As Wiz’s Head of Advertising and marketing Tom Orbach says, “Mini instruments are 10x extra highly effective than free trials.”
For the final 20 years, tech entrepreneurs have been making a gift of e-books and PDFs. I feel Orbach would agree that this period is coming to an finish.
Due to AI, no-code, and outsourcing, the neatest tech entrepreneurs are actually making a gift of mini software program instruments … fully free of charge.
That is one thing I wish to name ‘free instrument advertising.’
Right here’s the way it works.
What’s free instrument advertising?
In MBA communicate, free instruments are known as ‘loss leaders.’ A loss chief is a free-ish mini product that will get prospects to purchase an even bigger product.
For a fragrance firm, it is likely to be a free pattern of fragrance on the mall. For my hometown fuel station, Wawa, it was free espresso each Tuesday in 2024. Now, in tech, the norm is to offer away free instruments to get you within the door for paid ones.
However how do you determine which mini instrument(s) to construct?
There are two most important methods:
1. Search for low-difficulty, high-volume key phrases.
The objective right here is to snag a bit of little bit of visitors which may be fascinated with your paid software program.
You’re not gonna rank to your area of interest’s most important key phrase in a single day, however mini instruments are like mini bets. Every mini instrument provides you a greater shot at rating increased to your most necessary most important key phrases.
Use instruments like Ahrefs to seek out key phrases which might be low-difficulty key phrases with a KD round 0-5 with as excessive quantity as doable. Even as little as 1,000 searches/month is nice to begin.
For instance, the key phrase ‘social media supervisor jobs‘ has a key phrase issue of 0 and seven,200 searches per 30 days. In the event you’re an AI resume writing instrument or a hiring platform like Certainly, you could possibly spin up a free AI resume writing instrument particularly for social media managers on the lookout for jobs.
Right here’s one other instance: The key phrase ‘Instagram giveaway template’ has a key phrase issue of 5 and 500 searches per 30 days.
In the event you’re a picture creation platform like Canva or an advert company that helps manufacturers do Instagram giveaways, you could possibly create a free AI Instagram giveaway template generator utilizing one thing like OpenAI’s DALL-E mannequin or Midjourney.
2. Look inside your product for options that could possibly be free instruments.
Do you have got any current options that could possibly be free instruments?
For instance, when you’re a private finance app, possibly it’s a compound curiosity calculator. Or when you’re a video modifying software program, possibly it’s a free video resizer. The choices are infinite.
Professional tip: Clearly, don’t give away all of your software program’s secret sauce. However most occasions, you’ll be capable to discover a minimum of one characteristic to supply for free of charge.
What This Appears to be like Like in Apply
Let’s use me for example.
I run a meme advertising software program known as Memelord Applied sciences.
Late one night time, I couldn’t sleep. So, I did some deep digging for key phrases on Ahrefs and noticed that the key phrase ‘meme png’ was low-difficulty and high-volume (0 key phrase issue and 4,000 searches per 30 days!).
I already constructed an AI background removing instrument for memes, so I took that characteristic and spun up a Free Meme PNG Maker It’s the very same characteristic — simply given away free of charge.
And positive, I’m paying a bit of little bit of API charges each time somebody makes use of the instrument, however I’m already seeing signups from it free of charge (and with zero promotion!).
Right here’s one other private instance.
I additionally noticed that the key phrase ‘advertising memes’ was each low in key phrase issue and comparatively excessive in search quantity (2 key phrase issue and 1,200 searches/month).
So, what did I do? I created a instrument for entrepreneurs to get inspiration for memes: a fundamental no-code, searchable, filterable gallery of advertising meme examples.
Just like the meme PNG creator, I’m already seeing signups from this free instrument utilizing simply straight search engine optimization — no promotion required.
However I’m not the one instance on the market.
E-newsletter platform Beehiiv launched a free LTV calculator to calculate the lifetime worth of your subscribers. HubSpot has a free AI search grader that helps you consider your model efficiency in AI search outcomes. Wiz launched a free QR code generator.
And I’ve excellent news: You don’t must be a VC-backed enterprise or a giant model to construct free instruments.
How Entrepreneurs Can Get Began
I’m a bootstrapped scrappy founder constructing free instruments, and I first discovered about this advertising tactic after I was Head of Progress at Product Hunt.
I noticed these loopy solo founders, and I spotted you don’t must have a million-dollar price range anymore to construct free software program. (In reality, it might even be simpler for solo hackers and startups as a result of there’s much less oversight, little to no forms, and minimal must show particular ROI.)
Marc Lou is one such solo software program founder and big advocate of free instruments.
“I’m a developer, and I like constructing apps,” he explains. “However I additionally want advertising to pay the payments. Free instrument advertising is symbiosis. It consists of launching free and viral mini-apps to advertise your most important startup.”
Lou recommends the next pointers for the very best outcomes:
- The instrument have to be free — that’s the way you create a viral loop.
- One characteristic is sufficient. It have to be tremendous easy.
- The identify ought to inform precisely what the instrument does. That’s how folks keep in mind and search on Google.
- The expertise should begin on the homepage. Guests shouldn’t enroll or click on hyperlinks.
Matt Merrick is one other solo hacker constructing free instruments.
“Over time, I’ve constructed over 100 free instruments. And each time, I’m amazed by how properly they carry out,” Matt advised me by way of DMs on X.
“The method is easy: I begin with a key phrase associated to the location I’m engaged on (like ‘shade’) and ask ChatGPT free of charge instrument concepts round it. I solely goal low-competition, high-search-volume key phrases to rank quick and drive visitors.
Free instruments naturally appeal to views, backlinks, and area authority. My website Area of interest Instruments has 20+ free instruments on it and is beginning to rank bringing in free gross sales.”
Merrick devoted his complete profession to free instrument advertising.
Why?
As a result of we’re getting into the period of free instrument advertising.
Free e-books are so 2010s. The 2020s and past are all about free software program.
So, let me ask you: What free instruments are you able to construct?
Give it some thought for a minute. Take a minute to look by means of your product free of charge characteristic concepts. Head over to Ahrefs’ key phrase generator (one other free instrument) to optimize for search.
Then, seize a Crimson Bull, go construct some free instruments, and launch ‘em!