We've all seen the flashing banners, annoying pop-up ads and

junk emails with the too-good-to-be-true free gift offers, like

"Free iPod!" or "Free Laptop" or "Free Digital Camera."

Many of us simply think to ourselves, nothing is free; this is just

a scam, right?



Not necessarily. The plain and simple fact is, many incentive

programs actually do work, according to their Terms &

Conditions. But who really wants to read all of that legal

mumbo jumbo?



Well I'm here to tell you that I have read the fine print for many

of these free gift incentive programs, and even completed a

few. That's right. I have received a few free gifts from these

programs, including a Sony Vaio Laptop, an Apple iPod, and

several free gift cards.



This is quite fortunate for you. Since I have already been

through some of these free gift incentive programs, I know

what to expect, and how to avoid any hassles, and I've written

this article to show you how.



Wait. So you are saying these programs are legit?

Yes. Most of them are anyway. As long as you complete all of

the requirements for the free gift incentive program within the

time period allowed you will receive a "free gift."



How can these companies afford to just give stuff away?

It's all pretty simple. Free gift incentive programs are created to

drive prospective customers to "sponsors" who then pay the

incentive program for each lead sent. This money is then used

to buy and ship your free gift.



For example, imagine a free gift incentive program offering a

$50 Wal-Mart gift card. In order to receive this gift, you are

required to complete 6 sponsor offers. If the guys running the

incentive program receive $10 for each lead, then they have

enough money for your gift and a few dollars profit as well.



So how can I make this easy?

As long as you are careful, receiving your free gift should only

take a few hours of your time over the course of a month or so,

depending on the program you choose and the free gift you

want to receive.



It's best to plan to complete all of the requirements for the free

gift incentive at once. Do not start one of these programs if you

will not have time to spend on it. You will only have one shot at

each incentive program.



**Pitfall Preventing** These free gift incentive programs

usually have time restrictions, so complete all offers as

quickly as possible. Some companies will give you up to 90

days from the time you complete all the offers to claim

your free gift but others may only give you 90 days from

the time you register. Quickly scan the Terms and

Conditions to be sure you know the time restrictions.



The most important thing you can do during this process is to

keep some simple documentation of what you are doing. Write

down every piece of information that you send or receive along

with the respective dates, including the date that you registered,

and the websites and cancellation information for each of the

offers you complete.



Most offers will probably involve some sort of subscription

with a free trial period, after which you will be billed

automatically. Be sure to cancel these before the trial period

ends. Set schedule alarms, place reminder sticky notes around

your house, whatever it takes, but DO NOT forget to cancel

them.



You will definitely have to spend a few bucks here and there

for shipping and spend some time filling out forms and making

phone calls to cancel memberships, but the free gifts will almost

always outweigh the cost to you.



The bottom line here is that these incentive programs DO work

if you know how to complete them correctly. Hopefully these

tips will be helpful for you in your next free gift incentive

program. Best of luck!

About the author:

Elijah Klay is an Internet Marketing Associate for Family Marketing Inc. who has scoured the web to find the easiest free offers and incentives. To take advantage of tons of simple offers for great free stuff, check out http://www.PlanningFamily.com