One of the most frequently asked questions I get when it comes to email marketing is, How do get people on my list? The answer? A lead magnet. And if you’re looking for lead magnet ideas — we’ve got you covered.
(A lead magnet is just a fancy term for some sort of value-packed resource you give someone in exchange for their email. Think free download, a first chapter of your book, access to a private Facebook Group, etc.)
You’ve seen them. You’ve downloaded them. And you can make one too.
Lead magnets are a great way to incentivize the right people to give you their email address, get them on your list, and start regularly providing value to them.
Not sure what your lead magnet should be? Here are my four best ideas that you can take and run with today.
Create a lead magnet with an exclusive educational resource — like an eBook or a PDF.
One of the first lead magnets I ever created was back in 2013 — a free eBook called Hysterical Grace for my (then) blog. It was a 100 and something page memoir shoveling out all of my most embarrassing moments — and extracting a grace-filled moral at the end of each. It’s no longer available on the internet (which may be for the better) — but for an aspiring author with a small following — when it garnered over 250 downloads, I was shocked!
Over the course of the launch — I’d primed my audience to buy into the message of Hysterical Grace and when it became available — they pounced.
If humorous memoirs aren’t your thing — consider these ideas for your lead magnet:
- A checklist walking someone through a process (like the Homepage Knockout)
- A tutorial of something you specialize in (e.g., making a recipe, organizing a closet, designing a website, reformatting a graphic, etc.)
- An infographic visually showing new or more detailed information
Give people access to a private community — like a Facebook Group or a GroupMe.
An effective lead magnet establishes you as an authority in your given “space” — and one way to do that is to invite people into a community with other people who are learning from you. When you do this — you not only have the opportunity to serve multiple people at once, but it allows your advocates and your “biggest fans” to a) rant and rave about you to your newer followers, and b) showcase their own leadership as a product of your value.
Here are some practical ways your lead magnet could funnel people into a private, value-based community:
- Are you a life or mindset coach? Collect an email address in exchange for an invite into your private Facebook Group where you lead Live trainings, mini-workshops, or answer Q&A.
- Are you a web designer serving other small business creatives? Do the same — but invite your new lead (say a photographer!) into a private Facebook Group made up of women just like her (aka other small business owners with questions about web design and web strategy).
- Are you an author, speaker, teacher or influencer? Use this same method to funnel people into a dedicated launch team for your next BIG launch (e.g., book, partnership, etc.)
Invite people to a free webinar or mini-workshop.
This is one of my favorites because I personally love downloading / attending these. It sounds intimidating, I know — but it truly can be so simple if you follow these steps:
- Record yourself (on your phone or laptop) talking about a topic you’re an expert at (that relates to your brand or business).
- Upload that workshop as a “private” or hidden YouTube or Vimeo video.
- Give the webinar or workshop a catchy title that illustrates the value from the get-go.
- Collect email addresses through your embed form and promote the webinar or workshop as the freebie.
- In your first email to your new lead/email subscriber, send the private link to your recording.
Of course, there are other fancier ways to do this — but if you’re just starting out, this works PERFECTLY and can prove to be an incredibly effective way to establish your authority and grow your email list.
Give something for free — like free shipping, a free consult, or a free quote.
One of my husband’s favorite expressions is this, “If it’s free, give me three.” We don’t have three of many things in our home (because your girl is part-minimalist and runs a tight ship!) — but the point is, the man LOVES a freebie.
And really — who doesn’t?
This one’s incredibly easy to pull off because it doesn’t necessarily require you to create, build or launch anything… you just need to give something you already offer away for free.
If you sell a product, maybe it’s a code for free shipping.
If you run a service-based business, maybe it’s a free consult or a free quote.
Quick. Easy. Simple. Done.
No matter what type of Lead Magnet you use — it should 1,000%:
- Solve a problem.
- Promise and deliver one quick win.
- Offer a tonnnnn of perceived value.
- Demonstrate your expertise and solidify your Value Proposition.
When it comes to lead magnets and lead magnet ideas, here’s my tried and true advice:
Your lead magnet should provide so much value and a-ha type emotion to the people who download it that they say, “Man! If this is what she gives away for free — I can’t afford NOT to pay her.”
Ready. Set. Go.
IF IT’S FREE, GIVE ME 3…
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