Does anyone here take part (more than once I should say) in freebie advertising? I have done this sometimes in the past but it always seems better to pay for what you want than assume to get it for free.

you know what they say "you get what you pay for" you cant expect much if its free!

free... mm... bad idea.

Do you mean offering freebies to advertise your own products? Yes, I have.

If you mean participating in some scheme/program to get freebies... then no, I haven't.

Soo true! There is always some catch or disadvantage to freebies.

Participated in someone providing advertising to my company for free - yes

Offered free products (or services) - yes.

Ever done an install for a customer for free? Ever moved a site for free? Ever given a free domain with 1 year signup? Ever given a free SSL Cert for 3 months of hosting? -- YES to all of them.

The power of FREE should not be ignored, however promising everything and devlivering a poor quality substitue in order to ruin your name - not a smart choice! Get the resources in place first so you don't experience growing pains.

Conor's got it dead on - free is not a bad word. Used carefully, it can get people who are on the fence to choose you as a provider, and / or it can be used to reward client loyalty. Just make sure that your business can absorb the cost - what good is having a massive sale or giving away lots of free products or services if it causes you to go out of business?

I've had best results as a business, and felt most confident as a consumer, when the "free" product or service is attached to another paid service - effectively, a discount. It looks most attractive to consumers if the free item is worth between 10% and 50% of the paid item - otherwise it either looks like a tchochke, or makes the consumer wonder how much the freebie is really worth (just like the OP's post suggested.)