🌟Lead Magnets: Imagine having an easy way to get people onto your email list so you can staying touch, nurture the relationship with your ideal people and sell your offerings.
That’s the power of a well-crafted lead magnet.
Your email list is one of THE MOST powerful marketing tools at your disposal. Unlike social media, your email list is a community you own. There is no algorithm only serving up your content to 10% of your community. You’re in a whole lot more control!
We also know that email marketing tends to convert way better than social media marketing and I’ve seen this in my own marketing stats too!
Today, we’re diving into how you can create and set up an effective lead magnet from start to finish.
Many of my clients find this process overwhelming, so if you’re feeling the same, don’t worry—you’re in the right place.
Let’s break it down step-by-step and simplify the process for you.
🧐 What’s a Lead Magnet, Anyway?
Simply put, a lead magnet is a free piece of content that you offer your audience in exchange for their email address.
Think of it as a shiny lure that attracts potential clients to your email list.
The magic here is offering something valuable enough that your audience can’t resist handing over their contact info.
🧐 What is the best performing lead magnet type?
Unfortunately, there is no one-format-fits-all unicorn format. 🦄
Different audiences respond differently to different formats. On an individual level, everyone learns and absorbs information in different ways (some like videos and hearing your voice, some hate video as they find it difficult to get through and prefer the easy skimability of text in an eBook. Some people enjoy a depth of information. Others want the Cliffnotes version.
I would personally recommend you go with the format you feel most comfortable with, because you have to make the thing! If you think you should be doing a video to create more connection with your audience, but you’re afraid to hit record, your lead magent will never see the light of day.
Here are some examples of possible formats:
👉 An ebook
👉 A video or video series
👉 A checklist
👉 An mp3 (like if you want to offer a meditation)
👉 A printable or colouring in page (great for artists)
👉 A template
👉 Or even a fun quiz.
What Makes a Lead Magnet “Good”
A good lead magnet resonates deeply with your audience and…
👉 Solve a Specific Problem: Your lead magnet should directly address a clear pain point or need your audience is aware they have. Not just one you know they need, but they don’t resonate with. Sometimes this can only be discovered through having conversations with your audience and also putting things out there to see what resonates.
👉 Have a Compelling Headline “Hook”: You could have the most amazing piece of content in the world, but if your headline doesn’t make it sound like something your website visitors need, then they won’t download it. For many lead magnets, we don’t have a giant page explaining it. Instead, we generally just have a headline and a supporting sentence. So you really need to make sure the copy and imagery you include are enough to get people clicking.
👉 Make It Easy For People: I think for some people, there is a tendency to want to create this really in-depth free thing. Something overly complex that’s going to take a long time to get through. Instead, I’m more and more convinced these days that people want to download something simple, easy and that is going to give them a “quick win”. Something that sounds a bit fun or sparks curiosity. You also want to make it easy on yourself. What’s a “Low Hanging Fruit” lead magnet you could make easily or already have and just need to repurpose?
👉 Don’t Phone It In: While we want to give people “quick wins” like I said, we also need to be careful that what you’re offering isn’t so basic and low value that it actually tarnishes your credibility and makes people annoyed they downloaded it. We’ve all received those freebies that feel like it was a waste of time.
👉 Be Visually Appealing: Like any piece of marketing, if it looks terrible, it will influence how credible you appear. There are so many wonderful ebook templates on Canva you can use as your base, so there really is no reason for it not to look decent. Pro tip: Make sure your ebook matches the look of your website. It shouldn’t be using different colours and fonts!
Here’s an example of one of my lead magnets:
Check out my free lead magnet guide for getting really great testimonials!
The Three Key Stages of Lead Magnet Setup
Setting up a lead magnet involves three main stages:
ONE: creating the lead magnet
TWO: setting up your email marketing platform; and
THREE: creating a landing page.
Let’s break these down.
Stage 1: Create the Lead Magnet
Creating your lead magnet is where the fun begins. Here are some tips.
- Choose Your Format: Ebooks, videos, checklists, quizzes—pick what resonates most with your audience and also what you feel most comfortable about doing. If your audience loves video, but you’re too afraid, you’ll probably end up procrastinating it and never getting it done!
- Craft a Compelling Title: Your title needs to hook your audience. Make it irresistible! Not sure what your audience really cares about? Ask them! Or use the data you can see from your Instagram posts to notice what topics/headlines they have viewed the most and turn that piece of content into an extended guide.
- Ask for feedback: Check with people – ask your email list, your mentor/coach, your peers, a Facebook group, do a poll on your Instagram stories etc to get people to review some possible lead magnet topics/headline hooks to see what resonates with them the most. Best to do this now, before you go and make the thing, in case the very idea you love doesn’t connect with others who aren’t experts at what it is that you do! (This can happen!)
- Don’t overthink it: Remember: done is better than perfect. A lot of people want perfection so the lead magnet never gets created. Just do your best. You can make more lead magnets in the future and the more you do the better they will get!
Stage 2: Set Up Your Email Marketing Platform
Once you have your lead magnet ready, it’s time to set up your email marketing platform to receive your subscribers.
- Create an Email List: This is where all your new subscribers will go. Name it something you’ll be able to identify, like “Free Ebook Subscribers.” – No one else will see this but you and your team.
- Create an Automated Welcome Email: When they opt-in to receive your freebie, they will need to automatically receive it. This email should thank them for subscribing and provide a link to your lead magnet. Keep it friendly and straightforward.
Here is an example of one of my lead magnet’s welcome email
Stage 3: Set Up the Landing Page
Your landing page is where the magic happens—it’s where people sign up for your lead magnet.
What to include:
1. Name of the freebie
2. Short description of the freebie (you can go into more depth depending on your preference)
3. Photo of the freebie mocked up somehow.
4. Form fields of the data you want to collect – Typically this is “Name” “Email” and then the subscribe button.
Pro tip: Consider using different language to “Subscribe” like “Get Your Free Ebook” or “Start watching your video”
Here’s an example of one of my lead magnet landing pages:
Connect the Form to Your Email List: Ensure the form is linked to your email marketing platform so new subscribers automatically go into the right list. How this will be done will depend on your website platform. You may use the form software built into your page builder or you may be generated your form in your email marketing platform (i.e. Active Campaign, Kajabi) and then inserting the form’s code into your website’s landing page to display the form.
Tips for a Smooth Setup
- Test Everything! Before launching, test your entire process. Don’t just assume it’s all working. Make sure the form works, emails are delivered, and the lead magnet link functions correctly. Test this with several email addresses to make sure. Please note that some people will just have extremely strong spam filters and may say your emails are not coming to them. There is not much you can do in this scenario.
- Promote Your Lead Magnet: Share it on social media, add it to your email signature, and include it in your website’s resources. Don’t just rely on people magically finding it organically on your website.
Wrapping It Up
Setting up a lead magnet may seem like a lot, but once you break it down into these manageable steps, it’s totally doable. But if you’re not a tech-savvy person, getting a VA or technical person to help you might be what you need to avoid procrastinating! This is an area MANY of my clients find overwhelming and simply prefer to outsource to us!
Got any questions? Feel free to DM me. And don’t forget to tune in for more tips on creating a rich and juicy brand!
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