Email lists - they’re one of the greatest assets your business can have. But, you have to work pretty hard these days to get people to give up their email addresses.
So, what the best way to do this? Simple, you create a great lead magnet!
Lead magnets aren't new - they’ve been an essential marketing tool for decades.
With lead magnets, you give people something for free in exchange for an email address and permission to send them more offers - for example, a free ebook or a landing page checklist.
In this post, we're going to share 10 creative lead magnet ideas that can help you skyrocket your email list growth. Whether you're a small business owner, marketer, or blogger, these ideas can be tailored to fit your unique audience and business goals.
From printable checklists to free consultations, I'll cover a range of lead magnet types that can help you capture more leads and nurture them into loyal customers.
So, let's dive in! (or if you want to skip to the top 10 lead magnet examples click here)
What is a Lead Magnet?
A lead magnet is a resource or other item of value that businesses use to collect leads. The business asks the visitor to provide contact information, such as an email address, in exchange for the lead magnet.
Lead magnets are typically promoted on an optimised landing page for lead generation. These pages are geared up for the conversion, their sole purpose is to get the user to sign up for the lead magnet without any distraction.
Here are some lead generation landing page examples:
Example 1 - Landing page checklist landing page
Example 2 - Landing page for a downloadable guide
You should also follow up with a good lead magnet thank you page to build a deeper relationship and push the prospect further down your sales funnel.
📖 Read What is a landing page and why are they important?
What Makes a Good Lead Magnet?
Lead magnet tips: I've found that there are vital factors to consider if you want to create a really great lead magnet:
✅ Problem-solving
Your lead magnet must solve a problem for your prospect by giving them a solution. Don’t offer everything at once: tips, examples, patterns. The rule of a thumb: one magnet should tackle one problem.
✅ Attractive
Your magnet must be eye-catching. Ensure its design and copy are as well-thought-out as the content you are going to offer.
✅ Instant
Deliver your lead magnet immediately. For example, you may place it on a thank you page after a prospect has entered their contact details. Or you can send it via email right after their subscription.
✅ Easy-to-use
Your lead magnet should be easy to digest, so don’t offer too complicated ebooks or lengthy courses. Keep it simple.
What are The Best Types of Lead Magnets?
The best lead magnet is one your users find valuable, which can vary by industry, business model, and target audience. Common examples include ebooks, white papers, webinars, checklists, work sheets, coupon codes, and short courses.
10 Best Lead Magnet Ideas
Here are my 10 best lead magnet ideas with examples you can try using right away.
1. Lead Generation Quiz ✍️
A lead magnet quiz is fantastic because it offers personalised results, which means you can segment your list and sell to people based on their answers. Plus, they play into people’s curiosity. Very few people can resist a quiz!
Tease your prospects, entertain them with a short and simple quiz, and send the results via email; this is a tried and tested way of generating leads.
Here is a quiz lead magnet example for coaches:
2. Checklist Lead Magnet ✅
These are really easy for you to create and really easy for people to use. An all-round winner.
The first step is to offer a piece of content that can solve your customers’ challenges.
After they click the button and enter their information, they’ll receive an email with your checklist attached or a link to the checklist. This offer can be integrated into your page, or it can appear in pop-ups.
3. Webinars and Podcasts as Lead Magnets Ideas 🎤
Both webinars and podcasts offer new ways to engage with your audience and can be extremely rewarding.
Firstly, you can ask industry experts to take part in your webinar as a guest speaker. The more interesting the topic and the more recognisable the expert, the m
ore people are likely to be engaged and sign up.
Secondly, promote yourself or your business as an expert in the industry. Provide customers with useful tips while showing them the benefits of your offer, and share your industry expertise with them. You'll be building your brand image as someone who is a authoritative in this area.
4. Free Products for eCommerce stores 🛍
Everyone loves a free sample! This is the perfect lead magnet idea for eCommerce businesses.
5. eBooks
EBooks are the most common form of lead magnet but they don’t have to be huge. Just a really nice PDF that gives advice on a certain topic can do the job.
The ebook is perfect when you have a series of blog posts about a related subject. You can pull together the blog posts and turn them into a eBook.
The most successful lead magnets offer an irresistible and instant reward to your visitors, and the ebook checks ofd that box.
6. Free Mini Courses
You could offer a snippet of your course for free. This gives them a real insight into your expertise and what you have to offer. Once they have finished the free course you can then sell the full course to them.
The is a great lead magnet idea for photographers, coaches, fitness trainers - anyone who is selling courses.
7. A Competition
Can people enter a competition with their email address to win a prize? This could be a great lead magnet idea for artists - best portrait wins?
8. Guides
This could be a roadmap or a case study that gives people a side action plan to follow to a certain outcome.
Spreadsheets: Design a spreadsheet that people in your industry would find useful.
Videos: Create an educational video as a lead magnet.
Ultimate guides: Give people all the information they need complete a task
9. Free Consultations
Offering a free consultation is a great lead magnet strategy for service-based businesses, such as coaches, consultants, and freelancers. It allows potential clients to get a taste of what it would be like to work with you and can help build trust and credibility.
Here are some tips for creating an effective free consultation offer:
Clearly define what the consultation will cover and what the client can expect to get out of it.
Use language that speaks directly to your ideal client and their pain points.
Limit the length of the consultation to a set amount of time (e.g., 30 minutes) to create a sense of urgency.
Include a call-to-action in your email follow-up that encourages the client to take the next step (e.g., scheduling a paid session with you).
10. Free Trials
Free trials are a popular lead magnet strategy for software and subscription-based businesses. By offering a limited-time free trial, you can give potential customers a chance to try out your product or service and experience its value firsthand.
Here are some tips for creating an effective free trial offer:
Make it clear what the free trial includes and how long it lasts.
Use language that emphasizes the benefits and outcomes of using your product or service.
Set clear expectations for what will happen after the trial period ends (e.g., automatic billing if the customer doesn't cancel).
Include a call-to-action in your email follow-up that encourages the customer to convert to a paid subscription.
Mastering the Follow-Up: A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up a Lead Magnet Email Sequence
Setting up an effective lead magnet email follow-up sequence is crucial to turning your new subscribers into paying customers. The follow-up sequence should provide value, build trust, and gently guide subscribers towards taking action.
📂 Segment your email list: Segment your list based on the lead magnet your subscribers opted-in for, their interests, or any other relevant information you have.
📧 Craft your welcome email: Your welcome email sets the tone for the rest of the follow-up sequence. Use this email to introduce yourself, thank subscribers for joining your list, and deliver the lead magnet they signed up for.
📝 Plan your content: Plan out the content for your follow-up sequence. Consider what information your subscribers need to know to understand your business and offerings, and what type of content will be most engaging for them.
📧 Create your emails: Create a series of emails that deliver value to your subscribers and lead them towards taking action. Use a mix of educational and promotional content to keep your subscribers engaged and interested.
⚙️ Set up your automation: Use an email marketing platform to set up the automation for your follow-up sequence. Schedule your emails to be sent out at appropriate intervals, and set up triggers that will add subscribers to the appropriate sequence based on their actions.
🔍 Test and optimise: Monitor the performance of your follow-up sequence and make adjustments as needed. Use data to inform your decisions and continuously improve the effectiveness of your emails.
By following these steps, you can set up a lead magnet email follow-up sequence that effectively nurtures your subscribers and leads them towards taking action.
Good Lead Magnets Generate Leads
Lead magnets are one of the best ways to gather audience insight, generate leads, and even start the nurturing process to make the ultimate conversion (£££) easier.
Once they’ve signed up for the useful, relevant, and high-quality freebie, you establish yourself as an expert on that topic and create a new customer relationship.
This means they’ll think of you when they need more information. They’ll come back for more. And they’ll come back to buy.
And remember, the simplest, shortest lead magnets that solve a specific problem are usually the most effective.
Bonus tip #1: You can add a lead magnet exit pop up to all your pages for when visitors leave your website! Hover of the X to close this page and you'll see one pop up!
Bonus tip #2: If you need some help with some lead magnet headline ideas then take a look at this article with example headline formulas to show you how to write headlines that convert.
📖 Read Landing page best practices
About the Author - Jade Jemma, Freedom Zest
Jade Jemma is a sought after sales growth expert and speaker based in London, UK.
Through her private mentoring, group programs and online courses Jade helps freedom-focused entrepreneurs to simplify and accelerate their sales growth so that they can create their ultimate freedom lifestyle.
> More blog posts by Jade Jemma
> Her website Freedomzest.com