7 Ideas For Better Lead Magnets

Research shows that email marketing is one of the most effective channels to convert leads to customers.

That's great, but how do you get people on the email list?

Lead magnets.

The days of asking people to join your newsletter getting subscribers are long gone.

Today, you have to offer something of real value to your readers to get them interested in joining your list. Also, most people aren't ready to become a customer when they visit your site.

You need a way to keep in touch and nurture them until they are ready to buy.

That's where the lead magnet comes into play. Create a good one, and you're going to see an increase in your email subscribers, which can mean more customers down the road.

In this post, I'll cover a few ideas you can use to create killer lead magnets today.

1. Checklists

When it comes to lead magnets, checklists are the granddaddy of them all. But, hey they work, so why reinvent the wheel?

The key to creating a good checklist lead magnet is to make it specific. They don't need to be lengthy or excessive. Often one or two pages is perfect. But you want to cover one thing well.

Example idea: Blog Optimization Checklist

2. Templates

Learning how to do something well that gets results often takes quite a bit of time. That's hard for a lot of people, especially when running small businesses.

Templates provide a shortcut. They give your readers a handy tool to start making improvements right away.

Example idea: Fill in the Blank Facebook Ads Template

3. Video

Video is all the rage right now; people love them. So, this makes a quick video or a video series the perfect lead magnet for some brands.

These don't have to be in depth or professional quality. Remember, the big thing is value. If you sell a product, shoot a few videos giving your favorite tips on it or a how to get started series.

Example idea: Get a 5 Minute Product Demo

4. Free Trial

Free trials are pretty popular for SaaS products in particular. These allow readers to get a few days, week, or month to dig in and explore your product.

Giving a free trial has one significant benefit: users are more likely to convert into customers. If they don't do it right away, you have their emails to put into a nurture campaign.

Example idea: Try a 7 Day Free Trial

5. Calculator

The more personalized you can make your lead magnet the better. Let's face it, people's favorite topic is themselves.

So here's where a calculator can be the best of both worlds. Use it to let users enter the necessary information and for more detailed results or a report on their data they can enter their email.

Example idea: Get Your Loan Estimate

6. Whitepaper or Study

In the B2B world, whitepapers and studies are fantastic options for lead magnets. These often provide lots of valuable data and insights in a particular niche or industry.

You can break these up and create more lead magnets. Giving the full whitepaper is an option, but so is a mini fast facts report or an infographic, for example.

Example idea: State of the Industry in 2018

7. Coupons

You've probably signed up for at least one email list for a retail brand that offered 10% off, right? So it shouldn't be any surprise that coupons work.

These sorts of lead magnets are especially useful for service or retail type brands. You can offer all kinds of options here from free sessions to specific discounts to free shipping coupons.

Example idea: First time customers get 25% off

Final Thoughts

Of course, there are plenty of ideas beyond these seven, but they should get you started.

If you've been struggling to grow your brand's email list, creating lead magnets (you can have more than one) is a great way to start.