Mod note: I normally leave this sort of post on personal blog because they are pretty niche, but, I frontpaged this one because it was a) short, and b) the principle seemed like it might generalize to other marketing situations.
Do you have a strategy doc or list of criteria for promotional programs you're considering? My first question, as an outsider, would be "why give ANY freebies at all"? My second would be "what dimensions of price discrimination are important" (whether they've tried other dances, what their economic status is, are they seeking to meet people or just to dance, etc.) And third "what is the budget for promos"?
My mental model is that if it's a financial hardship for someone, they're probably not going to be a regular attendee just because one is free. For that case, you need some sort of subsidy/discount that goes on longer than one event.
If the main thing is to reduce perceived risk, as opposed to actual cost, you should consider a refund option - for anyone, they can ask for a refund if they didn't get their money's worth. Limit it to once per attendee - they can come back without penalty, but the risk is now on them.
This also gives a great feedback channel to learn WHY a new attendee didn't find it worth the price.
Many contra dances have tried a "first-time free" policy, but I think "second-time free" is usually a better choice. Most first-timers show up expecting to pay something, so you might as well take their money. Many first-timers don't end up coming back, so better to reserve your incentive for the ones that do. And it filters out people who are only interested in free experiences. BIDA switched in 2022 and I think this has gone very well.
I think the main case where first-time free would be a better fit is a community where you're having a lot of trouble getting people to come out and try the dance but you're pretty sure that if they do they'll stick around. But while contra can be pretty addictive I don't think it's that addictive.
(This isn't something we came up with; for example, here's Tucson in 2008.)