Lead magnets are one of the most powerful and low-cost tools to acquire your prospects’ contact info. In markets over-saturated with content, lead magnets can actually open the door to further communication between the business and the potential customer. In this article, we’ll discuss what makes a lead magnet effective and go through 9 lead magnet examples to help you boost your lead sign-up rates.
What Exactly Is a Lead Magnet?
A lead magnet is a resource or another item of value the business offers for free. In exchange for the lead magnet, the visitor is asked for their contact information, usually an email address. Most people are unlikely to sign up for a newsletter or request a demo of a brand they aren’t familiar with. Lead magnets such as ebooks, cheatsheets, or discount codes provide an incentive for them to hand over their contact information.
Because they can take on many different shapes, lead magnets can be tailored for nearly any audience, B2C and B2B alike. It could be a free online educational tool or discount coupons, their scope covers anything that is designed to give immediate value to your potential customers. After all, the offer needs to be so compelling and on-point that the users will be willing to exchange their contact details for it.
What Makes A Good Lead Magnet?
- Solves a real problem – Your lead magnet should provide a feasible solution for a problem your customer persona deals with. What might this problem be? That depends on your target audience. What are their pain points?
You can take a look at your current content library and see which topics generated the most engagement. Check what your competitors are offering too. Are there certain questions you repeatedly see people ask on social media? Use your customer data and users’ online behavior to figure out what your target audience struggles with, and put the solution in front of them. - Focused on one issue – Your lead magnet should promise one quick win for your lead. Focus on one issue and offer a single actionable step. If you try to cover too much at once, the likelihood of delivering a clear, achievable resolution decreases.
- Easily consumable – That brings us to the next point – the best lead magnets are quick and easy to digest. Checklists, infographics, and videos tend to convert well. eBooks and case studies can work too, but you need to make sure they aren’t too word-dense or loaded with jargon.
- Delivered quickly – People like instant gratification. The content should be delivered almost instantly. However, we do recommend that the lead magnet be sent to the lead’s inbox instead of having a download link on the Thank You page. That small amount of friction is worth it to ensure you get genuine email addresses. Otherwise, you won’t be able to continue the communication which defeats the purpose entirely.
That doesn’t mean that the Thank You page can’t be utilized too. Instead of leaving it empty, use this space to pave the way down to the next step of the funnel. For example, if you’re marketing a beauty brand and offer a makeup tutorial as a lead magnet, list the links for the items used in the video on the Thank You page. - Shows off your expertise or UVP – When someone consumes your content they should get the message that you’re an authority in the subject you’re writing about. If you do it right, when the time comes for that prospect to make a purchase, your business will be the first one they think of.
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9 Effective Lead Magnet Examples
1. eBooks
eBooks are a popular lead magnet because they are fairly easy to create. A series of blog posts about a related subject can be compiled into an eBook. Add a fresh introduction and conclusion and there you have it.
Usually, an eBook will comprise an extensive guide on a certain topic. For example, the following SEO-related articles can be combined into an ebook:
- What Is SEO and How Does It Work?
- How to Choose the Right Keywords? Research Guidelines
- 10 Tips to Write SEO-Friendly Paragraphs
- The 10 Most Important HTML Tags You Need to Know for SEO
- 7 SEO Analytics and Metrics to Follow
These posts can logically be compiled into an eBook titled “The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to SEO”. It’s important to remember that while an eBook may cover a broad topic it still needs to be easy to consume. Opening a file to see a big chunk of text is likely to make many of your prospects feel overwhelmed and close that file right back. That’s the last thing you want.
To make your content approachable, it’s a good idea to break up your text with images, and larger text callouts. Think of it as a fun, interactive guide. Utilize multimedia – hyperlinks for extra details, colorful graphics, CTAs, and videos. That way, you’re packing a lot of information into a convenient, inviting bundle.
2. Content Upgrades
This is a great tactic to capture leads through blog posts. For example, you’ve written a blog post titled “10 Ways to Grow Your Instagram Following”. As a content upgrade, you could offer your readers access to 5 extra tips if they enter their email addresses. If their interest was piqued by your public content, this should be an easy sell.
The most famous example of high converting content upgrades is when Brian Dean started using this method in Backlinko back in 2016 and managed to increase the site’s conversion rate of readers to subscribers by a whopping 785%.
3. Templates
Templates are a popular lead magnet because they offer tangible value – they help users save time. We all know how long it can take to create and design a document from scratch. Offering your prospects a ready-made template literally solves their problem on the spot.
You could create a template for just about anything: emails, social media posts, spreadsheets, planners, and graphic designs. The possibilities are abundant, it’s all about tapping into the needs of your target audience. Try to make it as specific as possible for the people in that industry.
4. Quizzes and Surveys
The reason sites like Buzzfeed are so popular is that they generate a ton of engagement through interactive features like quizzes and surveys.
After a user has taken the quiz they will likely be willing to enter their email address to receive their results. Here’s an example: Karmen Kendrick Creative, a company that offers WordPress maintenance services, created a quiz to test the WordPress knowledge of their audience. After answering the questions, you must enter your email to view the full results. Then, you are directed to a landing page with your knowledge level and the option to share your results on social media.
See how brilliant that was? They demonstrated their expertise in an entertaining way and bagged the visitors’ contact details. Quizzes are also a great way to gather info on the different segments of your customers.
5. Webinars
Webinars are a great way to interact with prospective customers. They have 2 important components: high perceived value and urgency. Because a live webinar occurs at a specific time and has a limited run, users are less likely to hesitate.
Holding a webinar may sound daunting, but it really doesn’t have to be. If you’ve already written a blog post on a subject you’re an expert in, you can turn it into a presentation, and use it as a springboard for a live talk. You should, however, provide a fresh insight that listeners wouldn’t have gotten from just reading the article.
An important benefit of webinars is that they give you a platform to drive leads further down the sale funnel. Usually, webinars conclude with an incentive for the participant to purchase a product, book a demo or sign up for a service. If you plan to give away any discounts or exclusive offers during the webinar make sure you mention it on the landing page.
Make sure to ask your participants in advance what questions they would like answered during the session. This will also increase the engagement rates around the event. Lastly, a webinar can be recorded and used as part of a later drip campaign.
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6. Cheatsheets
If you have a certain blog post or video that covers a complex subject, you can offer your prospects a one-page sheet they can refer back to when they need to refresh their memory. It could be a summary of the key points discussed, a glossary of terms, or a checklist of actions they should take.
Cheatsheets and checklists tend to convert well because they are so easily consumed. They condense a lot of information into a neat, actionable list. Here’s an example of a cheat sheet created by SmartBlogger: 52 Headline Hacks: A Cheat Sheet for Writing Blog Posts That Go Viral.
It works because it is very benefit-driven for the target audience. Instead of wrecking their brains for a good headline, bloggers can quickly glance at it to get inspiration. It’s a complementary tool they can easily integrate into their existing workflow.
7. Email courses
An email course is essentially a sequence of educational content pieces delivered to the prospect’s inbox at regular intervals. Each email constitutes a lesson and each lesson covers a theme related to the main course topic.
It’s an unobtrusive way to nurture your leads and increase long-term engagement. After all, you don’t just keep showing up in their inbox uninvited, you are teaching them something valuable. When done right, email courses do a great job of building credibility and trust in your audience.
Another benefit of this lead magnet is that it’s fairly easy to maintain. Once you’ve written and created the course itself, an email automation tool does the rest of the work for you.
8. Case studies
Case studies work great for prospects at the bottom of the funnel. Instead of trying to convince your leads that your product or service has value, a case study actually shows it to them. It might just be the last push they need to buy your product.
If you have an interview or a video of a satisfied customer you’ve worked with, package this content into a written case study. Highlight the needs of this client, what you did to address the issue, and the metrics of their success after working with you.
Your case study doesn’t have to include a video testimonial. Text will work just as long as you keep it compelling. Storytelling is a strong tool. Hard numbers are important but don’t neglect to mention emotional benefits as well. Perhaps your solution took the burden of tedious tasks off employees at X company and gave them more time to focus on creative processes? That’s great. You helped increase the workers’ overall satisfaction.
Another good idea is to follow up with the customer a few months down the road and update the case study. This will show your prospects that you care about long-term results, too.
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9. Calculators and evaluations
A good idea for an interactive lead magnet is an evaluation in the form of a calculator. While creating a calculator isn’t particularly difficult it does require some coding skills, so you may have to outsource the project.
HubSpot, for example, offers a website grader. After entering your email and website URL, the grader scans your website and provides a score based on performance, mobile experience, SEO, and security. It doesn’t just help you identify existing problems, but also offers a solution on how to resolve them, based on your results.
Final Thoughts
A lead magnet is essential for turning occasional website visitors into leads and driving them down the funnel. We’ve listed some examples for high converting lead magnets, but the real trick is finding what works for you.
Remember. Your lead magnet should provide an actionable solution for one problem your target audience is dealing with. It needs to be easily consumable, delivered on the spot, and most importantly showcase that you are a true expert in your field. You’ve got this!
