A Lead Magnet is the best way of converting website visitors into subscribers. This blog post will literally be the game changer for your business if you are starting out and you don’t have a Lead Magnet yet, or the one you have is not good enough. I’m going to share with you 3 highly effective Lead Magnet ideas in this post to grow your email list.

However, before we get started on the ideas, let’s cover important basics first.

Kindly note this post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you click any of them and proceed to make a purchase.  This will be at no cost to you.

What’s a Lead Magnet and Why Do You Need at Least One for Your Business?

A Lead Magnet is an enticement that you offer your website visitors in exchange for their contact information or their email addresses.

Lead Magnets are normally created in form of downloadable content, such as free eBooks, videos, reports, PDFs, checklists, etc.

The main purpose of a lead magnet is to generate leads online. Experts say that the money is in the list!

So, if you want to make money with your online business, you should have a Lead Magnet. Period.

Emails are personal and no one will give you his/her email address without a compelling reason.

For example, let’s say you write a blog post on how to grow your email list fast. Then ask the readers to subscribe to your email list for updates at the end of the post OR ask them to subscribe to your email list and get a free eBook with a real-life example of a business that used your strategy to grow their email list.

Which of the 2 offers do you think will get the most subscribers?

Of course the second option!

Good. Now you understand the importance of Lead Magnets.

Let’s move on.

What Are the Qualities of an Irresistible Lead Magnet?

1. It should provide a solution to a problem. If your Lead Magnet doesn’t offer something that your ideal customers are looking forward to as a solution, then the Lead Magnet may not work as intended.
2. Your lead magnet should provide a high value to the reader
3. It should be easy to digest. Lengthy reports and eBooks don’t really convert well because they are somehow overwhelming while checklists and cheat sheets are easily digestible.
4. You should tackle a specific problem in your Lead Magnet. The more specific you are with your Lead Magnet, the better the conversion it brings.
5. Your Lead Magnet should show off your expertise. This helps to convert the subscribers into customers later on.

One of my Lead Magnets is “The Easiest Way to Create Killer Facebook Content Planner.” See the screenshot below.  

The Lead Magnet converts because of the following reasons;

1. It provides a solution to a problem: Creating not just any Facebook Content, but irresistible Facebook Content that your audience craves for, in the easiest way possible.
2. Offers high value. Following the strategy laid out in this planner, which has worksheets to help you put it into practice, will help transform your Facebook and your entire social media posting which translates to increased sales for your business.
3. It’s easy to digest because it is a brief planner with 2 worksheets
4. It tackles the specific problem of Facebook Content. I teach you the easiest way to create irresistible Facebook Content for your audience.
5. Expertise: I’m really awesome with Facebook content and posting, and this is the Lead Magnet that proves this.

Now that you know what constitutes an irresistible Lead Magnet, let’s look at 3 Lead Magnets ideas that convert really well. Lead Magnet ideas are quite many, but I picked these 3 because they work across all types of businesses.

1. Offer Free Workshops

Workshops are irresistible because their perceived value is high. The fact that workshops include an audio component as well as a visual component make them engaging.

Look for a specific problem in your niche that your audience are struggling with, and create a free workshop to offer a solution.

Craig Cannings, the co-founder and the Chief Instructor of Freelance University, offers a free in-depth on demand workshop on the “New Freelance Opportunities in the Midst of Crisis” and goes ahead to add more value by offering additional free resource with this workshop, “A Freelancer’s Guide to Working (and Thriving) From Home.”

I am a former student of Freelance University and the value I got there is next to none. I got my digital marketing skills, WordPress expertise and virtual assistant skills for my business, from Freelance University.

They have a very supportive Facebook group that mentors students who enroll for their more than 80 courses! Their workshops offer so much value. You can learn one or two things about this Lead Magnet from them. Learn more about Freelance University here.

2. Offer Free Course

This Lead Magnet converts pretty well because people love to learn new tips and tricks of solving problems. You can offer your free course through email or give it as one complete package.

Email courses are simply email autoresponder series that provide readers with specific tips and strategies of solving a problem. They are relatively easy to create because they don’t require anything downloadable.

Think of a problem that your audience really need help with. Then find a solution and offer it to them over a given number of days through their emails.

A good example is McKinzie’s free email course on the “Secrets to Mastering Pinterest and Driving Traffic to Your Blog.” Look at the screenshots below. 

McKinzie is a successful blogger who teaches fellow moms how to blog and make money online. She has trained over 20k students.

You can also offer your free course as a complete video course. In exchange for your readers’ email addresses, create a video course that gives an in-depth solution to a given problem.

This converts so well because most people prefer a quick video solution rather than a document to read.

Don’t make it too lengthy. Consider adding value by providing a certificate upon successful completion of the course.

A good example is SEMrush. They have a one-hour long free course, “Keyword Research Course with Greg Gifford” and they issue you with a certificate upon successful completion.

I know keyword research is a challenge to most marketers and business owners, but it is an essential component of digital marketing. So, it’s always beneficial to learn the basics.

3. Offer Coupons and Deals

The 3^rd Lead Magnet idea is coupons and deals. Who doesn’t love coupons and deals?

Whether you offer products or services, coupons will convert very well for your business because most online shoppers shop around for the best deals. Don’t be left behind, create coupons and deals!

A good example is Liquid Web Hosting Company. Their bread and butter is the high-notch managed hosting for cloud, virtual and dedicated servers. They are currently offering a limited-time deal of 50% off the first 3 months for their managed dedicated servers. Below is the screenshot.

The Company’s products are definitely not cheapest in the industry, but you certainly get what you pay for in terms of performance, stability and support.

Their products are very innovative and they have been rated 4.7 by TrustPilot after 407 reviews. They are currently offering a limited-time coupon of 50% off the first 3 months for VPS hosting.

 

Conclusion

That’s it for today. Now it’s your turn to create a highly converting Lead Magnet for your business. Once you are done with your Lead Magnet, place your opt-in forms at strategic locations on your website.

Head over to this blog post to learn how and where to place your opt-in forms. After that, plan out how to drive visitors to your blog!

Lead Magnet ideas are countless. I would love to hear from you. Share on the comments below which Lead Magnet ideas work for you.