Ah, the lead magnet. It’s a cornerstone of modern marketing, yet so many businesses fail to create successful lead magnets. People often ask how to create a lead magnet that works.
If you don’t know how to create a lead magnet that works, your revenue will suffer. So will your conversion rate.
That’s because people take time when making buying purchases. They might visit your site, enjoy your content, and forget all about it the next day.
You need a way to keep in touch — preferably via email. And that’s what a lead magnet enables you to accomplish.
We’ve created this article so it would benefit newbies and experts alike. Use these tips to create awesome lead magnets, collect more email addresses, and market your products or services more effectively.
What Is a Lead?
A lead is a person whose contact information you’ve collected. It’s that simple. Usually, you’re looking for an email address.
Leads are more valuable than prospects — such as website visitors whose contact information you don’t have — because you can communicate with them directly. However, they won’t give you their contact information for free.
Enter the lead magnet.
What Is a Lead Magnet?
A lead magnet is a valuable asset you offer for free to convert prospects into leads. We’ll discuss several types of lead magnets below, but you’ve probably downloaded one yourself.
You visit a website and see an offer like this:
Maybe this slider appears on a website that sells wedding attire or a venue website that hosts weddings. Regardless, the lead magnet “free wedding preparedness checklist” targets the business’s audience and offers significant value.
Why Does Your Business Need Lead Magnets?
Think of a lead magnet as a gateway to your sales funnel. The goal is to gather as much contact information as possible from potential customers. But why is it so important?
Here are some benefits of using lead magnets:
- Generate Quality Leads: Leveraging lead magnets can attract and engage those genuinely interested in your offerings. This strategic approach guarantees access to highly qualified leads.
- Grow Your Email List: A lead magnet landing page collects information, significantly boosting your email marketing list as prospects exchange personal details for your content.
- Segment Your Audience: Lead magnets enable you to understand user preferences and interests. This allows for targeted email list segmentation and more effective marketing efforts.
- Establish Thought Leadership: A business’s lead magnet’s content showcases its expertise and willingness to help, establishing its reputation as a thought leader in its niche.
- Cost-Effective Lead Generation: Businesses can repeatedly use a powerful lead magnet to generate leads. The cost is relatively minimal compared to advertising campaigns or trade shows.
- Boost Conversions: If a lead finds your resources helpful and downloads them, you can send a follow-up email that provides even more value. This can help connect and nurture them to become customers who pay for a full service.
- Streamline Sales Process: Effective lead magnets do a great job of educating potential customers. They address the specific pain points or common objections of prospects, helping the sales cycle become shorter.
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What Is a Sales Funnel?
A sales funnel is a visualization technique and strategy for nurturing leads from prospect to customer to repeat customer. The top of the funnel is broad because it’s easier to collect leads than to sell products or services. The goal, though, is to usher as many people through the funnel as possible.
You want people to buy from you. That’s the end goal. First, though, you have to build rapport.
A lead magnet starts the process.
How Simple and Easy Is it to Use Hello Bar to Offer Your Lead Magnet to Website Visitors?
Hello Bar offers a tool that allows you to offer your lead magnet to visitors in just a few seconds.
Start by selecting your goal. If you’re marketing a lead magnet, you want to grow your email list.
Next, type your headline and call to action for your Hello Bar.
Click “Continue” to bring up all the options available for creating your Hello Bar. You can change the theme or type and customize things like colors and wording.
When you’re finished, click “Save and Publish.”
That’s it! Just a few simple steps. I created this Hello Bar in fewer than 30 seconds.
15 Pro Tips on How to Create and Market a Lead Magnet That Actually Increases Conversions and Revenue
Now that we’ve defined some of the most critical terms, let’s explore 15 pro tips for creating and marketing your lead magnet to generate more leads.
1. Define Your Buyer Persona: Find Out What Your Ideal Consumer Wants
Learning how to create a lead magnet starts with knowing your audience. What does your ideal consumer want, and how can you deliver it
Let’s say that you run a wedding-related e-commerce store, and your target audience are people looking to get married. However, you have to know what they are searching for. For example, do they want less expensive products? More elegance? Greater diversity in product design?
Once you understand these essential qualities, you can design a lead magnet to fulfill their needs.
What Is a Lead Magnet “Buyer Persona”?
A lead magnet buyer persona is a fictional depiction of your target customer based on data. You have to know what your visitors want before you can build a lead magnet that will boost conversions.
For instance, let’s say that your lead magnet buyer persona describes a young couple with a strict budget and a dislike for convention. A lead magnet about creating an elegant dream wedding in a church probably won’t appeal to them.
2. Make Sure Your Lead Magnet Is Ultra-specific and Relevant to Your Audience
There’s a scene in the television show “Friends” in which Phoebe, a licensed massage therapist, bemoans her lack of clients. When asked why she’s lost her clients, she admits she taught a “Massage Yourself at Home” workshop. She says, “Now they’re massaging themselves at home.”
This is a great illustration of a lead magnet gone wrong. You don’t want to give away all your secrets or render your business unnecessary to the prospect. Instead, you want to help them solve a specific, relevant problem.
Instead of teaching her clients to massage themselves at home, Phoebe could have taught stretching exercises that keep the body limber and pain-free between massages. She’s still necessary to her clients, but she’s providing real value.
See how that works? If you run a massage therapy business, such a lead magnet could help you secure more opt-in subscribers. In short, the lead management should direct potential customers to the specific lead capture page.
3. Make One Big Promise and Offer One Big Desired End Result
Think of the lead magnet as a solution to an equation: use X to achieve Y.
The X is the lead magnet, and the Y is the expected result your target audience seeks. How will your lead magnet make their lives easier or better?
For instance, instead of offering a general guide on “Social media marketing tips,” create a more specific promise. For example, “Get up to 1,000 YouTube views in 24 hours.”
Additionally, your CTA should reinforce this result-oriented promise. Use affirmative language like “Yes, I want to boost my YouTube views.”
Notice the CTA below? The affirmative statement shows personalization to help increase your conversion rate.
Image via Thinkific
4. Deliver on What You Promise
Don’t forget the other side of the coin. If subscribers download your lead magnet and find it wanting, they’ll likely unsubscribe.
They’ll also assume that your paid products lack value. Don’t take that chance. Instead, deliver your lead capture forms exact promise.
5. Make Your Lead Magnet Action-Driven and Free
A lead magnet won’t work if it’s not free. Remember, your prospects aren’t ready to make a purchase yet.
It also needs to be action-driven. In other words, it needs to provide something useful for your visitors to take immediate action.
If it’s a checklist, your readers should be able to follow it. If it’s a video, it should provide detailed instructions.
6. Your Lead Magnet Should Provide Immediate Gratification to the User
Nobody likes to wait — especially not these days. We’re all about now, now, now.
That’s why a lead magnet that offers free admission to a webinar next month probably won’t work. The visitor will probably forget about it anyway.
Make it an instant download. You can either deliver it via email or an internal page on your website with a link.
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7. Your Lead Magnet Should Be Easy and Quick to “Consume”
You might think that creating a long, drawn-out lead magnet would be perceived as offering a higher value. That’s generally not the case.
In fact, it gives the impression that you’re forcing your leads to work harder for information. That’s never a good thing.
Focus on delivering high-value information in easily digestible form. If it’s an e-book, for instance, limit it to 20 pages or fewer. For a video, make it no longer than 30 minutes.
8. Make Multiple Versions of Your Lead Magnet
Some people love to read text-based content. Others like to watch videos while sitting in front of their computers or listen to audio on their way to work.
A single lead magnet can turn into several lead magnets if you repurpose the content. A/B test the different versions to see which ones your audience respond to most.
For instance, if more people convert on your video than your e-book, use the video moving forward. It all contains the same content — you’re just delivering it differently.
9. Do More Than Just Inform
Do you know why people pay so much attention to Gary Vee? He has a personality.
He knows when to tell a joke, when to drop a curse word, and when to poke fun at others. His off-the-cuff remarks make him insanely entertaining to watch.
You don’t have to copy Gary Vee to make an awesome lead magnet. In fact, you shouldn’t. Instead, imprint the lead magnet with your own personality to entertain and inspire your audience.
10. Add a Sense of Urgency to Your Lead Magnet to Increase Conversions
Lead magnets convert best when there’s a sense of urgency. Let your visitors know they’re looking at a limited-time offer or that your lead magnet will help them solve an urgent problem.
A limited-time offer is difficult to pull off if you want to reuse your lead magnet repeatedly. But you can create urgency in different ways.
In the example below, the brand offers “today’s specials” to create a sense of urgency. This will encourage new leads to fill in their details so they don’t miss out on today’s deals.
Image via HubSpot
11. Switch From Second Person to First Person
Read the headline, subheadline, and CTA from the exit popup above. Do you notice how the voice changes between those elements?
The headline and subhead were written in the second person, addressing the reader as “you.” However, the CTA switched to the first person, using an affirmative statement.
In other words, you’re writing the CTA in your prospect’s voice. This can be a powerful conversion technique because it plants a seed of desire in your prospect’s mind.
12. Use Only One Call to Action
Don’t do anything to confuse or distract the visitor. If you use more than one CTA, your prospects won’t know which one to choose, and you’ll dilute your conversions.
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13. Promote Your Lead Magnet Across Marketing Channels
You don’t have to limit your lead magnet to your website or exit popup. It should be visible on different platforms, especially platforms your target audience frequents. This includes:
- Social media
- Email marketing campaigns
- Paid advertising
14. Integrate Lead Magnet Ideas with Your Sales Funnel
Lead magnet ideas aren’t a standalone strategy; they should form a critical part of your overall sales process.
A good lead magnet aligns with the buyer’s journey from the awareness to the decision stage.
Also, the information gathered from the lead capture page should inform your email segmentation plan. This allows for more targeted follow-up campaigns, nurturing prospects toward a purchase.
15. Enhance Conversion with Compelling Design and User Experience
You want to make a good first impression with your lead magnet’s landing page. So, ensure it’s visually appealing and easy to navigate.
Here are some design tips to attract new leads and boost engagement with your landing page:
- Use consistent color schemes, fonts, and layouts to reflect professionalism and brand identity.
- Use headers, subheaders, bullets, and short paragraphs to make your content easy to skim and digest.
- Make all CTAs stand out with contrasting colors.
- Ensure your lead magnets work perfectly on mobile devices.
5 Most Effective Lead Magnet Examples to Inspire You
I’ve shared with you my best tips for learning how to create a lead magnet, but what type of magnet should you create? Following are five of the most popular lead magnet ideas from which to choose.
1. Ebook (PDF File)
It’s as simple as it gets. Offer a free PDF file that contains actionable tips or steps for the reader. An ebook works because it’s an easily recognizable format that people are used to consuming. Again, you might want to create other versions, such as an audio file, to test with your audience. And due to recent technological advancement, it’s now possible to leverage text-to-speech AI to produce audio files.
Here’s an e-book lead magnet example, offering access to a compilation of online business ideas.
Image via AppSumo
2. Templates
Think of templates as a ready-to-use framework that subscribers can use and customize. They come in the form of social media content calendars, email sequences, and business plan outlines.
Templates are practical and time-saving. As a result, they’re the perfect lead magnet for attracting new leads seeking efficiency and consistency.
The template below is an ideal lead magnet for potential leads looking to streamline their sales processes. The copy is enticing, and it provides ample templates that users can customize.
Image via Pipedrive
3. Guide or Report
From infographics to whitepapers, guides and reports are highly diverse. You can exercise maximum creativity when creating this type of lead magnet.
In this example, Trend Hunter mentions the number of users benefiting from the insights in its report. This strategy entices others also to check out the report.
Image via TrendHunter
4. Video Training
YouTube’s insane traffic along is enough to convince me that people love to learn by watching videos. They consume hundreds of thousands of hours every day, learning everything from how to bathe a dog to what ingredients to use in a recipe.
This video lead magnet teaches viewers how to lace shoes. With over 60 million views, the brand positions itself as an authority in safety accessories.
Image via YouTube
5. Webinar
If you’re looking for the best lead magnets to showcase your expertise, webinars are the way to go. They combine audiovisual and interactive elements to deliver high-value content.
Additionally, recorded webinars serve as evergreen content, generating leads long after the live event.
Take a look at this invite for a webinar on generative AI. It mentions the presenter’s name for prospects to confirm her expertise in advance.
Image via MarketingProfs
A/B Test Your Lead Magnet With Hello Bar to Constantly Increase Conversions
In the Manage section of your Hello Bar account, you can automatically A/B test your offers to determine which ones perform best among your target audience.
See that A/B icon? Just click it to create a variation.
Once Hello Bar has collected sufficient information from your test, the software will tell you which one championed the other. That way, you don’t have to pore over reams of data to understand the test.
How to Design a Lead Magnet: 3 Amazing Free Tools to Help You Create and Design Your Own Lead Magnet
You might think that figuring out how to create a lead magnet will be difficult. That’s simply not the case. It’s also not expensive.
We’ve used three free tools in particular to create lead magnets. They’re all simple to use and quick.
Using Canva to Create a Lead Magnet
Canva is a freemium tool that allows you to create many visual assets, from infographics to invitations. Use it to design the perfect cover for your e-book lead magnet, for instance, or to prepare a slide deck-style presentation.
These are just a few of the many options.
Let’s say you want to create a presentation. Just click on the icon to open the design interface.
Once you choose a layout, Canva will automatically populate it with dummy photos and text. You can change any element you wish or add more pages as necessary.
Using Piktochart to Create a Lead Magnet
Piktochart is similar to Canva. The freemium tool lets you choose from lots of free, pre-made layouts to create a lead magnet.
For instance, you might want to create an infographic. Piktochart will present you with layout options. Just choose one to enter the editor.
Simply use the editor to change icons, text, and other elements to fit the story you want to tell with your infographic.
Using Smallpdf to Create a Lead Magnet
I’m also a huge fan of Smallpdf. It’s an excellent resource if you don’t want to invest in a professional tool like Adobe.
If you want unlimited access to all the tools you see above, it costs just $6 per month. You can use it in limited mode for free.
Create, edit, and convert PDF files based on your lead magnet needs. It’s a great way to customize your lead magnet at a low or no cost.
Lead Magnet Checklist
As you figure out how to create a lead magnet, keep these essential qualities in mind:
- Ultra-Specific
- One Big Promise
- Delivers What is Promised
- Free and Actionable
- Easy and Quick to Consume
- Offers Instant Gratification
- High Perceived Value
- Transforms Leads Into Potential Clients
Start Using Hello Bar and Transform Your Website Visitors Into Leads Today
If you’re not a Hello Bar user yet, you’re missing out on a fantastic opportunity to capture leads. We’ve created a tool that lets you surprise and delight your website visitors with amazing lead magnet offers.
Use a top bar, page takeover, or slider to capture email addresses from prospects. Just fill in the simple information needed to present to your audience and customize the look and feel however you want.
Best of all, you can demonstrate your GDPR compliance and make your offers more transparent to your readers. Just turn on GDPR in the Hello Bar interface.
Lead magnets probably aren’t the only thing you want to show your audience, though. That’s fine because, with Hello Bar, you can display other CTAs.
Let’s say you want more Twitter followers. Just use the Social goal in Hello Bar and add an icon to your top bar.
Visitors can click that icon and immediately follow you on Twitter. There are options for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and more.
FAQs
Q1. What software do you use to create a lead magnet?
It depends on the type of lead magnet you want to create. Here are some examples of software you can use:
- PDFs and reports: Canva, Google Docs
- Webinars: Zoom, GoToWebinar
- Templates: Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel
- Videos: Loom, Camtasia
Q2. How much does it cost to create a lead magnet?
The cost of creating a lead magnet ranges from $0 to $1,000. The price depends on:
- Your skills and availability
- The type of lead magnet
- The tools or software you’ll need
- Whether you’re outsourcing the task
Q3. How do you create a lead magnet for download?
Here’s a step-by-step process to create compelling lead magnets:
- Select a topic that’s relevant to your target audience
- Decide on the type of lead magnet (video, e-book)
- Choose appropriate tools to design and format the lead magnet
- Convert the lead magnet to a downloadable form (PDF, MP4)
- Use a platform like Hello Bar to deliver the lead magnet in either opt-in forms and/or landing pages
- Test the process, then promote the lead magnet
Q4. Why should you create a lead magnet?
You should create a lead magnet to boost your lead generation efforts. An ideal lead magnet provides a valuable incentive for potential leads to share their information with you.
This allows you to build a targeted email list to deliver relevant marketing messages. Eventually, your prospects will develop interests, which will lead to sales.
Q5. How does a lead magnet work?
The sole purpose of a lead magnet is to attract leads and convert them to sales. A company shares free resources, services, and items in exchange for the content details of website visitors or social media followers.
Conclusion
Lead magnets are critical to conversion rate optimization. You need to give people a reason to give you their contact information—something of value.
We’ve detailed all the information and tools you need to learn how to create a lead magnet, advertise it to your audience, and what to remember when collecting leads. Now it’s your turn.
Have you created a lead magnet? Do you plan to?