How to Add a Free Sample Before the Paid Download

The reason people hesitate to buy a digital download is simple: they cannot flip through it. A free sample solves that. Not a teaser, but a finished piece of the product that proves the rest is worth paying for. With the Viralyze app you send the sample by comment keyword as a PDF with open tracking, put the paid checkout on its last page, and know exactly who to follow up with.

This article covers what to sample, the two-keyword setup and the follow-up timing.

Which part of the product should be the sample?

One complete, useful section, not the introduction. If you sell a 60-template pack of Canva Instagram carousels for ₹799, give away three finished templates, not a page of screenshots.

The test is whether the sample alone would be worth sharing. If a person could use it today and get a result, it sells the rest; if it just describes the rest, it does not.

How do I set up the sample and the paid link together?

With two keywords on the same reel, each sending a different reply.

1. Create the paid product in your shop; Viralyze builds a checkout page with UPI, cards and net banking. 2. Create an Auto-DM on the reel with keyword SAMPLE that sends the three free templates as a PDF, with the checkout link on the final page. 3. Add keyword BUY to the same automation; different keywords can send different replies, so BUY goes straight to the checkout. 4. Say both in the caption: "Comment SAMPLE for 3 free templates or BUY for the full pack of 60." 5. Test both with the live tester, then turn it on.

The DMs arrive in about a second, and each commenter is stored as a contact tagged with this reel.

What goes on the sample's last page?

A short bridge and the link. Something like: "These three templates are from the 60-template Carousel Pack. The full pack is ₹799, pay by UPI, instant download. Link below." Keep it to those lines; the sample has done the persuading.

If the sample is text rather than design files, write it as a long message and Viralyze converts it into a downloadable PDF automatically, so you do not need a separate design tool.

When should I follow up, and with whom?

Within a day, with people who opened the sample but did not buy. PDF open tracking tells you who read it; the per-automation funnel tells you how many clicked the checkout; the gap between those two numbers is your follow-up list.

The reply goes out from the Inbox, where the conversation still shows their original comment, and inside Instagram's 24-hour window. One line is enough: "Did the three templates work for you? The full pack has 57 more, same style."

Does giving part of it away reduce sales?

In our experience it does the opposite for products people cannot preview. The people who would have bought blind still buy, and the people who needed proof now have it.

The one case to avoid is a product so short that the sample is most of it. A five-page checklist should not have a three-page sample; sell it with a strong description instead and keep the sample idea for larger packs and courses.

Frequently asked questions

**Can I ask for an email before sending the sample?** Yes. Send it as a lead magnet, which collects an email on delivery, so the sample builds your list as well.

**What if someone comments BUY, then changes their mind and wants the sample?** Both keywords are live on the same reel. A second comment with SAMPLE triggers the sample DM, and Viralyze follows Instagram's one-reply-per-comment rule.

**Can I use a video sample instead of a PDF?** Yes. Send a link to the preview lesson in the DM; link clicks are tracked, though open tracking applies to PDFs.

Start the 7-day free trial of Viralyze, no card needed, and let a free sample do your selling before the paid download.