One thing about joining the craft industry is that suddenly, you’re being constrained by the so-called program of rules that “They” made.
Who “They” are isn’t clear (I’d really like to meet them and ask them what the ever-loving WHAT they’re thinking) but for a group of people who physically have as much substance as the holographic ghosts in Disney’s Haunted Mansion, they have a LOT to answer for.
Out of respect for the current use of “they/them” as pronouns for our non-binary friends, I’m going to call this group the Overseers instead. But you get my drift.
The doctrine of the Overseers isn’t written down anywhere; it lives in oral tradition, passed from generation to generation of craft biz hopefuls. The thing about oral tradition is that it can get stuck in outdated thinking that’s now passed down as Rules.
One Rule the Overseers love is The You Have To Do It For Free For A While Rule. They got us all convinced that you have to offer a free product, usually a pattern (in my world of quilting), because if you don’t, no one will buy from you until they’ve had a taste.
I often counter this with: you pay to try out new restaurants, and just don’t go back if it wasn’t great. It’s ok to NOT start your biz on the free train.
To which the Overseer Indoctrinated Peeps usually respond with “Costco gives away free samples all the time.”
Sigh.
It’s like arguing with a tween while they’re in their SUPER annoying self-righteous, auditioning-for-the-role-of-defense-attorney stage.
Here’s the difference: Costco does its freebies with strategy. Yes, have a sample of nachos… because they’re going to make you thirsty so you’ll stock up on beer and soda, as well as the chips, so you might as well buy the guac and salsa too. And hey, you just walked past a deal on a TV that you can watch while you kick back with your beer and nachos. Also, the warehouse is so huge that if they don’t feed you while you’re in there, you might leave out of hunger before you have a chance to see/buy everything. And if you are hungry, here’s some cheap pizza and dogs near the exit, that you can sit and eat while you watch everyone check out with stuff you might have missed (yay FOMO!) but you’re still right there so you may as well pop back in and grab it before you leave, because who wants to hassle THAT parking lot AGAIN.*
None of this is by accident. It’s strategy.
Why this doesn’t work for the free pattern on your site is it doesn’t set up the chain reaction of thirst, hunger, or FOMO, nor hold the prospective buyer hostage; the visitor is free to click away at any point.
What it has done, however, is train our crafty customers that if they hop around the internet, grabbing everyone’s free patterns, they’ll never have to buy a full meal. They might not get fully sated, people’s freebie offerings not usually being their strongest work, no more than they would trying for an entire lunch, one bite at a time, of finger food from Costco. But they can make do with it.
And make do they will. There are customers in our world who are proud of not paying for a single thing we offer.
(There are a lot of other forces that have created a reluctance to part with money in craft customers - threads for another time.)
The Overseers don’t mention the fact that this freebie you offer needs to have some actual strategy behind it - that part of the story has been lost, so let me put it back: You need to get something out of this exchange, at least their email address so you can further sell to them. You are here to make money while you delight the world, no?
You also have to be able to measure how your strategy is working. Get friendly with your analytics, so you can see where people are finding you, how many of them take that freebie, how many of them stick around after they take it, and how many of them eventually buy something else.
I know. You got into this because you like making cool stuff and you thought you could maybe sell it. All this analytical stuff is boring.
But being in business needs strategy. Costco didn’t become a behemoth by accident.
*Is there a law that says all Costco parking lots have to be odious labyrinths?