Free Offer Brief

free-offer-brief

Purpose

Design free lead magnets and tripwire offers that serve as funnel entry points. The free offer IS the first impression — it must demonstrate the same RMBC quality as paid products. A weak lead magnet trains prospects to ignore you. A strong one builds trust, establishes mechanism credibility, and creates reciprocity that drives paid conversions. This skill outputs a complete brief for each offer type: name, format, hook angle, landing page headline, perceived value framing, production cost estimate, and the email follow-up strategy that converts free leads into buyers.

Inputs

| Input | Required | Description | |-------|----------|-------------| | product_line | Yes | The paid product(s) this free offer will lead into — name, price, core promise | | target_audience | Yes | Who the prospect is — demographics, pain points, desires, awareness level | | offer_type | Yes | One of: guide, checklist, quiz, free_shipping, trial, sample | | budget_constraint | No | Maximum production/fulfillment cost per lead (default: $0 for digital, specify for physical) |

Execution Protocol

Step 1 — Load Framework Context

Read rmbc-context/SKILL.md to load RMBC framework definitions. Free offers apply RMBC in miniature — Research identifies what the audience values enough to trade their email for, Mechanism gives the free offer a unique angle that previews the paid product's approach, Brief structures the offer for maximum perceived value, Copy makes the landing page convert.

Step 2 — Assess Offer Type Fit

Evaluate the chosen offer type against the audience and product line:

| Offer Type | Best For | Perceived Value Driver | Fulfillment Cost | |------------|----------|----------------------|-----------------| | Guide | Info products, services — audience wants education | Depth of insight, specificity | $0 (digital PDF) | | Checklist | Action-oriented audiences — want quick wins | Immediate usability, saves time | $0 (digital) | | Quiz | Broad audiences — curiosity-driven, personalization | Self-knowledge, custom results | $0 (software) | | Free+Shipping | Physical products — supplements, beauty, gadgets | Tangible product in hand | $3-15 COGS + shipping | | Trial | Software, subscriptions — need to experience value | Risk-free experience of the real product | Variable (usage cost) | | Sample | Consumables — supplements, food, skincare | Taste/test before committing to full supply | $2-8 COGS + shipping |

If the chosen type is a poor fit for the product line, flag the mismatch and recommend a better type before proceeding.

Step 3 — Design the Offer

Build the complete offer brief:

Offer Name

• Must be specific and outcome-driven: "The 7-Day Gut Reset Checklist" not "Free Health Guide"
• Include a number, timeframe, or specificity marker
• The name alone should communicate value

Format and Scope

• Define exactly what the prospect receives and in what format
• For digital: page count, sections, bonus elements
• For physical: product specs, quantity, packaging
• Scope rule: solve ONE specific problem completely — never try to cover everything

Hook Angle

• The single most compelling reason to claim this offer NOW
• Must connect to the paid product's mechanism without giving it all away
• The hook should create a curiosity gap that the paid product fills

Landing Page Headline

• 3 headline variations, each using a different RMBC lead pattern:

1. Curiosity/mechanism-led
2. Outcome/desire-led
3. Problem/pain-led

Perceived Value Framing

• What this would cost if sold separately (credible anchor)
• Why it's being offered free (the reason must be believable)
• What makes it genuinely valuable, not just "free content"

Production Cost Estimate

• Itemized: content creation, design, fulfillment, platform/software
• Cost per lead at projected volume (100, 1000, 5000 leads)
• Flag if cost exceeds budget constraint

Step 4 — Map the Email Follow-Up Strategy

The free offer is the beginning, not the end. Define the conversion path:

| Email | Timing | Purpose | Content Direction | |-------|--------|---------|-------------------| | Delivery | Immediate | Deliver the offer + set expectations | Here's your [offer] + what to do first | | Quick Win | Day 1-2 | Help them USE the offer and get a result | One action step from the guide/checklist | | Mechanism Tease | Day 3-4 | Introduce the paid product's mechanism | "The guide covers X, but here's what it can't do alone..." | | Social Proof | Day 5-6 | Show results from paid customers | Testimonial + before/after | | Offer | Day 7 | Present the paid product with a transition incentive | Special pricing for free offer recipients |

Step 5 — Validate the Funnel Bridge

Confirm the free offer creates a logical bridge to the paid product:

• [ ] The free offer solves a real problem (not manufactured)
• [ ] Consuming the free offer naturally reveals the need for the paid product
• [ ] The mechanism preview in the free offer matches the paid product's mechanism
• [ ] The email sequence has a clear, non-pushy path from free to paid
• [ ] The perceived value justifies giving up an email address

Output Format

## Free Offer Brief: [Offer Name]

**Type:** [guide | checklist | quiz | free_shipping | trial | sample]
**Paid Product Bridge:** [product name + price]
**Target Audience:** [ICP summary]
**Budget Constraint:** [amount or "digital only"]

---

### OFFER DESIGN

**Name:** [specific, outcome-driven name]
**Format:** [what they receive — format, length, delivery method]
**Scope:** [the ONE problem this solves]
**Hook Angle:** [the compelling reason to claim it now]

---

### LANDING PAGE HEADLINES

1. **Curiosity:** "[headline]"
2. **Outcome:** "[headline]"
3. **Pain:** "[headline]"

---

### VALUE FRAMING

- **Perceived value:** $[anchor price] if sold separately
- **Why free:** [believable reason]
- **Genuine value:** [what makes this worth their email]

---

### PRODUCTION COST

| Item | Cost |
|------|------|
| [content/design/fulfillment] | $X |
| **Cost per lead (at 1000 leads):** | $X.XX |

---

### EMAIL FOLLOW-UP SEQUENCE

| # | Timing | Subject Line Direction | Purpose |
|---|--------|----------------------|---------|
| 1 | Immediate | [direction] | Deliver + set expectations |
| 2 | Day 1-2 | [direction] | Quick win |
| 3 | Day 3-4 | [direction] | Mechanism tease |
| 4 | Day 5-6 | [direction] | Social proof |
| 5 | Day 7 | [direction] | Paid offer |

---

### FUNNEL BRIDGE VALIDATION

[Pass/fail on each bridge criterion]

Quality Criteria

• Offer name must be specific and outcome-driven — generic names like "Free Guide" signal low value
• Hook angle must create a curiosity gap that the paid product fills — not give away the whole mechanism
• Landing page headlines must use three distinct RMBC lead patterns — not three variations of the same angle
• Perceived value anchor must be credible — a $5 checklist positioned as "$497 value" destroys trust
• Production cost must be itemized and compared against budget constraint — no surprises
• Email follow-up must bridge to the paid product within 7 days — longer sequences lose momentum
• The free offer must solve a real problem completely enough to build trust, but not so completely that the paid product feels unnecessary

• Specificity gate: Every recommendation must include a number, name, or timeframe — no "high value" or "strong appeal"
• Mechanism quantification: When referencing the mechanism, include at least one specific data point (number, timeframe, study reference)
• Audience journey: The brief must reference where the reader IS (what they've tried, what's failing) — not just who they are demographically
• Proof diversity: Use at least 2 different proof types (testimonial, statistical, authority, case study) — do not rely on a single proof mode
• Objection handling: The brief must address "what's the catch?" and "is this worth my email?" — include at least 2 trust-building elements (social proof, no-spam promise, instant access, preview of value)

Related Skills

• Run /welcome-sequence to expand the 5-email follow-up into a full onboarding sequence
• Run /lander-copy to write the full landing page from the headline directions
• Run /hook-battery to generate additional headline and ad hook variations
• Run /funnel-architecture to see where this free offer fits in the complete funnel
• Run /offer-stack to design the paid offer this free offer leads into
• Validate the landing page with /rmbc-copy-audit

Attribution

> Generated using RMBC framework by Stefan Georgi. > Learn more: copyaccelerator.com/join

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: coleschaffer
• Source: coleschaffer/copywritingskills-rmbc
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.