If you want to start growing your email list fast, you need to stop relying on newsletter signups and start using lead magnets.
In this post, I’ll explain exactly what a lead magnet is, why you should use them and give you 5 simple lead magnet ideas that you can make in a day.
What is a Lead Magnet?
A lead magnet is a “digital product” that you offer website visitors for free, in exchange for their email address. In a world of instant gratification, the best form of lead magnets is delivered instantly in the form of a digital download.
The website visitor is either presented the offer via a pop-up, sticky bar, or embedded form within specific website pages.
There are 3 key elements to the process.
- Offer – The visitor is presented with the offer of value in the form of the lead magnet.
- Exchange – They provide their contact info in exchange for a digital download.
- Relationship – At the same time (with their consent) they are added to the websites email list so that a relationship can be established and nurtured over time.
Why should you use Lead Magnets?
There are really two main reasons to be using Lead Magnets.
- A very small percentage of your audience will be willing to sign up for a newsletter without some incentive. They’re already getting enough email every day, without needing to take a chance that yours will offer something new.
- Consumers are increasingly aware of data privacy and as such they’re (rightly so) more cautious in providing their information as freely.
5 Lead magnets that really work
A great lead magnet provides real value to the reader. This isn’t some sneaky tactic to fool the visitor into giving their contact information in exchange for empty promises. The goal here is to start off the relationship on strong ground. Provide real value that you can build on over time and turn into long term financial return for your business.
When creating your Lead Magnets, keep in mind the perceived (and real) value of the digital asset you’re creating. Make sure your document is providing at least £5 of value to your audience. Several studies have shown that consumers now value their contact information at between £5-£10. If you want to avoid starting a new relationship with your subscribers
Make sure your Lead Magnet is providing at least £5 of value to your audience
The most successful examples we’ve created over the years have focused on saving people time or money (preferably both). Here are 5 types that are quick to make and incredibly effective.
- Checklist – Everyone loves a good checklist. It ticks all the right productivity boxes (couldn’t help myself). A checklist lead magnet is exactly as it sounds. You produce a list of 10, 20 or 100 items (the choice is yours) that can save your audience time or money. The topics are generally focused on avoiding pain.
Examples – 10 Mistakes to avoid when booking a wedding venue or 20 Things to consider before sending your first newsletter, are examples of checklist lead magnets.
- Tools & Resources List – There’s a reason google is still the worlds most popular website. People are constantly searching for solutions to their problems. Save your audience time by compiling a list of resources or tools which will be of enormous benefit to them.
Examples – Best XXX Apps to do XXX, or Top XXX to help you XXX, are the sort of headlines you’ll often see associated with this type of lead magnet.
- Cheatsheet & Roadmaps – Almost identical to a checklist, this form of lead magnet is really aimed at helping the reader get their desired results faster! So rather than focusing on avoiding pain, its aim is to help them get quicker results.
Examples – 15 ways to improve your XXX or 10 Tips for saving money on your next XXX, are both examples of cheatsheets. - Template or Worksheet – This lead magnet goal is to save the reader time in accomplishing a specific goal or task.
Examples – FREE Content calendar worksheet or FREE Marathon training worksheet, are both great examples of worksheet lead magnets in action. - Quick start guide – When was the last time you read a product manual? Exactly! If you’re like me you jump right to the short booklet and follow the 10 instructions to get you up and running and then figure the rest out along the way.
Examples – Quick start guide to learning to XXX or Get fast XXX using our quick start guide
Next steps
All these examples above can be created on a free tool like Canva in less than a day! Before you get started just remember these 2 things.
- Focus on execution rather than perfection. You need to test a few versions as quickly as possible and then improve the one that gets the most traction.
- Have a plan for your list. Don’t just collect names in the hope of using them in the future. That strategy doesn’t work. Subscribers will forget who you are and what value you provided very quickly.
