Lead magnets are a secret weapon for us marketers.

They’re often described as ethical bribes, pink spoons (refers to the little spoon they give you at ice cream shops to try the flavors), velvet ropes, and (in your best Godfather accent) an offer you can’t refuse.

It’s a promise and needs to deliver enough value to the prospective lead to entice them into giving you their email address—a kind of try-before-you-buy sort of thing.

Understanding how to use them effectively can be absolutely critical to moving your business from the six-figure mark and beyond.

And if you’re using them right, you should be aiming for opt-in rates of at least 6%, if not 10% to 15%, if you’re really crushing.

Why do I need one?

Really, it’s about one main thing –  to be enticing enough to get the email addresses of new leads to add to your list.

You’ve probably heard that the money is in your list. It’s true. When people give you their email, it’s also permission to send them more emails and convert them into your loyal customers.

The lead magnet is the tool you use to start the whole process. Without it, there is no list, no email marketing, and no sales.

People don’t give their email addresses to anyone they don’t know, like, and trust at least a little bit. Give them a reason to agree to receive all your marketing efforts.

Once you’ve got someone’s email, you can:

• Drive sales and company growth by giving just what the reader needs to make their buying decision.
• Collect valuable insights to improve your marketing efforts.
• Establish credibility with customers as an authority in your niche, and begin a long-term relationship with them.
• Nurture existing leads. You can give your lead magnets to people already on your list.  They love surprises, especially ones that provide value.

Where do I use them?

You aren’t limited to only showing them on your website. Social media helps attract leads too. Some people ask for a comment and DM in exchange for their lead magnet. But we’ll dive into this a little more later.

What type of lead magnets work?

These are the main ones we typically see work.

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Ebooks

An ebook can be about anything related to your business.

It can be as short as a long blog post (about 1500 words) or as long as a regular book. If it is long, it has to be super interesting or very entertaining to keep the person reading to the end. Typically shorter ones convert better.

Here is an ebook opt-in from Marie Forleo:

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This is a good example because it has a great emotional headline that connects with people. The design is appealing, and the CTA is clear.

Great for: Service businesses, coaches, and course creators because ebooks give a lot of information, demonstrate expertise, and establish credibility. Some people need all that when they are considering a large purchase.

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White Papers

These are similar to ebooks but are usually more related to your company or products. They are data-driven, often scientific or technical–basically in-depth reports on a specific topic.

Here is an opt-in for a white paper from Oracle NetSuite:

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This white paper opt-in is a good example because it discusses the customer’s pain point and tells them what to expect in the document. Plus, It’s clear, attractive, and humorous.

Great for: B2B companies, especially if the product is complicated and expensive. Also works for software companies and start-ups. Similar to ebooks, new leads need tons of information to make purchasing decisions.

Checklists or worksheets

People love checklists, cheat sheets, and worksheets. They make people’s lives easier and are easy to consume.

If you frequently get questions about how to do something or what you need to do something, make your answer into a lead magnet. Or if there is something you wish your customers would do, make it easy for them.

Here’s an example worksheet opt-in from Jenna Kutcher:

We like this one because the CTA button speaks to the customer’s feelings and implies urgency. It talks about how quick it is and includes a strong call to action.

Great for: coaches, course creators, professional service providers, and affiliate marketers.

They work for any niche and are easy to make. It’s best if there is an action or process you want your lead to do on their own.

Video Presentations and Webinars

These are hugely popular.

Our friend Ashley @ Skyline Social swears by specifically using video sales letters as lead magnets to drive sales appointments.

They can be live or recorded. And you don’t have to be on camera unless you want to (but you should because people love having a person to connect with).

Here is the opt-in for a webinar from Brainathon:

It’s good because it’s visually attractive, is clear, and only having one date listed creates urgency and a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out).

Great for: software businesses, coaches and course creators or any other business wanting to teach something to their audience. They are perfect for relationship and credibility building, and higher priced purchases.

Templates

Anyone who has written their resume is thankful for templates. They’re also my favorite lead magnet. They simplify processes and help people start on projects.

Here’s the opt-in for sportstemplates.net

This example is well-designed. It shows you what you’ll get and when, and the CTA is clear.

Great for: designers, consultants, and professional service providers. They are some of the easiest to create, useful, and easy for the lead to complete.

Quizzes or assessments

Quizzes are great for learning more about your leads, making it easier to segment in your follow-up emails. They are interactive, and the person feels involved and invested in the outcome.

Here is an example from Tony Robbins:

The design in this example is simple and uncluttered. The quiz is easy to use, and the instructions are clear.

Great for: health and wellness, coaching, and some professional services. They use these to give the person an idea of where they are starting from or help them set their goals. It works because people want to know the answers.

Case studies

Usually, customer success stories make great social proof but aren’t as common as lead magnets. To make them attractive to potential leads, include valuable information about how to achieve similar success.

Here is one used by Thinkific:

This opt-in is compelling, attractive, simple, and straightforward.

Great for: course creators, marketers, and B2B companies. They work because they demonstrate expertise and social proof. Leads will believe they can succeed too.

Free trials

Yes, technically this is a lead magnet. Most saas companies have a free trial because it just works. It is the easiest way for customers to be sure the software does what they need, and usually the easiest way to convert a lead.

Here’s an opt-in from Brendon Burchard:

This example gives a lot of information to persuade the lead, explains the offer, and demonstrates the value of the software.

Great for: software companies, subscription services, and some professional service providers because the lead gets to experience the product.

Discounts & Special offers

Any product can have a discount or special offer. This is obvious value to the lead and gives them an incentive to purchase the product. If you include an expiration date or limited-time offer,  you’ll get the benefit of urgency.

Here is an example opt-in from Restaurant Supply:

This example shows a visual of who their market is, is appealing, clearly shows the benefit, and uses exclusivity.

Great for: every business and is a favorite of e-commerce brands. It works because it reduces the risk for the new lead.

Resource lists

A resource list can be a list of tools you use, websites with valuable information, or lists of people or companies with their contact information.

Here is an example opt-in from Marie Forleo:

This opt-in is clean, simple, explains what is in it, and gives immediate gratification.

Great for: professional service providers, coaches, and affiliate marketers. They work because they are useful and valuable to the lead.

Mini-courses or Workshops

You can use Zoom, email, video, or course creation software to deliver the content. Pick one small problem to teach your leads. They get to know you, your company and fix a problem. Win-win.

Here is an example workshop opt-in from Dean Graziosi:

This example really pushes on urgency and FOMO. It’s well-designed and clear.

Great for: coaches, course creators, and anyone with something to teach to their new leads. They work because they build relationships, and credibility and are valuable to the lead.

Infographics

These are visual representations of data. People love them because it makes things easier to understand, especially if they are visual learners. They are also usually easy to create. Data, lists, comparisons, flow charts, timelines, and processes make good material for infographics.

Here is an infographic opt-in example from Campaign Creators:

This one gets your attention with good color contrast, explains the offer clearly, and talks about the pain points.

Great for: professional service providers, coaches, and affiliate marketers. They give valuable information in an easy-to-digest format.

Challenges

A lot of ‘challenge’ lead magnets are done via Facebook ads. They are great for creating community, giving the lead accountability, and getting them to complete something that they want to do. You can do one for anything, like raising money,  losing weight, or writing a book.

Here is a challenge op-in from Dean Graziosi:

This one is persuasive and simple and explains how easy it is to gain enticing benefits.

Great for coaches, course creators, and some service professionals. Typically, new leads are engaged and find a lot of value in these.

Audio/video content

Almost any audio or video content can be used for a lead magnet as long as it gives value. And they are great for short ‘how to’ content.

Here is an example opt-in from Russell Brunson:

This opt-in is eye-catching, clear, and enticing.

Great for: coaches, course creators, B2B companies, or any business with a product to showcase (which is just about everyone). Similar to webinars, but can be recorded ahead of time. Builds relationships and credibility.

Calculators or estimators

The great thing about these is that if your lead has to do this calculation often, they’ll keep coming back to your website. They also make people’s lives easier because nobody really wants to do the math.

Here is a calculator opt-in example from Mozzo Menu:

This one is appealing to their market (restaurant owners/managers). It gives a visual demonstration of what it does.

Great for: professional service providers, small businesses, and SaaS companies. Gives value and is easy to use.

Access to exclusive content

Often, this is just access to the information you send to your email list, but making it exclusive increases the perceived value.

Here is an example opt-in from Marie Forleo:

This opt-in does a good job of pushing the FOMO button. It’s simple and clear.

Great for: any business giving extra value to those people on their email list. It works because of the innate curiosity of most people. They want to know what the content is.

Free coaching or consulting

You can pick a specific topic or just make time for the lead. Often coaches call this a discovery session. You get to know each other and find out if you can work well together. The trick is to solve only one small problem to create a goal and a plan. Don’t solve their big problem, or they won’t need you anymore.

Here is an opt-in example from Dean Graziosi (did you notice he’s listed here a lot? I did that to show you that even the big guru guys have multiple opt-ins):

This example is clear, explains what it’s about, and is attention-getting.

Great for: coaches, consultants (big surprise, I know), and some professional service providers. This gives value and lets new leads understand what working with the business is like.

Which is the best to use?

Purchasing a product is an emotional decision, then a logical one. People want something, and then they have to justify that decision.  So your lead magnet’s job is to engage with their emotions first, then give them reasons to follow through with the purchase.

Typically, the higher the price of your product and the more people who have to approve the purchase, the more substance your lead magnet (and your nurture sequence) must have.  That’s why B2B companies use whitepapers to sell expensive software and equipment.

So which is best? That would depend on your type of business, target audience, and the resources you have available. You want to pick something that will showcase your expertise. And, of course, test different types to see what your market really wants.

The best lead magnet is the one that the most people will want and the one they will get the most value from. The one that they will actually use, not necessarily the one that contains the most value.

Let’s narrow it down a little, though.

SaaS companies – Free trials and free versions work well because they let people find out if your software will provide the solution they’re looking for,

Course creators – Free mini-courses (via video, webinar, FB live, or email), worksheets, templates, quizzes, assessments, and tutorials all make good lead magnets.

Small businesses – there are so many kinds of small businesses that it is impossible to say what fits yours best. Generally, ebooks, guides, free trials or samples, discounts, webinars, quizzes, or assessments are an excellent place to start.

Professional services – checklists, templates, and calculators that are helpful to your clientele work well.

Coaches – many coaches give free consultations to gather leads. This works well, but I would also have other types, like webinars, workshops, ebooks, assessments, and resource lists.

Health and wellness businesses – Quizzes and assessments that give your clients insight or help them define their goals are engaging lead magnets.

Affiliate marketers – product reviews, webinars, training courses, and discounts or product bundles (if possible) are useful for drawing in customers. Some companies might let you advertise their lead magnets.

We’ve seen these work, but you should experiment and find out what your market wants.

How do I make it good?

As competitive as it is now, a general rule I try to abide by when creating lead magnets is, ‘Is this content good enough that somebody might pay for it.’  If it is, then it’s likely to convert super well and land you boatloads of leads.

It has to deliver value that is relevant to your company. You want your lead to be impressed and glad they signed up for it. If you give them anything less, they’ll know it. Your reputation will tank right alongside your sales.  People want actionable, direct, specific, and authentic resources.  

Your lead magnet and the first email you send are like your first date. If you screw it up, you won’t get a second one.

With that said, here are a few things to also keep in mind:

It must be relevant to your product and the lead.

You don’t want to offer an ebook on dog grooming when you’re trying to sell a motorcycle riding course.  That’s an extreme example, but you get what I mean.  

You don’t want just any lead. You want leads you can convert into sales. So your lead magnet has to be related to your product.

Whatever product you are selling, pick a specific pain point for your customers and solve it with your lead magnet.

You want it to be authentic to your brand.

You’re starting a long-term (hopefully) relationship with your lead, so let them know who you are. Let them know about your values, goals, plans, and expertise. Any relationship worth having is authentic. Besides, people can smell hype and BS a mile away.

It must be credible.

Your audience might take your word for it, but they might not. Include proof of your expertise in your lead magnet. Add statistics, study findings, news reports, customer stories, and testimonials. Social proof is compelling to readers that might be skeptical.

Make sure every 6 to 12 months that your lead magnet is still relevant and correct. Update any parts that need it. People won’t think you’re an expert if you're giving out old information.

The lead won’t use it unless it is easy and provides a good user experience.

Most people have a pile of unused, unopened lead magnets sitting in their computers. Including me. I’m sure they mean to get around to it. One of these days when they have time.

You don’t want yours to end up in that pile.

The best way to get them to engage with your lead magnet is to make it enticing, easy to do, and enjoyable. Then it becomes useful.

It should stand out from the competition.

You want to make sure that your lead magnet sounds different and better than anything your competition offers.  Sometimes that is difficult because your potential lead might not know how unique it is. Try to look at your offer from their point of view. Find ways to make it stand out.

You’ll need a great hooky title and call to action.

Even though the lead magnet is free, you still have to sell it. It will need a marketing plan, including a great title, to get the lead’s attention. And a great call to action to get people to follow through.

Don’t pick a broad topic. You want a specific focus.

Pick one small pain point to fix or one small goal they can achieve. That makes it easier for you to create the lead magnet and easier for them to achieve success with it. Too broad of a topic will make it difficult for both of you.

Make it as easy as possible for them to achieve their goal.

If they try and fail at their goal, they will either decide you failed them or they aren’t capable. Either way, you’ll lose any future sales. They will also tell others that your expertise didn’t work for them.

It doesn’t matter if it is their fault or not. Your reputation and credibility will suffer. So do everything you can to make it easy for people to succeed. Then they can tell everyone about it.

How we’re using AI to create lead magnets

If you aren’t sure what you want to create and need help coming up with ideas, I suggest you use the Chat tool.  Like this:

If you know your topic and what kind of lead magnet you want to create but need help deciding how to approach it, the Lead Magnet tool in the AI toolkit is helpful.

You can see here the suggestions it gives you for using it:

I typed in Magical SaaS Company (like the prompt) for the Brand, product, or service. And free copywriting guide for what I wanted to cover.  Here are the results:

If you want more inspiration, you can regenerate the results and get five new options.

Once you know what you want to create, you can go back to the Chat tool and ask it to write an outline for the project. Or write you 20 titles that you can choose from. Or you can ask it to write the whole thing for you. You can play with tone, minimize sections, and ask the AI to expand the part about the customer’s pain points.

How do I promote my lead magnet?

The key to lead magnets is starting with the source of traffic -- first think, where are you getting traffic already (or going to start getting the most traffic)?

Then, think, 'What offer or hook can I use to draw people in and collect their email in these places where I'm getting traffic?'

Then create your lead magnet. From there, you can take these steps to promote your lead magnet and maximize its potential.

You want to start with a landing page with a form to collect their name and email. You can collect other information if you like, but the more personal information you ask for, the more likely people will decide it’s not worth it.

Make sure that once they sign up, you have set up tracking on all the ways you promote it, a thank you page, a way to deliver the lead magnet, and a welcome email (or better, a welcome sequence) set up to go automatically to the person.

There are several ways you can advertise your lead magnet on your company website:

• You can write a  blog post promoting it with a link to the landing page.
• Put banner ads on your website's main pages and in the middle of heavily trafficked blog posts.
• You can cite it as a reference in blog posts
• As a promotional pop-up
• Add to a freebie or resource list page

You can share it on social media or use it in an ad:

• Make a meme for it, and make it sharable.
• Put it in your banner images.
• Create a link in your bio.
• Make a short video about it.
• Talk about it on a podcast.
• Refer to it with a link in your posts.
• Create an infographic about it that links to it.
• Do a Facebook Live about it.
• Promote it in groups you’re in.
• Create a hashtag for it.
• Don’t forget LinkedIn. Post there about it too.

Send emails promoting your lead magnet.  Put a link in your signature file.

Paid advertising is an excellent way to reach people who haven’t discovered you yet, so consider using PPC ads.

Lastly, you can use push notifications to promote your lead magnet.

BTW, there are a lot of opt-in options out there. G2 rated the following 10 as the easiest to use (in this order):

• Elementor
• Edrone
• OptiMonk
• Privy
• ActiveCampaign
• Unbounce
• Mailmunch
• Plerdy
• AiTrillion
• Outgrow

How many should I have?

Maybe you’ve heard,  “You need 15 or more lead magnets”.

If someone tells you this, run away. The honest answer is – it depends…on your traffic sources, different audiences, and products.

What we suggest, start with ONE.

And then, if it starts working, build out more as you see the potential of a cost and effort vs. benefit basis.

Eventually, you may want a lead magnet for each product, in each segment, for each kind of learner. You may end up with 15 or more, but you’ll implement them at the right time and know what purpose they serve in your business.

Start with one for your best product and designed for your best segment. Then work your way up.

Make sure you properly nurture your leads.

So you’ve got your lead magnet. You should already have a welcome email (hopefully a sequence of emails) set to go to your new lead.  If not, do that immediately. If you need help with this, check out this article.

Make sure you stay consistent in sending emails to your list. Nurture them along the buyer’s journey. Let them get to know your company.

If you want help, Hoppy Copy has three lead nurture sequences ready for you to use in the sequences section.

Here’s a closer look at them:

Use these templates (and many others) to create the kind of emails your list will be happy to get.

As you learn about your audience, keep segmenting your list so you can send highly personalized content.

Keep them entertained and engaged with content they can interact with, like videos, quizzes, or polls. Ask them to respond to your emails and have a real conversation.

Share a behind-the-scenes peek at your company, give them your best content and bonuses, and celebrate their successes. Make sure you give and educate, along with your sales push.