Giving away products or services which are of high value to the customer for free can help to to increase popularity of your offer. There are various options how you can still make money though: someone else pays (e.g., Google services are free, but people pay for AdWords), cross-subsidization (another product covers the cost for the free offer), freemium (see freemium), buy one get one free, pay what you want (see pay what you want), donations, ...

When and how to apply Free:

Free distribution of your product can be a little intimidating. After all, someone must pay for it, and when it comes to free samples, you are responsible for the expense. But don't let that dissuade you. Free samples have been demonstrated to increase sales by up to 2,000%.

You can use free sample products to:

1. Introduce your brand to new audiences who are unfamiliar with it.

2. Develop relationships and inspire loyalty in existing customer relationships

3. Increase shoppers' understanding of the products you offer.

4. Encourage customer retention and increased sales of new products.

5. Gain attention for your brand during or preceding an event.

Well-known companies that use this pattern are YouTube and Facebook.