Technique · Influence
Informative sample
Let people try the real thing: a free tier with core value, a demo on their own data, a sample lesson or report, an open sandbox. A sample informs the decision and, because it arrives as a gift, also creates a mild pull to reciprocate.
Plain label: real free sampleAlso known as: free sample, free tier, self-serve sampling, demo on your own data, free trial
How it works
A free sample works twice: it shows what the product does, and it arrives as a gift, which brings in the rule of reciprocation without any request. Self-serve sampling, where people take what they want, removes the awkwardness of a giver watching. The sample has to carry real value on its own; a sample built to make people feel guilty converts briefly and then turns into refunds.
In the book. The free sample is a gift presented as information, so it brings in the obligation to reciprocate as well as knowledge of the product (Ch.2, p.20). INF-T-RC-03 (Influence Ch.2, p.20) INF-T-RC-04 (Influence Ch.2, p.20)
In a product [S]. Free tiers, trials, sample chapters and demos on the user's own data are samples. They should be worth having even for people who never pay.
Evidence Evidence grade B. Moderate evidence: solid studies with some limits.. Sampling raises purchase in field research; the book's numbers are anecdotes.
Evidence warning
Measure paid conversion per visitor, not per trial: part of a sample's pull is obligation, which fades and can return as cancellations.
What the research says
A supermarket that let customers cut their own cheese samples reportedly sold about 1,000 pounds in a few hours.
Influence Ch.2, p.20
The book notes that shoppers often buy after a sample even when they did not especially like the product, a sign that obligation and information are mixed.
Influence Ch.2, p.20
Before you start
- The value event is tracked.
How to build it
- Web
- Offer unlimited free use of one core feature, or a "try it on your own data" demo, without a card, and show what the paid plan adds next to the result.
- E-commerce
- Ship a low-cost sample size or a sample with the first order, then send a reorder link once the typical use period has passed.
- B2B
- Run the live demo on the prospect's own data instead of a canned one, and leave a working sandbox afterward.
What can go wrong
- A free tier so limited that it shows nothing about the product.
- A surprise paywall over a result the user already produced.
- Requiring a card for a "free" sample, which reads as a hidden string.
Pairs well with
- Pairs with in-t-rc-05 when the full product is needed to see the value.
- Pairs with HK-MON02: gate depth, never the core loop.
In practice
Where it shows up
Limits
What we don’t claim
- Left Brain and Right Brain are a metaphor for extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, not a claim about neuroscience.Actionable Gamification Ch.13, pp.342-343
Sources
Influence · Robert Cialdini
Ch.2, p.20
Source IDs: INF-T-RC-03INF-T-RC-04
Book content is paraphrased, never quoted at length. Last verified October 24, 2026.
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