Lead magnets are important in that all businesses share a similar goal – draw in new customers on a regular basis. Unfortunately, such a goal is not as simple as you might think. It’s not enough to be able to drive people to your website, most of them rarely decide to buy anything the first time around.

According to a study by Hubspot (a sales and marketing software company), a staggering 99 percent of people visiting a website for the first time ultimately don’t make a purchase decision. It doesn’t matter whether it is an excellent website or product. Most people aren’t ready to buy from a business that they’ve only recently heard about. This is where the use of a lead magnet comes in.

In a nutshell, lead magnets are useful pieces of content that you offer website visitors for free in return for their email address. You can then use this information to engage prospects through email marketing and turn them into paying customers. 

Getting started with lead magnets 

Now that we’ve covered just how valuable lead magnets can be, you are probably eager to get started. Before anything else, you would want to make sure that you are using the right type of lead magnet for your business.

The truth is that just about anything can be used as a lead magnet for as long as it offers prospective customers something of value. The following are some popular examples of lead magnets and how they can be implemented to further one’s business goals.

Notable examples of different types of lead magnets 

1. eBooks (blueprints, action plans and the like)

While eBooks can be lengthy and difficult for users to consume, it can be a powerful lead magnet for customers looking for a specific benefit. In the case of the example cited above, it’s information on how to work Facebook Custom Audiences. It is safe to say that eBook lead magnets can prove irresistible to the right target market (Facebook marketers).

2. White Papers / Reports

Reports and whitepapers can be handy lead magnets for people in the B2B (Business-to-Business) market. These are ideal if you have customers that value research data and statistics. You can gather the information yourself or pull data from various sources to compile into a single report.

3. Case studies

Many people today are spending a significant amount of time looking up case studies before buying into a product or service. Using them as a lead magnet can give prospective customers the encouragement they need to make a purchase decision.

Godaddy (a web hosting company) has implemented this remarkably well. They came up with a case study that highlighted how their services benefited website designers.

4. Tutorials

Any instructional material that teaches people how to accomplish a particular task can be a powerful lead magnet. This can be in the form of a video or a PDF like the one above. As you might imagine, the offer above can be desirable for people who want to learn how to do link building.

Of course, you would want to come up with tutorials that are relevant to your niche. For instance, if your business sells photography equipment, then you might want to come up with tutorials on how to take better Instagram pictures or something along that line.

5. Worksheets

Marketers can turn a basic worksheet into a practical lead magnet designed to teach an audience certain things or accomplish tasks. You can think of it as a planner or a workbook that users can download and edit to suit their needs.

6. Cheatsheets and Checklists

Checklists and checksheets are similar in that they provide users with a list of repeatable steps or process on how to accomplish a specific goal. What makes them such a powerful lead magnet is that it eliminates any guesswork. This type of lead magnet promises people that their goal is achievable as long as they follow the steps that you’ve outlined.

Of course, marketers need to deliver on their promise for cheatsheet/checklist to be effective as a lead magnet. Consider the example cited above, which promises users the ability to rank their videos higher on Youtube search results.

7. Template 

A template can be anything that renders an outline, or a jump-off point for creating specific content. Users need only fill in their information to personalize the result.

The email template offered above is a good example. This is something business owners can jump into for creating their newsletters. Users can copy and edit the text to suit their business to use for their newsletters.

8. Swipe File

As the name suggests, swipe files are content that users can copy and pass off as their own. If done right, they can be a potent lead magnet for many reasons. For one thing, it resonates with people that have an urgent need for specific content. In most cases, these poeple don’t want to waste time or energy trying to come up with a solution.

Consider the example above of a simple swipe file on social media headlines that prospective customers can grab in exchange for their email address.

9. Resource List

Busy people love to save time, which makes a resource list an excellent choice for a lead magnet. You can just put up a list of sources such as tools and websites on a relevant niche. Some customers will appreciate you sparing them the research work and give you their email address in return.

10. Planners/Calendars

People can find calendars and planners incredibly helpful as it enables them to map out their activities on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis. Marketers can take advantage of them by turning them into lead magnets for a specific niche.

If your niche is related to health and wellness, then you may want to come up with a healthy meal plan like the one above.

11. Free eBook or Sample Chapters

eBooks are one of the most popular types of lead magnets in the market and for a good reason. While they are not as easy for users to consume compared to say a checklist, eBooks can be an attractive lead magnet for businesses that offer a compelling benefit that. Of course, the content also needs to be well-written and worth reading.

If your product is the eBook itself, which means that you wouldn’t want to be handing them out for free, then you can send people access to a few sample chapters designed to capture their interest.

Consider the free eBook offered above on how to create better content. It should serve as an attractive lead magnet for bloggers looking to develop better and more engaging content.

12. Toolkit

Do you know of a selection of tools that you can recommend to your audience for accomplishing specific projects? Why not turn it into an attractive and useful lead magnet! What makes toolkit lead magnets so effective is that it gives users insight on what the experts use when working on a project that they might be interested in.

Consider the mockup toolkit offered above, which should prove helpful for users looking to take better pictures of their products. There’s a good chance that you can come up with something similar for your niche.

13. Video Training

Many people prefer watching videos as a training resource. You can take advantage of the latter by producing videos of yourself teaching your audience about a particular subject matter. 

If anything else, it’s an excellent opportunity to establish yourself as an expert in your niche. More importantly, you can get quality leads as the people watching your videos are sure to be genuinely interested in your product or service.

14. Interviews

If you can score some interviews with some reputable and respected individuals in your niche, then you wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity of turning them into a beautiful lead magnet. After all, people love following the discussions of personalities that they care about and their opinion on specific topics.

If you are a fan of business magnate Richard Branson, then you may consider giving found your email address in exchange for the interview. Just make sure that you offer authentic conversations, or it might backfire on you.

15. Audio Training/ Audiobooks

If you’re looking to turn your training material into lead magnets, then know that some people prefer audio as a learning medium. If you already have an eBook or video lessons, then it wouldn’t be too much trouble to create an audible version of the latter. In doing so, you’d be leveraging as many mediums as possible for engaging your audience and getting quality leads.

16. Exclusive Podcasts

If your niche mostly caters to an audience that favors audio-based content, then you may find that podcasts incredibly helpful for bringing in quality leads. You can make your offer more attractive by introducing a sense of exclusivity by making your podcasts available only to people that have subscribed to your newsletter.

17. Webinars

Similar to audio or video-based content, access to webinars can also be perceived as a highly valuable commodity. One that people are willing to exchange their contact information for. Of course, what makes webinars such an effective lead magnet is that it is only accessible for a limited time. Hence, marketers can leverage people’s fear of missing out on potentially valuable information.

Above is an excellent example of a webinar being used as an enticing lead magnet. As you can see, it invites people to reserve their spot for a free webinar on blogging which ought to be an enticing offer for people interested in the subject matter.

18. Infographics

As you may already know, infographics are a popular tool for generating website traffic, especially on social networks. That said, they can also be used as a powerful lead magnet for just about any business. This is because infographics are mighty useful when it comes to helping people visualize and understand key concepts.

If much of the demographics that you are targetting are people who favor illustrations as opposed to reading blocks of text, then infographics can prove to be a compelling offer. Consider the example above on an infographic that aims to help simplify teamwork in the workplace.

19. Stock Photos

If you run a business that leans towards professional photography, then you may want to consider using some of the pictures you’ve taken as a lead magnet. Also known as “stock photos”, people can use them on their blogs or websites in exchange for their contact information.

The great thing about using stock photos as a lead magnet is that it hardly costs anything upfront. More importantly, the pictures themselves can serve to be a constant reminder of your brand. Hence they would be more likely to contact you if they need more images or any related services that you have on offer.

20. Email Series

Another relatively simple but powerful lead magnet that businesses can put together is an email series that guide readers on how to accomplish a particular goal. The latter is nothing fancy, and marketers can easily set them up as a downloadable offer that customers can access in exchange for their email information.

The great thing about using an email series as a lead magnet is that it is a proven strategy for turning leads into paying customers. As an example, consider the offer above which is sure to appeal to businesses looking to get started with email marketing. 

21. Challenges / Quizzes 

If your business is leaning towards lead magnets that are a bit more entertaining or engaging, then it might be worth your while to organize quizzes and clever challenges. These things convert remarkably well for niches like fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment.

How it works is that you put together a series of questions or challenges that people can do and then asks for their email to get the result. As you may have already realized, businesses can grow a highly targeted list by using quizzes as lead magnets.

22. Surveys

Most people would associate surveys as something that marketers are expected to do as part of business research. That said, the latter can also be used to attract leads through a compelling call-to-action (CTO).

A typical use-case for using surveys as a lead magnet would be to ask users for feedback while browsing their website. The information can then be used to debug errors and introduce website improvements. You can also ask respondents for their email information to provide updates on their suggestions. In this way, businesses can grow their list of prospectives with a genuine interest in the products or services they offer.

23. Apps

Spending a significant amount of time and money, developing a free mobile app might sound like a stretch, but it presents the classic excuse to request people for their email information. You can probably attest to the latter yourself.

To use an app, developers usually require users to sign up for an account with them, which means providing an email address. The business behind the app can then use that information to send updates and promotional offers for a relevant product or service.

24. Spreadsheets/Calculators

If you cater to an audience that deals with calculations such as daily calories burned, body mass index or amount of electrical power used, then it only makes sense to come up with a calculator and offer it as a lead magnet.

Consider the calculator above which is designed to give people an idea of how much money they can make as a leisure driver for Uber (a Tech Transport Company). As you might have already realized, this lead magnet can be very attractive for people looking to make a bit of money driving an Uber.

25. Free Trial

If anything else, you can offer people a free trial of any service that you have on offer. For one thing, it enables people to evaluate your services and whether it’s something that they would be willing to pay for. Also, it’s an opportunity to collect email information from users who are at the very least, remotely interested in your services. 

Of course, what makes a free trial such a good lead magnet is that it’s a straightforward strategy for gathering feedback, sending promotional offers, and other useful information to qualified leads. As you can see above, Netflix is an excellent example of a business that offers a free trial service as a captivating lead magnet. 

26. Waiting Lists

If your business is due to launch a new product or service in a few months, then you might want to consider putting up a waiting list to leverage as a lead magnet. People love a sense of exclusivity, and you can use it to your advantage to build up a list of highly targeted audience that genuinely cares for what you have to offer.

Case in point is the lead magnet shown above by a company called “Tribe SEO”. Over the years, the London-based agency has gained quite a following among people interested in search engine optimization (SEO) training and workshops. Limited slots are only available a few times each year, which makes it such a compelling lead magnet.

27. Coupons

More people are making it a point to shop around for the best deals before making a purchase decision. You can give website visitors an incentive to complete their purchase by offering discount coupons. As you can see above, it doesn’t hurt to ask for their email information either which would enable you to send promotional offers to a niche audience.

28. Giveaways

If there’s anything people love more than a discount, it’s getting free stuff! This makes giveaways such an attractive and compelling lead magnet. 

Now it is not to say that you can offer to give away anything for free and expect good results. To be effective, you need to qualify the leads that you’re generating by offering something relevant that your niche audience wants.

If you’re unsure as to what to get for your lead magnet giveaway, then a gift card is always a safe bet. For one thing, you can be sure that the leads you are getting to have a keen interest in your niche.

29. Video/Audio Transcripts

You don’t have to start from scratch to come up with lead magnets for your business. For one thing, you can repurpose old ones by converting them to a different format. For example, you can turn past audio interviews and training videos into transcripts that your audience can download for free in exchange for their email information.

Keep in mind that not all people like to watch videos or listen to an audio recording when they’re trying to learn something new. Some people prefer some good old fashioned reading, and it’s always a good idea to offer as much variety in your content as possible.

Consider the podcast transcript offered above, which is sure to be an enticing lead magnet for users looking to get a good grasp of the discussion.

30. Access to an online community and exclusive content

If there’s one thing that all successful businesses online all have in common, it’s that they’ve all managed to create a vibrant community of followers with shared passions and topics of interest. Such communities are also a valuable resource for people, and email information is a small price to pay for free access to the latter.

CONCLUSION

The bottom line is that lead magnets are the core of any successful online marketing strategy. If you want to build a list of prospective leads that are relevant to your niche, then there’s no other way to go about it than to build up relations with them that will benefit both parties. 

The right lead magnet can help you do just that by offering useful content that will help improve the lives of your audience in exchange for their contact information (email). You can think of it as a reward that you’re giving customers for free in exchange for the opportunity to engage with your business.