a single source, nothing corroborates it

Trade the sample chapter for the address

On a book sales page the free sample can be the single biggest source of list growth, converting a twentieth of all visitors. What decides the rate is presentation: bind the email field visually to the sample itself rather than treating download and signup as unrelated blocks, show the chapter as a graphic of an open book instead of a text link, and keep a direct download for people who will not hand over an address.

The method

1. 01

   Bind the email field visually to the sample chapter itself; treating the download and the signup as two separate page elements halves your opt-in rate.

2. 02

   The sample-chapter form on a book sales page can be your single biggest list-growth engine.

3. 03

   Swap the text link to your sample for a graphic showing the chapter as an open book.

4. 04

   Keep the direct download available alongside the email option for people unwilling to hand over an address.

What it returned

• 5.2%

  The Authority page converted at 5.2% versus 2.4% on the Designing Web Apps page, where the elements looked unrelated and the button text pushed the direct download

• 21,539

  21,539 visits to the sales page produced 1,137 sample chapter requests, a 5.3% conversion of all visitors

• Swapping a plain text link for a visual graphic can double sample-chapter downloads

Sources

• Driving ongoing book sales with a sample chapterNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Opt-in conversion rates · 2013-09-25
• An update on The Audience Building ChallengeNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · Not so great for subscribers · 2013-12-12