3 builders who never spoke to each other

Give it away until demand is proven, then charge

Hand the thing out free while you are establishing that anyone wants it, then start charging once the demand is visible and use the money to widen distribution. A directory listing only becomes chargeable once your traffic makes the listing worth having, and for a product that cannot be trialled, a sample plus the full contents is the equivalent of a free tier.

The method

1. 01

   Give the asset away until demand is proven, then start charging and expand distribution.

2. 02

   Only charge for a directory listing once you own the traffic in the trade: let people submit free, send a payment link when the entry fits, then review and publish it so the listing sends real visitors back.

3. 03

   Books cannot be trialled the way software can, so give away a sample chapter plus the full table of contents as the equivalent of a free trial.

What it returned

• 7

  Free at first; once motorists multiplied the brothers charged 7 francs, and by 1908 editions were selling across Europe.

• The exchange works on One Page Love because of its traffic. On Email Love, with at least one submission a day for years, traffic was too low to negotiate a decent price.

Sources

• “Michelin Guide” MarketingHarry Dry · Marketing Examples · “Michelin Guide” Marketing · undated
• Driving ongoing book sales with a sample chapterNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · The sample chapter · 2013-09-25
• Discontinuing Email Newsletter Discovery - Rob HopeRob Hope · robhope.com · 3. Paid-for curation needs high leverage to work · 2021-09-20