Want to grow your email list fast?? You need a lead magnet.
A lead what now?
Don’t worry, this isn’t one more thing to clunk up your fridge—it’s a powerful marketing tool and if we’re being honest, it’s not really a “secret”. In fact, if you’ve done any online browsing or shopping for literally anything in the last 5 years, chances are you’ve probably seen one… But if it sounds foreign to you, then we think it’s safe to say that you don’t have one for your own business.
That’s kind of a problem, friend.
I know what you’re saying…
What Is a Lead Magnet, and How In The World Can It Help Me Grow My Email List?
According to HubSpot, a lead magnet is “a marketing tool that generates leads by offering a long-form resource in exchange for a prospect’s contact information.” You know, your freemium… your content upgrade… your “ethical bribe”.
In short, it’s your golden ticket to getting your prospect’s email address.
Without a lead magnet, you have to resort to simply asking for your prospect’s email address (or in some cases, phone number) and hoping they’re willing to fork over their info in exchange for, well… nada.
Spoiler: this doesn’t work. And don’t even get me started on the generic “sign up for our newsletter” type opt-ins. Trust me, literally no one wants to sign up for another newsletter. NO. ONE.
Offer your people something they want or need—quick wins that will have their instant gratification-craving hearts begging you to take their contact info, with the full understanding that you plan on tap dancing into their inboxes sooner rather than later. You have to make it worth their time, and valuable inbox space.
So what’s worth THAT?
7 Lead Magnets That Work
In the list that follows you’re going to see some very similar overarching themes. Done-for-you resources. Downloadable knowledge bombs. Cheat sheets others somehow can’t live without.
Basically, anything that will inform or improve the user’s current life or business. Sounds easy enough, right?
Well, turns out, it kind of is.
Coming up with a BIG IDEA for a lead magnet that’s powerful enough to hook ‘em is the hard part. Everything after that will likely flow pretty easily as long as you stick to two main rules:
- Stay within your zone of expertise. If you’re a finance guy… deliver something valuable on saving and investing money. If you’re a marketing gal… give them the drool-worthy details of Facebook ads done right. Whatever you do, DON’T try to add value where you cannot (or should not). It won’t look good and you’ll end up doing damage to your reputation in the long run.
- Keep it digestible. Will some lead magnets be longer than others? You betchya… but all in all, everything should be super to the point and easy to retain.
Examples of Successful Lead Magnets:
- The Webinar: Probably one of the most common ways to get people to opt-in, webinars suggest that there is a wealth of knowledge waiting on the other end—if they’re willing to give you an hour of their time.
- The Checklist: Calling all Type A friends, this one’s for you. A free checklist will almost always get people to share their contact info, if for no other reason than to have the chance to cross things OFF the list.
- X Ways to XYZ: 5 Ways to Make More Money… 3 Must-Have Qualities to Attract Dream Clients… you get the picture, right?
- Swipe Files and Printable Templates: Provide the bulk of the content necessary and let others fill in the blanks to customize it to their specific businesses. Easy and instantly useable. WIN-WIN.
- Calendars: How about an e-cal with can’t forget industry-specific dates (even better if you can set it up to sync with their existing digital calendar so it sends reminders… snazzy, eh?). Foodies will clamor to be reminded what day #NationalIceCreamDay is, don’t you think?
- The E-Book: Not quite as in-depth as a full-blown book but absolutely overflowing with valuable expertise and wisdom. Available straight to a digital download, an e-book requires more time and energy to put together, but maximizes your ability to showcase your authority.
- The Ultimate Guide: Who doesn’t want that, right? I mean, the word ULTIMATE is literally in the title. The Ultimate Guide to Sightseeing in the Grand Canyon. The Ultimate Guide to DIY Dinner Parties. The Ultimate Guide to Attracting New Customers. It doesn’t matter what it’s for, guides act as a blueprint to get your audience from A to Z, and show your people that you really do know what you’re talking about.
These are the BEST of the BEST. Want even more? Check out Optin Monster’s exhaustive list of lead magnet ideas, here.
What Comes After the Lead Magnet?
Assuming you’ve come up with the creme de la creme of lead magnet offers, your audience will be ready and waiting (sometimes not so patiently. Remember, #InstantGratificationCulture) for their gift to magically appear either on screen or in their inbox.
Do not… we repeat, do NOT… mess this up.
Your promise was juicy enough to convince them to hand over their email address so you’ll need to be sure to come through on that promise quickly. To ensure you deliver on your end, you’ll need a few things set in place first:
A Live Landing Page
Perhaps the most obvious component, nonetheless important enough to mention. Your landing page doesn’t have to be complicated, but this is your opportunity to highlight the benefits of your lead magnet, as well as easily capture information.
We use LeadPages to create our landing pages. Their drag & drop editor and customizable templates make the whole process so easy! (full disclosure: that is an affiliate link. If you decide to use it, we get a little bit of a kickback. But we both know it’s a nice thing to help a girlfriend out, so…)
Thank You Page
While not a must, saying thank you never goes unappreciated (and personally, we think the world would be a better place if more people said thank you!)
Your thank you page doesn’t have to be long-winded. Just a quick thank you for downloading/ signing up for XYZ.
Follow Up Funnel
Ultimately, the entire purpose of creating a lead magnet is to grow your email list. But you could have 100,000 people on your list and it wouldn’t do you any good if you don’t intentionally nurture those leads.
This is where your funnel comes in. Your initial funnel should be soft and nurturing and continue to provide value to your list. Eventually, you can create a sales funnel that will allow you to effortlessly sell to the audience you’ve been building a rapport with thus far.
So there you have it. Now the next time you hear the words “lead magnet” in your circle of fellow entrepreneurs you won’t have to laugh and nod like you know what the heck they’re talking about. You’ll be able to jump in and not only share that you have a powerful lead magnet of your very own, but also share your results since creating it!
Not sure what type of lead magnet to create? Grab our list of 40 lead magnet ideas for inspiration!
Still think you need a little TLC in the word department? Good news: this is what we do every day! Get in touch so we can set you up with a lead magnet—and funnel—that will sizzle from start to finish.