People who can't sell paid notes think the free section is a 'sample'.
If you are new here, please start here👉
—The 6-part flow common to articles that started selling the next day
I'll be honest.
At first, I didn't understand at all.
I thought, 'The free section is just a bonus for the paid section.' So I wrote it casually and published it.
It didn't sell.
It makes sense, doesn't it? I understand now.
The free section of a paid note is not a 'sample.' It is a 'sales page.'
Whether a reader clicks the purchase button is determined not by the content of the paid section, but by the design of the free section. No matter how good the content is, if you can't make them think 'I want to read more' in the free section, the purchase button will never be clicked.
Once I realized this, my writing style changed fundamentally.
Looking back at the articles that started selling the next day, there was always the same flow in the free section. Today, I will tell you all about that flow.
The 6 steps needed for the free section
Step 1: Self-introduction link
Place a single line link to your profile page at the very top of the text.
If you are new here, please start here👉 Click here for my profile page
This is enough. There is no need to write a long self-introduction in the main text. Interested readers will click and read it themselves. Keep the main text slim while providing an entry point for trust.
This is the correct form of a 'non-intrusive self-introduction.'
Step 2: Hook + Target narrowing
After drawing them in with the title, state once more at the beginning who this article is for.
The point is to have people who are not relevant leave early.
If you're not interested, feel free to skip this, but if you want to do X, please read on.
By adding this one sentence, only readers who are truly likely to buy will remain. It might seem like a waste at first glance, but this increases the conversion rate.
There are three patterns for hooks.
1. Result Presentation Type: "I will reveal how I tripled my monthly income." 2. Question Type: "Have you ever felt that even if you publish a paid note, it doesn't sell?" 3. Shared Experience Type: "I didn't sell anything at all for the first three months either. But after I changed a certain design, the situation changed completely."
Choose the pattern that best fits your article and try using it.
Step 3: Empathy and Failure Stories
Talk about the worries the reader is facing as your own experience.
The important thing is not the 'surface-level worry,' but touching on the 'emotions deep down.'
Behind the fact that 'things aren't going well' lies the 'emptiness of effort not being rewarded.' There is the 'anxiety of whether I should keep going like this.' Writing that touches on those points moves the reader's heart.
The moment they feel, 'Yes, that's exactly what I was worried about,' they start to trust you.
Step 4: Partial Disclosure of Results
Show the minimum amount of numbers and evidence to prove you aren't just all talk.
You don't need to show everything. It's enough to have just enough evidence to make them feel, 'This is the real deal.' Screenshots, numbers, timeframes. Things that are visually conveyed are the most effective.
It started selling the day after I published it, and I had X number of purchases in the first week.
Be honest with the numbers. There is no need to exaggerate or hide anything.
Step 5: Exclusivity and Scarcity
After showing your results, create a sense that they need to get it right now.
The role of this step is to prevent procrastination, where people think, 'I can buy it anytime, so I'll do it later.'
I am distributing this to only 10 people this month. I don't want it to be used in a weird way, so only to decent people. There is also a possibility that it will end early.
There is no need to lie at all. Just honestly convey the number and period you can actually provide. The sentence 'only to decent people' tickles the reader's self-esteem and further increases their desire to purchase.
Step 6: CTA (The Boundary) — This is the most important part
The most important thing in the free section is 'where you cut it off'.
If you cut it off after giving the answer, the reader will be satisfied and leave. If you cut it off right before the answer, the reader will look at the purchase button in a state of wanting to read more.
Cut it off 'right before the answer'. This alone will significantly change your conversion rate.
If the price is low (100-300 yen), adding a brief note like 'think of it as a tip' or 'it's usually paid, but this is a special offer' will further lower the psychological hurdle.
The actual free section should follow this flow
① こんにちは、○○です！
はじめての方は → 自己紹介ページ をまず読んでみてください！
② 今回は、わたしが実際に使っている「○○」を公開します！
興味なければスルーでOKなので、一緒に○○したい人だけ読んでみてください！
③ 実は最初の頃、全然うまくいかなくて…。
毎日頑張っているのに成果ゼロ。でもある方法を知って状況が一変しました。
④ 今は○○の運用で月○万円を達成しています。
（スクリーンショットをここに貼る）
⑤ 今月は10名限定で配布します。
早期終了の可能性もあるので、興味があればお早めに。
▼ 詳細と受け取り方法はこのすぐ下に書きました
【ここから有料部分】You can just copy this flow exactly.
Guidelines for character count
Character count status: Minimum line 500 characters (below this, it's hard to build trust); Ideal 800-1,200 characters (hook, empathy, preview, and CTA are all included); Upper limit 2,000 characters (anything more and the reader gets tired, lowering their desire to purchase)
I'll mention the most common mistake at the end
Writing the free section thinking it's a place to 'kindly explain everything'.
The more carefully you write it, the more satisfied the reader will be and the more likely they are to leave.
The role of the free section is not to 'tell them everything'. It's to create a state where they 'want to read more'.
Don't tell them too much. Don't give away the answer. Bring the reader to the purchase button in a state where they feel they are 'just about to understand everything'.
This is the true nature of a free section for a paid note that starts selling from the next day.
Let's design it together.
Aino
#noteMonetization #SideHustle #HousewifeSideHustle #ContentSales #InformationDissemination #EarnMoney #HowToWriteNotes #SellingNotes #PaidNotes #Writing