value for me is getting in front of their audience and selling the next offer. Add some gamification: sell three spots and get a bonus training; sell five and get a short call.

Time: 1 hour to set up. Done when: every buyer gets an affiliate link in their welcome email.

Step 8: Measure for 30 days, then decide

Track opt-ins, $27 sales, bump take-up and core offer sales from buyers vs non-buyers. Perfect one first. Don't launch a free challenge this month, a $27 mini course next month and a $47 workshop the month after. Pick one, rinse and repeat it until it works, then add the next. I explain why in perfect one offer before you launch the next.

Time: 20 minutes a week. Done when: you know your thank you page conversion and your bump rate.

Copy-and-paste: thank you page and VIP upgrade copy

Worked example: free training plus a $27 offer

Example (illustrative numbers): a health coach gets 1,000 people opting in for a free training over a few months.

• $27 offer on the thank you page: at 8 to 10% of opt-ins, 80 to 100 buyers. That's $2,160 to $2,700.
• $11 order bump: at 70% of buyers, 56 to 70 bumps. Another $616 to $770.
• Total front end: around $2,800 to $3,500, which can cover ad spend.
• The real win: those 80 to 100 people are now buyers, around 10 times more likely to buy again. If just 10% of them join a $997 programme, that's 8 to 10 sales, around $8,000 to $10,000, on top of whatever the free leads buy.

Compare that to charging $47 for the training: around 200 people instead of 1,000, and a much smaller list to sell to later.

Benchmarks

Common mistakes (and the fix)

• A $27 offer that isn't connected to the core offer. Fix: it must solve a micro problem on the way to your core offer's result.
• Too much content. Fix: one quick result, not a 12 module course. Overwhelmed buyers don't buy again.
• Only free offers. Fix: add a VIP upgrade to everything, free or paid.
• Never mentioning the next step. Fix: seed your core offer throughout and pitch while they're still in the experience.
• Changing strategy every month. Fix: run one setup for at least 30 days before judging it.

Your action plan

Today

• Write your core offer's result and five micro problems underneath it.
• Choose one for your free offer and the next one for your $27 offer.

This week

• Create your $27 offer with one quick win.
• Add it to your thank you page using the copy above, with an $11 bump.
• Add a VIP upgrade to your next free event.

Next 30 days

• Send traffic to the free offer every day.
• Track thank you page conversion and bump rate weekly against the benchmarks.
• Invite every $27 buyer into your core offer with a fast action bonus.

If you want to see how this fits with emails and a core offer, read the ultimate guide to evergreen funnels. And if you'd like my whole system for $27 offers, funnels and emails that turn content into repeat sales, it's all inside Content To Clients®.

Frequently asked questions

Is a free or paid offer better for getting clients?

Free gets more leads. Paid gets fewer but more committed buyers who are more likely to buy again. Using both, a free offer with a low priced upgrade, usually gets you the best of each.

Why $27 for a low priced offer?

It's the price point that's worked best in my testing for a thank you page offer: low enough that someone who has only just found you will buy on impulse, high enough to be worth it. Test your own audience, because $17 or a little higher can work too.

How many fewer sign-ups will I get if I charge?

It varies, but as a rough example, an offer that gets 1,000 free sign-ups might get around 200 at $47. Those 200 are more likely to show up and buy again.

Should a VIP upgrade be cheap?

If lots of the people signing up are new to you, yes. Keep it at a no brainer price. In one of my launches a $17 VIP upgrade sold three times as many as a $27 one.

Should my low priced offer be live or pre-recorded?

Pre-recorded works brilliantly inside an evergreen funnel because you create it once and sell it again and again. For a launch into a bigger offer, live creates a stronger experience, more urgency and makes the next sale easier. You can turn the live recordings into a pre-recorded offer afterwards.

Laurie Burrows is a UK-based marketing and sales strategist who has built a business that's generated multi-seven figures in sales through social media and digital marketing. Today, Laurie helps business owners use social media, content and digital marketing to get seen, attract more clients and make more sales. She's also the founder of Ascendia OS.