A few weeks ago, I wrote a long post about what goes into the perfect lead magnet.
In that post, I gave you a bunch of lead magnet ideas but there wasn’t a lot of detail. Today, I’m going to give you a more detailed look at types of lead magnets and what goes into them.
But first, a quick reminder of what a lead magnet is and what should go into every one you create:
What Is a Lead Magnet and What Should It Include?
A lead magnet, also referred to as an opt-in bribe or freemium, is something you give to potential leads in exchange for their email address.
It is typically something downloadable but can also be a code or printable that can be brought into a brick and mortar store. (I’ll cover this farther down in this post.)
Lead magnets should include:
- Some reference or relevance to your ultimate offer: It’s not good enough to give something away, it should tie into whatever you’re selling. This will attract the right audience and get them excited to buy your product or service.
- A small, quick win for your potential customer can achieve: Whatever you’re giving them, make sure they can receive some benefit from it right away, so they want more.
- Your contact information or a link to your sales page: Make sure there’s a way for people who are incredibly excited about what you’re offering to say “YES” right away. Give them your email address, a scheduling link or add a link to your product or service sales page.
Again, if you want more information than this, please read this blog post about creating the perfect lead magnet.
Here are a few other things to consider when creating your lead magnet.
It doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, the simpler it is, the better off you’ll be. You want your lead magnet to be accessible so people will download it. If it feels overwhelming, people might click away, just because it seems like more than they want to deal with.
It doesn’t need to be long. It’s far better to give away a chapter of your ebook than to give away the entire ebook. That way there’s something for people to look forward to when they purchase the whole thing.
It doesn’t need to be a work of art. Many lead magnets are basic PDFs or spreadsheets. You don’t have to make it a highly designed, flashy piece right away. Get it out there and see if it works first. You can always iterate and make it fancier the next round.
Now, let’s talk lead magnet ideas.
Lead Magnet Idea #1 Checklists
A checklist breaks down the steps in a complex process for the reader. That way they can follow along quickly and easily, knowing they won’t miss a step.
It could also be the shopping list of ingredients in a recipe or the list of components in a project you’ve published instructions for on your blog.
Checklists are easy to create, in fact, you may have one that you use yourself to produce whatever it is you sell or to create a piece of your service. You can update that with any additional instructions you need to add, save it as a PDF and you’re good to go.
A good example is the Blog Post Checklist I put together for my recent post on How to Write a Blog Post Your Audience Will Want to Read in 7 Easy Steps.
Lead Magnet Idea #2 Idea Lists
Funny that a lead magnet ideas blog post would mention idea lists. But they’re great lead magnets!
These are exactly what they say they are. A list of ideas that relate to your product or service.
If you sell makeup to women, your lead magnet could be “5 Ideas for Natural Looking Eyes.”
If you run a blog for gardeners, your lead magnet could be “5 Garden Layout Ideas to Attract Bees and Butterflies.”
To see another example, download the Lead Magnet Ideas List that accompanies this blog post by clicking on the button below.
Lead Magnet Idea #3 Resource Guides
Resource guides are usually a list of resources that will help your potential lead learn more about a particular subject, ultimately leading to your product or service.
For instance, if you sell a specific kind of lighting equipment for photographers, you could create a resource guide for people who would use that equipment as part of their normal set-up, like: The 5 Pieces of Lighting Equipment You Must Have for Every Indoor Photo Shoot
At least one of the pieces on the list would be your product.
These lists can be as long or as short as you want them to be and can include products or services from other companies, as you see fit.
If you don’t sell a product or service that you can include in your resource guide, you can create one that gives potential leads resources they can use along with your product or service.
For instance, HubSpot doesn’t sell content marketing services, per se. They’re an inbound marketing CRM and sales platform. But they do have a lead magnet that shows potential customers how to set up a content marketing plan using HubSpot.
Lead Magnet Idea #4 Buyer’s Guides
A buyer’s guide includes all the information a potential customer would need to make a decision about your product or service.
These are common in the automotive industry, where you’ll see them sitting in display racks or on tables at car dealerships.
They also make great lead magnets. If someone downloads a buyer’s guide, they’re signaling that they’re interested in your product or service and are nearing or at the purchasing stage.
As an example, this is an opt-in form for an RV buyer’s guide. This one is framed in terms of questions you should ask your RV dealer before you buy. This is a great way to handle the approach, as it addresses most common questions and objections before a customer hits the sales floor. (If you sell online, this would be the website or sales page.)
Lead Magnet Idea #5 Spreadsheets
Creating a spreadsheet is an easy way to help someone figure out some sort of calculation before they purchase your product or service.
For instance, if you sell a product that comes with different accessories or options, you can offer a spreadsheet to help them figure out what options they want and how much it will cost.
You can also use a spreadsheet to help a potential customer determine whether they’re right for your product or service.
This is a spreadsheet I created for a client to help potential customers offering digital marketing services calculate how much they would have to charge each of their clients to make a living as a digital marketing agency owner.
Lead Magnet Idea #6 Mind Maps
These are files that can be uploaded into mind mapping software to help people “map” a plan or visualize a system they’re working on.
These are particularly useful if you’re offering a product or service that requires a certain amount of planning to use.
For instance, this is a mind map of the architecture for a website. If you ran a company that builds websites or offered website themes, this would be a good lead magnet to help people plan the layout of their website.
Lead Magnet Idea #7 Infographics
These are highly stylized, usually beautifully designed graphics that show a process or pathway so your potential customer can follow along. They should relate to your product or service in some way, even if they’re not showing it explicitly.
This infographic traces the different stages of the customer journey and shows the types of digital collateral a company would need at each stage.
Lead Magnet Idea #8 Coupons
Coupons are ideal for ecommerce and brick and mortar retail stores. You can create a coupon code to track how many people redeem your coupon, either with a coupon tracking app or just by manually counting how many people use your coupon code at checkout.
Coupons are versatile because you can offer them both on and offline.
If you’re an online business, you can create a coupon popup that offers site visitors a percentage off their purchase for giving their email address.
For printable coupons, have the potential customer print the coupon or bring it to the store on their phone. Then ask for their name and email address at checkout.
Lead Magnet Idea #9 Transcripts
Offering a downloadable transcript of a video or podcast is an easy way to get people to opt into your list. It’s a lot easier to reference a document than it is to go through a video or audio file to find the place you want to hear or watch again.
You can use a transcription service like Rev.com or an app like Otter to create your transcript. Then create your opt-in form and send the transcript as soon as someone gives their email address.
Lead Magnet Idea #10 Top 10 Lists
David Letterman popularized the Top 10 list, but they’ve been around for a while. It’s a great way to show off your product or service, as well as other products and services that relate to yours.
Lead Magnet Idea #11 Quizzes
Quizzes let you segment your audience, even if you only offer one product or service. A quiz can be designed so the answers to the questions determine which segment a potential customer falls into. Then they’re asked for their email address in return for their quiz results.
Depending on the segment they end up in, you can offer them a slightly different lead magnet or a slightly different lead magnet presentation, targeted specifically for them.
This quiz from Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You To Be Rich gives potential customers a custom report based on their unique strengths after they give their email address. It also probably points them to a specific product or service that will help them earn more money, based on the segment they fall into.
Lead Magnet Idea #12 eBooks
If you already have an ebook, it’s an easy lead magnet idea, because it’s readily available. eBooks are also pretty easy to write and create, depending on the resources you have to hand.
If your ebook is long, I would caution you to give away a chapter or two as your lead magnet, not the whole thing. As mentioned above, the more overwhelming a lead magnet looks, the less likely people will be to opt-in for it.
However, you can turn a bunch of related blog posts into a short ebook. Yes, a potential customer can just read the blog posts, but the ebook format gives them everything in one place. You can also include bonus content that may not have been in the original blog posts.
Lead Magnet Idea #13 Audio Files
If you’ve got a long video or webinar, offer an audio version so people can listen offline, in their own time, like while they’re driving or out for a run.
Everyone consumes content differently. Offering an audio file as a lead magnet might get someone who won’t sit and watch your video to opt into your email list, just so they can get the information without having to sit in front of their computer screen for a long time.
Audio files are a great idea for musicians and composers too. You can offer a free song or recording of a concert (all licensing permissions should be requested and granted before you do this) as a lead magnet.
This is the opt-in form to get a free song on my music website. (I’m a musician in another life, in case you aren’t aware.)
Lead Magnet Idea #14 Free Trial or Demo
Software companies use this lead magnet idea all the time. Giving a potential customer the opportunity to use your product or service before buying will definitely grow your email list and can increase conversions.
You can also use this idea if you offer a monthly membership or service of some sort. Let potential customers see you in action before they join. When you deliver an awesome experience, they’re more likely to say yes.
Lead Magnet Idea #15 Webinar
People will happily give you their email address to join a webinar. (Other words commonly used for webinar are “workshop” and “training.” Test all three of these with your audience.)
Webinars give you the opportunity to share important information with attendees and introduce them to your product or service and give them the chance to buy.
Even if they don’t buy right away, you can continue to send them information about your product or service via your follow-up sequence. (You do have one of those, right? If not, read this blog post.)
Your Head Should Now Be Chock Full of Lead Magnet Ideas
Just in case you’re not sure which one you want to start with, click on the button below to download my Lead Magnet Ideas List so you can reference all of these ideas easily.