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Comment by cmahler7 | Hacker News Reader

this, people are too worried about the size of their list as opposed to actual engagement. If they don't open your emails they're just costing you money with your ESP.

If you have good content people will search hard for a way to get on your email list if necessary, i've done it before.

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I manage the newsletter signups for a developer-focused company. I have a graph on a dashboard that shows "Fucks Given" for the newsletter signup. Essentially how many `fuckoff@fuckyou.com` type signups happen per week. Any time we try and increase the number of signups by changing the form, we also make sure that the number of "Fucks Given" stays as close to zero as possible. (Some people are just angry.)

this is why it's good to require a credit card for a free trial. it will kill the top of your funnel but the bottom will actually get fatter because those who do sign up for the free trial actually want to demo your software.

Are there numbers behind that reasoning?

I ask, because that doesn't match up well with my (anecdotal) experience as an end user. When I'm searching for software to either replace something I'm currently using but dissatisfied with or when I'm doing something new (to me), I want to demo candidates so I can get a feel whether I like them or not. I don't mind paying for quality software (though much quality software is free), but requiring credit card info for even a demo is the exact sort of hurdle which I won't put up with. The cost (in time, and potentially wasted time in the future) is just too high.

Yep, my experience is similar. I've bought tons of stuff online over the years and not once ever have I bought if I had to contact sales or had to fill out a lengthy form [1] in order to get a demo or price. This includes during the two startups I cofounded (ie where I was the person making the company purchase decisions).

[1] I'll fill out short "email, name, company (if optional), industry" form but only if I don't think some salesperson is going to give me a call.

...and lose all the people who might have been on the fence, but willing to give your product 1/2 a chance.

I will not sign up for a demo that requires I provide real information unless I have no other choice. It's not that I'm not serious about buying. Rather, I have no patience for spamming or harassment from salespeople.

Depends on what and who you are selling to.

For business purchases, the compliance and other risk is way too high for me to do that. You get knocked off the list if you require that.

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