Anyone who knows me well knows that I not only love music, I love all types. Being the proud Naija girl that I am, one of my favourites is- of course- afrobeats. Knowing this, YouTube recently recommended me a new song by Mr Eazi in collaboration with Nelson Freitas (Tellin Me Something). I had no idea who Nelson Freitas was at the time but, off the strength of my appreciation for Mr Eazi's music, I checked it out.
Not only has that song been in constant rotation since then, listening to it made me so curious about Nelson that I ended up checking out his YouTube channel which then sucked me into the vortex of his discography. Now? I know exactly who he is in his own right and I am a fan! This is also how PR works.
By being featured on another platform and/or collaborating with another influencer, you increase your exposure to your target audience. If they like what they see, their curiosity will naturally lead them to check you out via your website. This is why it's important to make sure that it's optimised to make sure that they go from curious bystander to raving fan. One of the ways to ensure that your website is optimised is by having a freebie present on it. Here's why:
When you are featured on somebody else's platform, that's exactly what it is- somebody else's platform. In other words, you have no "ownership" over the platform or their audience. Without access to their audience, you have no way of building the know, like and trust factor that is so important for getting people to ultimately buy from you. Freebies allow you to build this rapport by:
#1 Creating good will
Freebies, like any other piece of content, should solve a problem or be an asset in some way. This benefit should be so attractive that it pulls people in like a magnet. Hence the reason why you may also hear a freebie referred to as a "lead magnet".
#2 Giving greater access
Freebies are typically given in exchange for your lead's contact details (their name and email address). The need to give their contact details means that a freebie is something that they have to opt into; so you may also hear it referred to as an "opt-in". Either way, this allows you to be able to communicate with them as frequently as you want to and get your messages straight into their inbox. This, in turn, gives you greater access to them and a greater ability to nurture your relationship with them.
#3 Profitability
Points #1 and #2 work in tandem to make your email list profitable. This is how you achieve the feat of transforming them from a curious bystander to raving fan like I mentioned earlier. This will also mean that when you offer them a paid solution to their problem, they will be more likely to go for it.
Want more PR and website optimisation tips?
Click here to access my free Media Attraction Audit- the checklist that helps you to make sure that your website proves your expertise, credibility and authority so that you can be a #mediamagnet, attracting PR (and therefore clients and collaborations) on autopilot!