Free thing or paid thing? That tension sits at the center of this conversation about what makes content resonate and how to stop mimicking others and start making something that actually matters. Host Trevor Grimes and fellow marketer, content creator, and Scrappy ABMer Evan Cox walk through real examples of templates, guides, workshops, email sequences, and “ABM in a day” offers to figure out when to gate something, when to charge for it, and when to just give it away.
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Evan shares a simple line that shapes everything: “the highest motive brings the greatest motivation.” From lead gen CTAs that don’t default to “book a call,” to free products that unlock bigger, more expensive problems, they zoom in on relationship and revenue, quick wins, and logical reasons to ask for an email address. You’ll hear how to create the kind of content you want people to expect from you, why different is better than better, and how to move through crowded spaces like YouTube, Threads, and X without burning out or watering down what you do best.
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Guest Bio
Evan Cox is a fellow marketer, content creator, and Scrappy ABMer who spends a lot of his time writing, creating, and designing content so brands stay well connected with their audience based on the content they produce. He and Trevor have worked together in a couple of settings and share a love for dogs (especially pugs) and back-and-forth riffs about Vietnamese food. Evan is also a huge football fan and brings that “different plays for different moments” mindset into how he thinks about account-based marketing, lead gen, and content offers.
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What We Cover
- How Trevor and Evan rethink traditional lead gen so every CTA doesn’t have to be “book a meeting” or “schedule a demo”
- Why a conversion can be as simple as a reply to an email, a question before a webinar, or a visit to your site—not just a booked call
- Different plays for free vs paid: starting with a free thing and turning it into a paid thing, or starting with a paid thing and later making it free
- How solving an immediate pain point with a product can unlock a bigger problem where you become the go-to problem solver
- Evan’s line: “the highest motive brings the greatest motivation”—and what that means for roofing guides, ABM workshops, and everyday content
- Trevor’s YouTube cohort story: offering a free email sequence template, then getting asked for a proposal and paid project from the same group
- Using logical reasons to request an email address (pre-registering kids, podcast Q&A, better estimates) so it feels like a benefit, not a trap
- Standing out in crowded spaces with “clear, compelling, and relevant” content and the idea that “different is better than better,” plus the “whereas our competitors…, we prefer to…” framing
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Resources Mentioned
- Scrappy ABM (sponsor and ABM framework / “ABM in a day” workshop reference)
- StoryBrand (book and “StoryBrand guide” framework referenced by Trevor)
- Petfinder (used in Evan’s dog adoption example)
- Coke / Coca-Cola (Santa Claus and polar bear holiday billboard example)
- Amazon (as an example of a site with lots of paid products)
- Stand store (mentioned as a place to sell small guides)
- Gumroad (mentioned as a place to sell guides and products)
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Low-Tech, High-Impact Account-Based Marketing
If you’re ready to trade expensive, tech-heavy account-based marketing for a repeatable, revenue-driving ABM program, check out Scrappy ABM. Led by a team of Scrappy ABM experts, they specialize in low-budget plays and programs that deliver high impact—no shiny tools required. Scrappy ABM has built account-based programs that have delivered millions in revenue, and you can build your first successful ABM program with their help.
Start with a pilot program or launch an account-based podcast. Learn more at scrappyabm.com. Let's get scrappy.
