🗞 What's New: Getting your visitors to actually convert

Your visitors are either converting or they aren't:

• If conversion isn't happening, add freebies and a money back guarantee. Bundling offers can help, too.
• Start marketing, even if your product isn't done. Try speaking at various conferences and events, and sharing lots of free advice online.
• This custom travel guide generator became profitable 24 hours after launch. TutoredTrip leaned on the power of personalization and fun.

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Want to grow your business? Try running a promo in the Indie Hackers newsletter to get in front of 80,000+ founders.

by Dan Kulkov

Stop obsessing over likes, and focus on your conversion rate. Here are five conversion rate optimization tactics that worked for makerbox.club!

Problem agitation blocks

People need a good reason to take action, and suffering from negative consequences is one.

That's why many landing pages have this type of block:

It makes your user question their status quo. It's way easier to sell your product to people who are ready to change. A hungry audience is the best growth secret.

Freebies and welcome email sequences

Not everyone is ready to buy on the spot. Double-down on nurturing flows with freebies. Why?

1. People get instant value for free.
2. It establishes your credibility.
3. They will be more willing to buy your product when they're ready.

But creating freebies is not enough. You need to send a juicy welcome sequence, too. People don't think about your product all the time. You need to remind them.

We have a welcome sequence of four emails. Here's one of them:

Send value to become a top-of-mind marketing solution.

Bundle with a deal

Discounts are cool, but it's better to be valuable than to be cheap.

That's how the Complete Marketing Bundle was born.

When you only have one product, people have a choice: Buy or leave.

When you have two products, people have more choices: Buy the first product, buy the second product, buy both, or leave.

You will be surprised by how many people will pick a more expensive option.

Endorsement from opinion leaders

Reach out to big accounts on social media, offering your product for free. If they like it, collect a testimonial from them.

These reviews work because:

1. People see a familiar face on your landing page.
2. They see that a trusted person endorses you.
3. They extend the trust they have in this person to you.

Money back guarantee

We were hesitant to add this for a year, but it's a great way to show that you stand behind the quality of your product.

We made 500 sales in the last three months, and only had one refund. If your product is valuable, the guarantee will help to convert people!

Discuss this story.

from the Growth Trends newsletter

📥 Unwanted images in Instagram DMs is a thing of the past.

💰 What B2B marketers can learn from trillion dollar companies.

🎯 Personalize all of your outreach.

🔎 Google is testing a new local search ad format.

📱 Have we reached peak smartphone?

Check out Growth Trends for more curated news items focused on user acquisition and new product ideas.

by Tom Orbach

Exactly eight months ago, I bought the domain for Marketing Ideas. I planned to create a newsletter packed with powerful marketing ideas...but my content wasn’t ready.

Here's how to start promoting before your product is finished!

Urgency bias

I put up a straightforward Wix landing page featuring a "Join the waitlist" button for visitors to leave their email addresses:

People told me that what got them hooked was this golden line: "The sooner you join, the sooner you'll get access." The urgency bias here is strong here.

Advice for free

Next, I got busy writing lots of marketing advice online, and gave it out completely free! I shared it on platforms like Indie Hackers, Reddit, X, you name it.

At the end of each post, I'd mention my product, nudging people to join the waitlist:

Speak easy

I also volunteered to speak at webinars and conferences. At the end of my presentations, I mentioned my upcoming newsletter.

So, what were my results? 692 people joined the waitlist, giving me their emails for the newsletter soon to be launched.

Last week, I launched Marketing Ideas on Substack. And boy, what a kickstart those early registrants gave me!

Key takeaway

Don't wait until your project is complete to start promoting it!

Share valuable content related to your project online, and offer to speak at events. You can totally promote yourself, as long as you give value to people.

Discuss this story.

from the Marketing Examples newsletter

Bob Bob Ricard sells more champagne than any UK restaurant, all thanks to this little button.

The power of removing friction.

Subscribe to Marketing Examples for more short, sweet, practical marketing tips.

by Basak Anil

I recently paused freelancing (creating visuals for founders) because it doesn't fit this stage of my life as the mother of two young kids.

Back in 2020, right after having my first baby, I attempted my first solo internet product. After spending $1K, I decided my approach was wrong.

Building things that make money

I enrolled in the Small Bets community and built a visual design micro agency called VisualNeuron. I started earning decent amounts of money, and then arrived my second baby. I took six months off to focus on my family, and after that, I didn't feel like going back.

So, I needed a new a plan.

Launching 12 products in 12 months

I launched my first product in July 2023, and it took 20 days to build from start to finish. I was working a maximum of three hours a day, and only on weekdays. It became profitable the day after launch, and has been my most successful launch ever!

I decided to use ChatGPT to build a custom travel guide generator. Think Lonely Planet guides written just for you. I was debating with my husband, who helps me with the backend, about the quickest development method.

First, it was better if we didn't log anything. So, no database. Second, everything should be automatic, because I have zero time for manual work during the day.

Then, the lightbulb moment came: Delivering the guide as if it's an email course, with a newsletter-like format. I loved the idea of a ChatGPT-powered email course, and that's how TutoredTrip was born.

Launch

I launched on July 25, posted it on my Twitter, and it started selling right away. I haven't tried any other marketing method yet. My launch tweet has been bringing in sales!

The morning after the launch, I woke up to a handful of sales notifications. That's when I realized I had recovered all of the development costs. So, it was already profitable!

Here's how it works: The user fills out a fun quiz, and their guide is generated right away. It's scheduled to be delivered in five emails over the course of four days. My laser-focused prompts are fed into variables in a newsletter-like flow of information that I designed for maximum enjoyment. It's not just travel recommendations; there are jokes, language tips, and trivia questions.

I forbade it to recommend specific restaurants, stores, etc. because that's where errors can happen. ChatGPT is great with general knowledge, but customers get a heads up about possibly being given false information. I recommend that they double-check important things before the trip.

I imagine TutoredTrip as a marketing tool for airlines, hotel chains, Airbnb, or any large tourism operator that wants to deliver their customers a fun, customized travel guide experience!

Discuss this story.

by Tweetmaster Flex

I post the tweets indie hackers share the most. Here's today's pick:

Forward it to a friend, and let them know they can subscribe here.

Also, you can submit a section for us to include in a future newsletter.

Special thanks to Jay Avery for editing this issue, to Gabriella Federico for the illustrations, and to Dan Kulkov, Darko, Tom Orbach, Harry Dry, and Basak Anil for contributing posts. —Channing