A Lead Magnet is something that is provided by a business or company that is of value to a prospective customer in exchange for their contact information. This can be something that is digital or physical that can help build an audience and find high-quality leads.
Other names for Lead Magnets include:
- Signup Incentives
- Signup Offers
- Freemiums
- Content Upgrades
- Samples
- Ethical Bribes
Why Does Every Business Need Lead Magnet?
Lead magnets help initiate interaction with visitors. Lead magnets provide helpful information, a means to solve a real issue, and offer value quickly and efficiently. This is also that extra step some visitors need to stay in the business’ ecosystem.
Lead magnets help determine high-quality leads from casual visitors. Those that want to stay involved and show further interest in a company will typically be the ones to provide their information for lead magnets. This helps build a loyal audience and ultimately builds the business further.
Different Types of Lead Magnets
- Educational Lead MagnetsThese educational lead magnets help to teach visitors something new in exchange for their contact information. This can be pieces of information that act as a first educational step towards a multitude of skills.
- Useful lead magnetsUseful lead magnets help prospective customers and visitors accomplish a goal or help solve specific issues. This can be an entry or first level of useful information that can help spark interest in other tools and resources.
- Community-building lead magnetsIn a way of including more people in a community, these types of lead magnets help inspire visitors to interact with the brand and others that are involved with it. This helps establish the business brand image and the culture built around its audience.
- Entertaining lead magnetsThis type of lead magnet provides entertainment to the customer to help provide a fun way for visitors to enjoy themselves. This is a good switch up and a way to spread positivity in their community.
- Bottom of funnel lead magnetsAs prospective visitors get to the bottom of a funnel, they’re ready to be converted into customers. Typically they have already gone through most of your business model to purchase a good or service, however, they need one last little nudge before they buy.
Also Download – Whitepaper (What Is Lead Generation?)
Lead Magnet Ideas and Examples to Convert Visitors into Leads
Educational lead magnet examples and ideas
- Gated content
To access gated content, visitors must go through an extra step where they can learn from content such as educational tutorials or courses. - Tutorial
Using tutorials can be of any length/duration as long as it provides high-level content that can help visitors learn on a certain subject or topic. - E-book
By providing prospects with an e-book this information helps spread information and content in a digital form that can be accessed from all devices. - Audiobook
When using an audiobook as a lead magnet, this helps give users a possible preferable method of consuming the business’ content. - PDF version
An easily accessible file of certain content can be provided in the form of PDF files to help users organize their content. - Report and infographic
This type of lead magnet can help provide users with tangible information and help them learn something quickly and efficiently. - Webinar
A webinar lead magnet helps users get involved with a business by taking invaluable information as an experience rather than a product. - SlideShare
By using a SlideShare, a business can share specific information in a form that is easy to maintain and distribute to users. - Guide
Using a guide as a lead magnet can help prospects go through a set of instructions in order to perform something and can lead to them coming back to improve or seek the next step. - Newsletter
Newsletters provide information that is community-centric that can provide exclusive content, discounts and information that cannot be found otherwise. - Transcript
Transcripts help provide extra information and clarification on videos that may have been confusing otherwise. - Event tickets
Similar to a webinar, event tickets can provide users with an experience that involves being physically present to learn and grow. - Educational video
Videos are great visual forms of content that help users that prefer that type of content consumption.
Useful Lead magnet ideas and examples
- Cheatsheet
Unrelated to cheating and taking shortcuts, a cheat sheet lead magnet can help them with shortcuts that will help save users time and resources to perform or gain knowledge on a certain topic. - Checklist
A great form of content that will help users organize themselves, a checklist can be a great way to align a community with a certain workflow. - Template or swipe file
Being able to provide a document that can be a template or swipe, this gives users something that they can use to fill in their own needs and provide them with a basis on how to solve their problem. - Toolkit
It’s better to provide prospects with the tools to solve their problem rather than the answer. This can lead to users finding solutions easier and turning to the business for more tools and resources. - Free script
Scripts can vary and provide tons of possibilities for a prospective visitor to integrate into their workflow.Examples of free scripts include- Calculators
- Recipes
- Worksheets
- Templates
- Calendars
- Lists
- Web app
An application can still hold its own properties such as account management, payment for service and exclusive content. Apps also provide a community and place for visitors to convene and integrate themselves in a business environment.
- Worksheet/Workbook
Similar to a quiz or test, this is similar to using information and providing them in a notes format that can help users organize their information. - Inspirational file
By providing inspirational information, this can help motivate users to continue with their work and turn back to the company for the right push to help them succeed.
Community-building lead magnet ideas and examples
- Challenge
Providing a challenge to prospects can help motivate them to achieve their goals which will ultimately spark growth and inspiration to solve their issue. - Membership site or forum
Signing up to be a member and participating in a forum can help build a community and engagement in a certain niche. - Facebook or slack groups
Facebook or slack groups are similar to memberships and community building as they are their own platforms for mingling and sharing information.
Entertaining lead magnet ideas and examples
- Quiz
An engaging method that can help keep users entertained are quizzes relating to certain topics. - Survey
Quick surveys can be fun and useful in finding information and data collection for businesses. - Giveaway
By entering a giveaway, visitors can participate in a company’s campaign with minimal effort with a high reward if selected as a winner. - Manifesto
Using a manifesto as a lead magnet can be a way of building a community around similar beliefs and mindsets. - Quotes
A simple quote or list of quotes can help align mindsets and practices together under a brand’s vision.
Bottom of funnel lead magnet ideas
- Free trial
Users that are clearly interested in a product or service can utilize a free trial that gives them a taste while not providing the whole product or service. - Coupon
Giving a customer that extra discount can help them solidify their decision in a purchase. - Case studies
Using a case study can help the user with a problem they are facing and possibly provide a testimonial in the solution. - Waiting list
Giving prospects a way of being involved and having their next step be waiting on a list can help give a user peace of mind while being involved in a business. - Free shipping
Free shipping is a great way of providing customers with a unique way of having a discount on a good or service.
How to Create a Lead Magnet
- Choose your buyer persona
It’s important to learn and understand your target audience and to think of their purchasing flow in their shoes. - Identify your value proposition
Using different lead magnets can help provide different levels of value to users. One example could be going further down a funnel can provide better magnets to more interested consumers. - Give your lead magnet a name
Giving a lead magnet a name or title helps give it credibility and importance. - Choose what type of lead magnet you will offer
- Keep it simple
It is not useful to provide a complicated or complex lead magnet as it may deter certain types of visitors.
- Focus on your strengths
It’s important to think of a lead magnet as a sort of frontline step towards your business, so it isn’t a place to experiment or use parts of a company that isn’t as strong.
- Prioritize rapid consumption
Quickly absorbing information can help shorten the window of how long customers have to think about their purchase.
- Create your lead magnet
A genuine lead magnet will be unique to a company and provide a way to separating the business from its competition.
What Makes a Good Lead Magnet?
- High perceived value
Having a good lead magnet will provide little to a lot of important information that will prove valuable to prospects. - Instant gratification
The quicker a lead magnet can reach instant satisfaction with a prospect, the faster they will consider becoming a consumer. - Demonstrates your unique selling proposition
By being unique, a good lead magnet can be the determining factor from its competition. - Super specific
It’s important to not be broad and instead focus on the strengths of the company. - Quick to digest
By quickly absorbing content, it’s then easier to want more content right after. - Promises one quick win
With one quick win for the visitor, they will want to come back and gain more knowledge or information to lead them to their next win and ultimately the solution to their issue. - Solves a real problem
By solving a real problem, users can trust business and use tangible information to improve their own situations.
The Ultimate Lead Magnet Checklist
- It should be SPECIFIC
The more specific the lead magnet, the better chance it will reach the right target audience. - The BIG CATCH
By focusing on quality prospects rather than quantity, the bigger issues are solved and can be spread through success. - It speaks to the desired result
Once the desired result is met, visitors can spread this information and use it to continue to want more information. - Satisfaction
Being satisfied with a lead magnet can lead to being involved more to receive more magnets that can help them with their issue. - It changes your relation
Once someone is involved with a company’s lead magnet, they become a part of their ecosystem and community. - Believed to be of high value
The higher value of information, the higher quality everything in the business will be.
When should you use Lead Magnets?
Many businesses use Lead Magnets because they work. By growing a healthy community that is hungry for information that your business can provide, this can help build an internal network while branching out to more prospective visitors.
By providing specific value to those who are already interested, it can lead to more purchases and even spread your network to other prospects that are in similar situations.
Final thoughts
Lead Magnets are not a trend and rather a valuable asset that many businesses are implementing all the time. By rotating different lead magnets and improving on already set ones, companies can put themselves in a better position to grow their business.
In order to set oneself apart from the competition, providing unique and helpful opportunities and information can help set one apart.
