Do giveaways only attract people wanting free stuff?
Giveaways often build large email lists, but they heavily attract "tire kickers" who are only looking for free items. Because these entrants rarely return once the discount code expires and often unsubscribe within a week, store owners end up just buying emails rather than acquiring actual buyers.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Making the prize something only a genuine buyer of your product would want.Did this help you?
- 2Using a landing page to collect emails and immediately offering a discount code via automation.Did this help you?
- 3Judging the campaign's success by open rates on subsequent normal emails rather than the initial entry count.Did this help you?
- 4Offering simple, 5-minute printable checklists instead of interactive formats like quizzes.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“How often do you do giveaway campaigns? Are they effective at generating leads? I’m considering doing it but not sure if it’s the right strategy. Thanks!”source ↗
“i ran one that pulled a big list and then almost nobody came back once the code expired, which told me i'd bought emails, not buyers.”source ↗
“Thank you! I was also afraid that it attracts only those wanting free stuff.”source ↗
“Quiz brought in a ton of emails but half of them unsubscribed within a week, total tire kickers.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2How to track pre-orders to see if customers are interested
- 6Why do people love my product but not buy?
- 4Why do visitors leave product pages without buying?
- 2How to get people to join a non-profit without giving swag
- 4Why won't retailers respond to cold wholesale outreach?
- 26How to get first paying customers without an audience