{"id":20450,"date":"2015-12-14T11:31:09","date_gmt":"2015-12-14T17:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crazyeggblog.wpengine.com\/?p=20450"},"modified":"2026-01-06T15:15:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T23:15:14","slug":"the-free-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crazyegg.com\/blog\/the-free-word\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use the Word “Free” in Your Marketing Without Losing Credibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marketers use the word \u201cfree\u201d so often that it has nearly lost its power.<\/p>\n

Free<\/i> is a word that has enormous psychological appeal. But when it\u2019s overused or used incorrectly, it can ruin your marketing efforts.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to use the word free<\/i> for conversion power, marketing advantage, and increased revenue.<\/p>\n

And not look like an idiot doing it.
\n<\/p>\n

When \u201cFree\u201d Is Dangerous.<\/h2>\n

Many of us grew up hearing the message, \u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as a free lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the one hand, free<\/i> is a word with enormous psychological potency.<\/p>\n

Gregory Ciotti listed free<\/i><\/a> as one of his \u201c5 Most Persuasive Words in the English Language.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"everybody-loves-free\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As I\u2019ll explain below, you may attract people simply based on free, <\/i>but those people might not have value as customers.<\/p>\n

The marketing success of free products is built on the psychological instinct of reciprocity.<\/p>\n

Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational<\/i>, explains reciprocity:<\/a><\/p>\n

Reciprocity is a very, very strong instinct. If somebody does something for you, you really feel a rather surprisingly strong obligation to do something back for them.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How strong is this reciprocity? Just ask Costco<\/a>. They hand out free samples to thousands of customers and see their sales skyrocket. While there may be some causation\/correlation questions here, many observers view Costco\u2019s marketing success as reciprocity in action.<\/p>\n

Research<\/a> suggests that there is a subconscious norm at play here that urges samplers to purchase, a kind of social pressure.<\/p>\n

\"beer<\/a><\/p>\n

Average Percentage Increase in Sales After Product Samples in the Past Year, by Product Type (Source)<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

The relationship between Costco and its customers is so compelling that people actually go to Costco to eat lunch for free.<\/p>\n

\"costco<\/a><\/p>\n

Image Source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This reciprocity can easily backfire, however. As Ariely points out, the reciprocity instinct is so strong that it sometimes crosses the line into sensations of guilt.<\/p>\n

Guilt is a negative emotion, and people strongly attempt to avoid guilt. They do so by rejecting anything that may subject them to this feeling.<\/a><\/p>\n

You have no way of knowing if an individual is going to respond this way, but it is important to realize how powerful free <\/i>is, and how it can hinder your marketing rather than advance it.<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s talk about how to use free<\/i> in the right way.<\/p>\n

Explain W<\/em>hy <\/i>It\u2019s Free.<\/h2>\n

If something is free, it must be free for a good reason.<\/p>\n

People aren\u2019t stupid.<\/p>\n

Researchers estimate that we communicate around 5,000 marketing messages<\/a> per day. People have pretty good BS meters, and they can sniff out the artificiality in most marketing messages.<\/p>\n

Free <\/i>is one of the words that sounds the internal ad radar alert. People ask, Why? What\u2019s the catch? What are you trying to sell me? There\u2019s no such thing as a free lunch. You can\u2019t get something for nothing!<\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a natural human reaction.<\/p>\n

Thus, if you are offering something for free, explain why <\/i>it\u2019s free.<\/p>\n

It can\u2019t hurt to explain.<\/p>\n