Summary

Niharika Sodhi successfully launched a free side hustler checklist that garnered 423 downloads in a week, demonstrating that even without a large following, providing value and leveraging social media engagement can lead to significant reach and credibility.

Abstract

Niharika Sodhi, an online creator, shared her strategy for achieving 423 downloads of her free side hustler checklist within seven days, despite not having a substantial following. She emphasized the importance of giving value for free to build trust and credibility, which can lead to monetary gains. The checklist, created in just 90 minutes, was promoted by stirring excitement and exclusivity, launching with a clear call to action, and leveraging social media algorithms to increase visibility. Sodhi's approach highlights the power of engagement over follower count and the impact of sharing knowledge to help others, which in turn can attract a dedicated audience and potential customers.

Opinions

Providing a free lead magnet, such as an ebook or checklist, is a powerful way to offer value and establish credibility, potentially leading to paid offerings.
Creating a sense of exclusivity and urgency can drive people to download a free product, as they feel they are getting early or special access.
Engagement on social media, particularly through comments and shares, can amplify reach beyond one's existing follower base, making follower count less significant.
Self-promotion is crucial for creators; sharing both successes and failures helps build credibility and connect with an audience that values authenticity.
The online world offers an opportunity to build a following from scratch, and even a small engaged audience can lead to significant outcomes.
Putting out a freebie is not just a business strategy but also a way to teach and improve the lives of others, which can be rewarding in itself.
Overcoming the fear of failure and the opinions of others is essential in the online space, where the pace

My Freebie Got 423 Downloads in 7 Days. No, I Don’t Have Lots of Followers.

Here’s how to make people download your lead magnet.

Are you chasing passive income? Do you want to build an online business? Do you have an offering that can solve issues? If your answer is yes to any of this, you need to have a freebie.

Or a lead magnet, as marketers call it.

Personally, I don’t have a freebie to ‘build a business’ or something. I just believe that if I give a lot for free, people will pay for the little that I offer at a price tag. And for good karma.

Think of it as a trial before you spend big bucks to buy.

The trial affects your experience, your buying decision.

Similarly, a freebie is giving value for free (duh) so if you want to charge for it, people can trust you and buy your products/ services. Your freebie can be anything:

an email course
ebook
video course
sample training manual

And whatever you can think of that can benefit others.

I’ve had an ebook as a freebie earlier (which also got an insane amount of downloads). But this one was different.

It’s free, yet it earned me money because some kind people paid for it.

It hardly took me any time to make this, yet it went to 423 inboxes in 7 days. And I’m not even super famous with 50000 people on my mailing list (or even 5000).

Here’s exactly what I did.

I Got an Idea Before I Slept

I’ve been trying to solve for creators and side hustlers because I was at their place a year ago and I know what it's like to struggle.

First with my free ebook, and now with this random idea.

Before I slept, I thought, what if I create a checklist for side hustlers? It’ll help them carve a path towards their journey and get some direction.

And then I controlled myself from creating it the same night.

The Process

What comes simply to you could make a world of a difference to somebody else.

This freebie took me 90 minutes to create.

I opened Notion, googled how to create a checklist and started typing away. I ended the document with CTAs.

You may think of:

Why would anybody listen to me?
What if people make fun?
What if nobody downloads it?

Always remember, what comes simply to you could make a world of a difference to somebody else.

First, Create Some Excitement

Now that you have your product ready, create some excitement around it.

Here’s what I did:

People want to feel exclusive.

They want it before others do.

And if it's free, there’s nothing to lose, right?

Then: 1, 2, 3 — Launch

And then I launched, again invoking the same emotion.

We all love free products.

And we all love new products.

Mix the two, and the response will blow up!

Do this when you launch

This will help you attract the right audience (and potential customers in your email list).

Mention what to expect
Be honest

That’s all. Nothing fancy.

If you use Twitter, ask people to comment for a copy because more comments lead your tweet to more people’s homepage and the algorithm also promotes high engagement.

And Finally, Blow Your Own Trumpet

It helps you build your credibility.

If you want to be a creator, do not be afraid to promote yourself. You are what you are. And if you’re doing well, you should be proud of it!

Plus, it helps you build your credibility.

You talk about your failures so people can learn from you, then why not about your success?

Even if you make three sales, there are thousands of products with zero sales so you’re so much better than the rest.

And on social media, your results build your credibility.

There are two types of people:

The first segment shits on your success. They’re jealous.
The second one gets inspired and learns from you to improve their lives.

The second ones are the doers. They work to make the most out of their lives. They’re the kind of people you want.

You’ll get the first segment anyway, so ignore them.

“But, My Following Is Not Huge.”

Even if 10 people follow you and two of them engage with you, it’s better than 100 followers where people like and leave.

The best part about the online world is that you build a following. You’re not born with it.

I have 3067 Twitter followers at the time of writing this.

From getting 50 followers a month, I’m gaining a few hundred every month.

So I didn’t get 400+ downloads because I have 10k followers. I’ve built my account over the last few months.

Also, the formula is to drive engagement (via comments). Your tweet will be visible to people who don’t follow you as well.

You build a following. You’re not born with it.

Lastly

Teach the world about something that you know and can improve others.

I urge you to put out a freebie.

While there may be a business side of it, think of it as a way to teach the world about something that you know and can improve others.

A few people paid for the side hustle checklist, but my biggest gain is the 52 five-star ratings that I see and the countless DMs I’ve received thanking me.

If you could only take a few lessons with you today, take these:

What is common sense to you may not be to others
Leverage the power of social network
Your following doesn’t matter and is build-able
Solve an issue for free for good karma
Hit the publish button

What's the worst that can happen?

Plenty of my tweets around my course got zero comments and two likes, but I tweeted day after day anyway about it.

If the worst thing is failing and ‘what will people say’, you’re lucky that in the online world they forget about things instantly since there are always so many new ones popping up.

Best of luck!

Click here to grab your free Side Hustler Checklist. Enjoy reading on Medium? Buy a membership for full access.

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