Do you often worry that the prices of your products are too high, and that’s why sales could be going better than you’d like? Or have you created a premium product and don’t want to devalue it, but at the same time, you’re not satisfied with the sales and are afraid that you’ll never start making money from it?
We have a solution, and no — you don’t have to lower your prices. All you need to do is implement a Tripwire funnel, and your sales will skyrocket. Ready to learn what a Tripwire funnel is and how it can help you increase sales conversions? Let’s get started. 🙂
How does a Tripwire Funnel work?
Imagine you’re launching a premium product in the form of a comprehensive online course worth $899 or even more. You’ve spent a lot of time developing the course; you know it’s a high-quality product. You’re almost certain that sales will be excellent. Unfortunately, reality quickly checks your plans, and the lackluster results demotivate you.
What’s more, you’re new to the market, and you haven’t had time to build your brand yet, so your potential customers aren’t ready to pay that much for your course. What can you do to entice them? To win them over? You can offer them something much cheaper, allowing them to get to know you and see that the products you offer are valuable. You can use a Tripwire.
A Tripwire funnel is a strategy that involves offering potential customers a low-priced but high-value product to convert them from interested prospects into paying customers. It sounds simple, right? And most importantly — it works!
Tripwire lowers the entry barrier, making those who aren’t ready to purchase more expensive products more willing to make that first purchase. It’s an excellent step to convince the customer of your value and build trust around your brand.
Of course, selling a low-cost product isn’t the whole story. Once the customer decides to purchase the low-cost product, they are automatically introduced to the next stages of the funnel, where higher-value and higher-priced products are offered. The key is that these products are related to each other, ensuring a smooth and logical progression in the sales process.
Tripwire in Practice
Before we tell you about specific Tripwire tools, let’s show you how it works in practice. Earlier, we mentioned that Tripwire involves offering a low-priced product, but you can take it a step further and offer… a free product.
An ideal example is Dean Graziosi — an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and coach who offers his book “Millionaire Success Habits” for free — provided the customer is willing to pay for shipping.
Click here to read more.
If for some reason, the offer doesn’t seem attractive to the customer, and they decide to leave the page, they will see this message on their screen: “Hey, wait! Before you go… You Can Also Order “Millionaire Success Habits” from Amazon Below!”.
As you might guess, the price on the linked Amazon page isn’t as attractive as the one on the Tripwire offer page. 🙂
This message triggers the fear of missing out (FOMO). Pop-ups that prevent a potential customer from leaving the page are a good move that converts. You can use this tool on your website too, with the help of Apresly.
What Do You Gain?
The answer is very simple: a customer! If a customer buys something from you for a few dollars or, as in the case of Graziosi, receives a product from you for free, you might not make much money from it, but you’ll “catch” the customer in your net. From that moment on, there’s a good chance that this same customer will buy something much more expensive.
What Next?
Once you’ve captured a customer, they can easily turn into a regular paying customer. You just need to use the available tools and properly implement the Tripwire funnel. It sounds complicated, but don’t worry — it may turn out that the amount of work you put in will be minimal, while the effects — quite the opposite.
After a customer decides to take the free book, Dean Graziosi takes matters into his own hands and offers the customer something extra right at the order stage for “Millionaire Success Habits.”
Thanks to this strategy, Dean increases the average value of his order, which is important at the later stages of creating the funnel.
Then the captured customer is encouraged to buy more products — this time more expensive ones. This usually happens via email, in messages sent to the customer after completing the first order. Everything happens automatically, with pre-prepared email campaigns being sent regularly to newly acquired customers.
How to Create a Tripwire Funnel — Strategy Example
Now that you know what a Tripwire is and how it works in practice, it’s time to discuss the strategy of creating a funnel.
Step 1. Analyze Your Existing Products and Choose the One That Converts Best
If you already have products in your store, analyze the sales over the past few months and choose the product that sells the best. It’s worth checking the statistics and results regularly to keep your finger on the pulse.
Step 2. Create a New, Cheaper Product
Now that you know what sells best, create a new product based on that one — in a reduced version and at a much lower price. For example, if one of your online courses is a high-converting product, you can extract a few lessons or modules and create a separate product from them. Rework the materials to make them as specific as possible and, most importantly, encourage customers to explore the other products in your store. We’ll tell you shortly what else can be your Tripwire product.
Step 3. Create a Landing Page with the Offer
Is your Tripwire product ready? Don’t forget to present it well. To do this, create a separate landing page that encourages purchase. Include basic product information, describe yourself to build trust, and don’t forget to highlight the price. Using pop-ups, as we wrote above, is a good idea. To do this, use available market tools like Apresly, which will quickly help you personalize the landing page.
Step 4. Create an Email Sequence for Customers Captured by the Tripwire Offer
When creating a strategy for the Tripwire offer, don’t forget about the email sequence you’ll send to the customer after the purchase. Remember to continuously assure customers of the value you sell and don’t let them forget about you. Prepare a few emails at the beginning:
- Right after purchase — a thank-you email in which you can include a Limited-Time Offer. You’ll learn how to use Limited-Time Offers effectively in one of our recent blog articles.
- A few days later — an email asking for the customer’s first impressions of the purchased product. This is a good time to motivate the customer to engage with the material and to gather reviews, which you can later use on your Tripwire offer landing page.
- Even later — a storytelling email based on one of the many reviews of your product, will spark the recipient’s interest and curiosity.
The above sequence is, of course, just an example. You know your customers best and know what might work for them. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, the Tripwire funnel is an excellent tool to get to know the people who buy from you better.
The Best Tools for Creating a Tripwire Funnel
Let’s now focus on what you can use in a Tripwire campaign. If you are doing this for the first time, you may not yet know what will work. The Tripwire funnel is a convenient marketing strategy because you can create several offers and see which product converts best. Your workload can be minimal, so don’t hold back and take action. Below, you will find some inspirations for products to include in your Tripwire funnel.
Mini-Course, Workshops, or Audio Training
One of the most effective Tripwire tools is a mini-course or workshop. This is a shortened version of a larger course, as we mentioned earlier. The price typically ranges from $27 to $47, but there are also free products available. It’s an ideal way to showcase the quality of your content and teaching style. Marie Forleo, a well-known author and personal development coach, often uses this strategy, offering a free audio training session that introduces participants to the topics covered in her more extensive programs, such as B-School. The training offered is, of course, a part of one of her larger courses.
Click here to read more.
E-book or Guide
Another popular Tripwire tool is an e-book or guide, offered for $7–$33. This is an excellent way to provide valuable material that is closely related to the main course offer. For example, Brigit Esselmont, who specializes in Tarot training and founded the Biddy Tarot school, offers an “Ultimate Guide” as part of her Tripwire funnel, which is a great move as it covers a topic likely to interest anyone engaged in Tarot reading.
Click here to read more.
Trial Access
Time-limited access to an educational platform or an online course library is another effective strategy. Offering 7-day access for $1 allows customers to test the value of your content, which can encourage them to opt for a full subscription. Kajabi, a platform for creating and selling online courses, employs this strategy by allowing users to try out all the platform’s features before deciding to purchase the full version.
Click here to read more.
Assessment of Diagnostic Test
For just $19 or even less, you can offer customers an assessment of their skills or a diagnostic test that will show them which educational content will be most valuable for them. Dean Graziosi, the previously mentioned business coach, often uses this strategy by offering short quizzes that help participants determine their readiness for his more advanced programs. Similar quizzes, but free, are offered by Ramit Sethi—where the customer must provide an email address to get the answer and is then redirected to a page where they can see their results and tailored products at special prices.
Click here to read more.
Short Challenge or Boot Camp
An intense, 5-7 day challenge on a specific topic, available for $0–$47, can be an excellent introduction to a more comprehensive course. Mel Robbins, an author and motivational speaker, uses free challenges as a way to build engagement with her community, leading to higher conversion rates for her full programs.
Click here to read more.
Consultation Session
Offering a short, affordable consultation (e.g., $47 for 30 minutes) allows clients to have direct contact with an expert. If your niche is specialized and you consider yourself an expert in the industry, you can use consultations as a bargaining chip. First, an attractive price will draw clients in. Second, you’ll build trust and foster a 1:1 relationship with your clients.
Physical Product
Don’t forget the power of physical products. For example, an educational manual or planner offered for $4.95 plus shipping can be a great introduction to your educational content. You can also take it a step further and, like Dean Graziosi, offer a free e-book to those willing to pay for shipping.
Benefits of Tripwire Offers in Online Courses
As you already know, the Tripwire funnel offers a range of benefits for both creators and clients. One of the biggest advantages is the ability to quickly convert potential clients into paying customers, opening the door for further sales. What other benefits can we highlight? The low cost of Tripwire products significantly lowers the entry barrier, making it easier for undecided clients to try out educational content without significant financial risk. This initial purchase often paves the way for easier upselling of more expensive courses or educational programs, thereby increasing the overall customer value over their lifetime.
You Can Fully Automate Them
Tripwire funnels can be fully automated, saving you precious time. You only need to plan the strategy once, and the Tripwire offer will work for you all the time—24/7, wherever you are and whatever you are doing. When creating Tripwire funnels, it’s worth leveraging available tools to ensure that while you are resting, the offers are working. At this point, Apresly extends its helpful hand, enabling you to create automated one-time offers and dynamic funnels so you can focus on delivering the value of your educational content and, ultimately, on… rest. 🙂
They Allow You to Test the Market
Tripwire offers also serve as excellent tools for market testing, allowing you to quickly gauge interest in specific topics or educational formats. This knowledge can be invaluable in adjusting future offers and marketing strategies. Additionally, based on Tripwire purchases, you can personalize subsequent offers to better meet your customer’s individual needs, improving the overall educational experience.
They Increase Customer Engagement
A well-designed Tripwire product, such as a short course or a specific e-book, can significantly increase your customers’ engagement, providing an accessible entry point to more in-depth learning. This increased engagement often translates into higher completion rates and better learning outcomes.
They Generate Passive Income
A carefully crafted Tripwire funnel can generate steady, passive income for you, creating a sustainable revenue stream. You won’t make millions with it, but you will build a customer base that is willing to pay more for the new content and materials you offer. Isn’t that genius?
They Are Effective for Building Mailing Lists
Finally, Tripwire funnels are excellent for building email subscriber lists interested in educational offers. This targeted list becomes an invaluable asset for future marketing efforts and community building. By providing value and ensuring a close relationship between the entry point and the main educational offer, you can create a natural and customer-friendly path to more expensive, comprehensive educational products.
Summary
A Tripwire funnel is not only an effective sales strategy but also a tool that allows you to build lasting relationships with customers and maximize profits. The key to success is offering high-value products at a low price, which opens the door to more advanced courses and programs. With a well-thought-out strategy and the tools mentioned above, you can effectively increase your profits and build a loyal customer base. And all this with relatively little effort.
