The following is a script of a satellite hookup interview of John from CoolFreebieLinks.com with Matt Smith from WBBH - NBC2 that aired in June 1998.

Authorized Reprint from WBBH

Cyber Freebies
WBBH - NBC2
By Matt Smith

Matt Smith: Hello John, thank you for coming today.

John-CFL: Thank you for having me Matt.

Matt Smith: John, I was amazed by the amount of freebies available on the Internet. Could you tell our viewers a little about yourself and how you got started finding free stuff on the Web?

John-CFL: Sure Matt, My wife and I are avid freebie hunters. We’ve been surfing the Internet for free stuff for over two years now. Like you we were amazed at how much stuff was available on-line for free. We spent hours on our computer searching for the best offers on hundreds of different freebie sites. One thing that we noticed right away was that although there were hundreds, maybe thousands of freebie sites out there, it was a difficult task finding ones with the offers we wanted. We decided to create own freebie site guide and review and rate them as a service to other avid freebie hunters like us. That Web site went on-line in April of this year and is called CoolFreebieLinks.

Matt Smith: John can you give me an idea of exactly what type of freebies are available on the Internet?

John-CFL: Absolutely Matt. As I’ve said there are many Web sites that list offers for freebies. Most of the offers are in the form of product samples. The types of offers vary from site to site but here’s a cross section of what’s available.

Car Care freebies like Lubricants and Accessories.
Baby freebies like Diapers and Formula
Health and Beauty freebies like Cosmetics and Hair Care (we haven’t bought any shampoo in over two years, we get it all free online.)
Household freebies like Cleaners and Cookware.
Food and Beverage freebies like Cereal and Soft drinks.
Computer freebies like Accessories and Software (80% of the software we use on our computer we got on-line for free).
Games freebies both computer and non computer.
Hobby and Craft freebies like Patterns and Material.
Government freebies like complete information on free money Grants and Programs.
Coupon freebies from major retailers that are printable right from your computer.
Money Making freebies like free information on Home Based Businesses and Job Searches.
Video and Sound freebies like CD’s and Travel Videos.


There are samples of Books, Magazines, Catalogs, Audio CD’s, Maps, Mouse Pads, Phone Calling Cards, Pet Supplies, Junk Food, Paper Products, Toys, Stickers, Posters, Sports Stuff, Garden Stuff, Religious Stuff, Office Stuff, School Stuff and more.
Plus freebies specifically for Kids, Teachers, Web Site Developers, Business Owners, Students, Military Families, Artists, Photographers the list is endless!

Matt Smith: Wow! Where does all this free stuff come from? I mean who really offers it?

John-CFL: Well they’re mostly offered by companies wanting to promote their business or a specific product line.

Matt Smith: How can these companies afford to offer all this stuff for free?

John-CFL: That’s a great question. I have over twenty years of sales and marketing experience and I can tell you from that experience that companies that offer freebies do it because they are great marketing tools to increase their customer base and, or, sales of other related product lines. Most companies require a visitor applying for a freebie offer to fill out a survey. This is a cheap way for the company gather feedback on consumer demographics, brand name recognition and buying habits. Also by offering free samples of a new product they can test the water so to speak to see if it will be accepted, what the consumers reaction to it is and if they need to change anything before going ahead with a expensive mass market add campaign.

Matt Smith: How would our viewers apply for freebie offers they find on the Internet?

John-CFL: Applying for most freebie offers is as easy as filling out an on-line form at the Web site that is carrying the offer. I’d say that about 90% of all freebie offers can be applied for this way. There are a few companies that let you apply via a toll free phone number. Also there are still some offers that can only be applied for by regular mail. We’ve found that most of the regular mail offers require a shipping and handling fee. You need to be very careful with these. A good rule of thumb on offers that require S&H is the fee should be no more than 5% of the total value of the offer.

Matt Smith: Tell me how you receive the freebies you apply for on-line.

John-CFL: Freebie offers are almost always sent out via regular mail. The only offers that aren’t shipped by mail are those that you can immediately download to your computer like software or graphics.

Matt Smith: I’m hearing so much lately about Spam e-mail where companies or individuals send people unsolicited advertising for scams or rip-offs. Are there any dangers to applying for freebie offers on-line?

John-CFL: Not if people use common sense when applying. Cyberspace is a community just like any other in the real world. There is always going to be a few unscrupulous people that try and make a fast buck by taking advantage of someone. This is one of the main reasons we decided to create CoolFreebieLinks. We offer a unique tutorial at our site that offers freebie hunters ideas on how to not only recognize scams but also apply safely for offers while protecting their privacy. These ideas range from ways to block Spam e-mail to receiving offers without giving out to much personal information. Without getting into the full details of our tutorial, the best advise I can give your viewers on applying for freebies on-line safely is to use common sense and also to realize that if an offer sounds too good to be true, it almost always is.

Matt Smith: Thanks for being with us today John and sharing this information with our viewers.

John-CFL: Thank you for having me Matt.

Matt Smith: {End Tag} You can find links to coolfreebielinks.com and other freebie sites on the WBBH website.

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