Offering a lead magnet is a great way to build your email list so you can create a relationship with your audience with the aim of offering them your products or services in the future.
If you know your lead magnet creation needs work but you’re not sure what to create – you’re not on your own.
Most business owners aren’t sure so in this blog I’m going to explain the 5 best lead magnets you can create and offer and why they’re so good at getting sign ups to help you grow your email list.
Let’s get stuck in.
What is a lead magnet?
A lead magnet is content that’s useful and helpful to your audience and for them to get access to it they give you their email address.
Once they’ve done that you then add them onto your email list.
You then send them the lead magnet to their inbox and you follow up with useful and helpful emails.
Over time, when the time is right, you make an offer to them of your products or your services.
They may buy from you or they may not.
If they don’t buy keep them on your email list, keep sending them useful and helpful emails and offering your product or service.
What is another name for a lead magnet?
A lead magnet can be known by many other names.
Some examples are:
- Content upgrades
- Ethical bribe
- Freebie
- List builder
- Sign-up offers
Lead Magnet Idea #1: Checklist
One lead magnet you can create is a checklist.
I love a checklist.
Offering them and using them.
What is a checklist?
A checklist is a list of items required, things to be done, or points to be considered and used as a reminder. Source: Oxford Dictionary
We go camping quite a lot so I have my camping checklist.
It’s my list of what I need to take with ticky-boxes. I love to tick things of when I’ve done them.
My checklist helps me remember what I need to take. Be rubbish to get so far from home to find out I’ve forgotten something.
Why will your audience want a checklist from you?
If they’re struggling with something you can help them with a checklist can be a quick and easy way to show your knowledge and expertise.
It also helps your audience work on that niggle because a checklist is easy to use and actionable.
And because a checklist tends to be referred to on a regular basis, your checklist with your name on it helps to keep you front of mind.
Repurpose Current Content
It may be that you have content you can use without creating a checklist from scratch.
Perhaps one of your most popular blogs can become a checklist or a checklist that you use yourself.
Or perhaps you have a checklist you share with clients.
Easy To Create
Your checklist is super easy to create on Canva.
Canva has lots of fab examples to choose from.
Their checklist ideas can easily be changed to your content and branding.
Checklist Examples
Here are a couple of Checklist examples.
How many pages does a checklist need to have?
As you can see from the examples one page is a great place to start.
You want your checklist to be long enough to be a benefit to your reader and not that long that they’ll feel they’ve got to jump through a zillion hoops to see any results.
Use it to start building a connection and a relationship with your reader.
Your checklist can be a great way start a relationship with your reader so you may want to include a welcome page that highlights you’re aware of what’s going on for them and the problems they’re experiencing.
Your reader may be ready, after downloading your checklist to find out more about how you can help them so you can include information about you and a link to book a call or find out more about your product or service.
Lead Magnet Idea #2: Template
Templates make fab lead magnets.
What is a template?
A template can be anything that provides:
- An outline
- A framework
- A structure
- A blueprint your audience can use to fill in the blanks to fit their business or purpose.
Why will your audience want a template from you?
The benefits a template gives your reader are:
- It’s helpling them with a problem they have
- It saves them time in so many ways.
- Rather than spending ages working something out by themselves your template can guide them through what to do.
- Perhaps inspire new ideas they hadn’t thought about previously too.
Repurpose Current Content
You might not have to create your template, outline, framework or blueprint from scratch.
Perhaps you have a blog you could repurpose, use a template you use or you might have a template you use with clients and you’re prepared to share with your audience.
Easy To Create
Yes, my go to is once again Canva for templates.
Lots of ideas for you there and examples you can modify to fit your requirements.
And remember you can brand it too.
But perhaps your template works well done in Word, Excel or Google docs.
The choice is yours.
Template Examples
Lead Magnet Idea #3: Plan or Planner
Is your audience is desperate need of a plan or a planner to help them?
What is a plan or planner?
A plan or a planner includes actions or ideas for your reader to action on a daily, weekly or a monthly basis.
Why will your audience want a plan or a planner from you?
Is your reader in need of structure, ideas or are they looking to create new habits?
A plan or a planner can help your reader:
- Stay on track, focused and become more effective so they can achieve their goals or objectives
- A pre-filled plan or a planner can give them ideas and inspiration
- Think differently about how they’ve been using their time
Repurpose Current Content
The plan or planner you create could be from content you already have.
- Perhaps one of your most popular blogs can become a plan or planner for your audience
- A plan or a planner you use yourself
- Or perhaps you have a checklist you share with clients
Easy To Create
Yes, my go to is once again Canva.
Lots of ideas for you there and examples you can modify to fit your requirements for plan or planners.
And remember you can brand it too.
But perhaps creating your plan or planner with Word, Excel or Google docs works better for you.
How to create your plan or planner in Canva
Yes, my go to is once again Canva.
Plan / Planner Example
How many pages does a plan or planner need to have?
Consider what your plan or planner is for.
- What problem can it help to solve?
- What solution can it offer?
If it’s to share 3-months worth of meal ideas you’ll need more pages than 7-days of meal ideas
Lead Magnet Idea #4: Workbook or Playbook
Is your audience is desperate need of a workbook or playbook to help them?
What is a workbook or playbook?
A worksheet, a workbook or a playbook is a great lead magnet for sharing an activity or an exercise to help your audience if they want to methodically figure something out.
Why will your audience want a workbook or a playbook from you?
Audiences tend to sign-up for workbooks or playbooks to learn something specific to by answering a series of questions.
- It’s going to help solve a problem they have.
- These questions can help them feel they’re interacting with the content to help them gain a solution.
- And questions can also prompt ideas and bring awareness to areas they’d not previously considered.
Repurpose Current Content
Don’t want to create a workbook or playbook from scratch?
You got it.
Do you have content that you could easily turn into a workbook or a playbook?
- Perhaps one of your most popular blogs can easily become a worksheet, workbook or a playbook for your audience
- A workbook or a playbook you use yourself
- Or perhaps you have a checklist you share with clients.
Easy To Create
You’ve guessed it !
Canva comes to your rescue with their fab templates that are ready for you to use and brand as your own.
If Canva isn’t for you use Word or Google docs.
How many pages does a workbook or playbook need to have?
Instead of thinking about how many pages, consider what outcome or outcomes you want your reader to have after they’ve completed your workbook or playbook.
Don’t fill it with fluff to make it look and feel more than it is.
Focus on creating a workbook or a playbook that helps your reader.
Lead Magnet Idea #5: Webinar
Is your audience looking for a live presentation or pre-recorded presentation or talk from you?
Webinars can be a great way to offer your audience time with you.
What is a Webinar?
A webinar can be a live online presentation where you share, with your audience, useful and helpful content and you interact with your audience by answering questions they ask you.
Your webinar can be delivered via conferencing platform like Teams, Zoom, Google Meet
The recording of the live event can be made available for a limited time.
Why will your audience want a webinar from you?
You can help them with a problem or a niggle they may have by offering a webinar.
Webinars are:
- Easy for your audience to access without having to travel
- They can give the participant the opportunity to ask you a question
- They can be watched numerous times
- Preferred for those in your audience that like to learn in a training/learning style environment
Repurpose Current Content
You may not need to create new content from scratch for your webinar.
Look at content you already have around a particular theme or topic and turn that into slides for your webinar.
Easy To Create
In Canva you can easily create slides for webinars and presentations.
You can also deliver your webinar via Canva too.
How long does your webinar need to last?
It’s common for webinars to last between 30 and 60-minutes.
For me, it’s about helping your audience and sharing information that’s useful and helpful to them so if you can help them in 30-minutes do it in 30-minutes.
Avoid the temptation to waffle on for 60-minutes because you feel you have to.
Have a plan for how you’re going to spend your time and the outcome you want your audience to have.
The length of a webinar depends on the goal we want to achieve. There are, however, some rules and techniques that apply. In general, when used as marketing tools, webinars should last between 30 and 60 minutes. This length should take into account time for interaction with your audience.
Marta Eichstaedt, webinar expert
Want to know more about how to make your marketing and ways you attract leads and clients more effective?
Here’s some more blogs for you:
How to create your 12 months marketing plan to support your business objectives and goals
How many lead magnets do I need for my small business?