Lead magnets are a great way to grow your business.
By offering something of value for free, you can attract new leads and customers while also building trust and credibility with your audience.
BUT…
Figuring out what type of lead magnet will be most effective for your business is often a matter of trial and error.
You’ll have to try a lot of stuff and see what works with your target market.
To help get you started, we’re going to share 18 killer lead magnet ideas pulled from real businesses in the real world.
But before we do, we want to share our simple process for coming up with awesome lead magnet ideas.
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How to Come Up With Your Own Awesome Lead Magnet Ideas
Here’s our simple process for coming up with great lead magnets here at ClickFunnels.
Define Your Target Market
The first step to coming up with a great lead magnet is to know your target market.
You need to understand their needs, wants, and pain points before you can offer them something of value.
If you don’t know who you’re trying to attract, it will be very difficult to create an effective lead magnet.
Identify Their Pain Points
Once you know who your target market is, it’s time to start identifying their pain points.
What are they struggling with?
What questions do they have that you can answer?
What type of information are they searching for?
The better you understand their pain points, the easier it will be to come up with a lead magnet that resonates with them.
Brainstorm Lead Magnet Ideas
Now it’s time to start brainstorming some ideas for your lead magnet.
Remember, the goal is to offer something of value that will help your target market solve its pain points.
Some common lead magnet formats include:
- eBooks
- Guides
- Tutorials
- Cheat Sheets
- Templates
- Resource Lists
- Toolkits
- Assessments
Whatever you decide to create, make sure it’s something that your target market will find so irresistible that they just have to get it.
Look at Your Competitor’s Lead Magnets
Once you have a few ideas for your own lead magnet, it’s a good idea to see what your competitors are doing.
Look at their websites and see what type of lead magnet they’re using.
What’s working well for them?
What could be improved?
Take those examples and create something even better for your own business.
Create Your Lead Magnet
Once you have a lead magnet idea that you’re happy with, it’s time to start creating it.
This process will vary depending on the type of lead magnet you’re creating, but in general, you’ll want to make sure it’s well-designed, well-written, and provides value to your target market.
Once you have your lead magnet created, it’s time to start promoting it.
(check out ClickFunnels!)
The best way to do this is to create a landing page where people can learn more about your lead magnet and opt-in to receive it.
Make sure your landing page is well-designed and conversion-focused, and you should start seeing a boost in leads and customers in no time.
18 Killer Lead Magnet Ideas to Grow Your Business
And now, without further ado, here are 18 killer lead magnet ideas to improve your business…
1. Quiz Funnel
If you want to generate leads that are sales-ready, then consider using a quiz funnel.
A quiz funnel is a lead capture tool that allows you to identify your leads’ buying readiness by asking them a series of questions.
You can use quiz funnels to segment your list, send targeted follow-up emails, and even score your leads so you know who’s ready to buy.
What’s great about quiz funnels is that they’re relatively easy to create and can be used in a variety of industries.
Check out this example from Warby Parker…
See how the quiz leads naturally into the product they’re trying to sell?
Do the same thing with your quiz!
Our favorite tool for creating lead-gen quizzes is Interact Quiz Maker — their tool is super sophisticated, easy to use, and connects with virtually every email service provider.
2. Checklist
People love checklists because they help simplify complex tasks.
A checklist lead magnet is a great way to offer value to your audience and get them on your email list at the same time.
(They’re also one of the easiest lead magnets to create!)
Your checklist can be about anything — from the steps, they need to take to start a business, to the things they should do to care for their pet, to the steps they need to take to get in shape.
Think about what type of information your audience would benefit from having formatted within a checklist.
Check out this example…
The key with a checklist lead magnet is to make sure it’s comprehensive and easy to follow.
Your goal is to make your leads’ lives easier, not harder.
3. Webinar
Webinars are a great way to generate leads and build relationships with your audience.
And, the best part is, you don’t even have to be present for people to benefit from them!
You can use your past webinars (or create new ones) as lead magnets by offering the recordings in exchange for an email address.
Don’t underestimate the power of webinars!
We use them at ClickFunnels quite often to generate tons of leads for our business… in fact, they’re the most effective method we use to generate leads and make sales.
Here’s an example…
We generate leads on the front end during registration and get sales on the backend during the closing of the webinar. Win-win.
If you want to learn what it takes to run a successful webinar, go get Perfect Webinar Secrets for free.
4. Masterclass
With the rise in popularity of online courses, it’s no wonder that people are looking for ways to learn new skills faster.
Enter the masterclass.
A masterclass is a lead magnet that offers intensive, expert-led training on a specific topic.
Masterclasses are usually shorter than courses (think 1-2 hours) and are designed to give people a crash course in a particular subject.
This type of lead magnet is perfect for people who want to learn new skills quickly and efficiently.
Here’s an example…
Masterclasses are also great for building relationships with your audience because they show that you’re an expert in your field.
Don’t have time to create a masterclass from scratch? No problem! You can always repurpose existing content (like a webinar or course) and turn it into a masterclass.
5. Templates
If you want to make it super easy for your audience to take action on what they’ve learned from you, then templates are the way to go.
Templates are pre-designed, ready-to-use documents that people can use to achieve a specific goal.
For example, if your target market is real estate agents, you could create a listing presentation template that they can use with their clients.
If you want to get really creative, you can even create templates for things like social media posts, blog articles, or email newsletters.
The key with templates is to make sure they’re high quality and easy to use.
Nobody wants to use a template that’s confusing or doesn’t look good.
Here’s an example…
6. Challenge
People love a good challenge. It encourages them to take action on something they care about… in an environment where they’ll get the education and support they need to be successful.
A challenge lead magnet is perfect for people who want to achieve a specific goal in a specific amount of time.
For example, if you’re a weight loss coach, you could create a 30-day weight loss challenge.
To participate, people would sign up with their email addresses and receive daily emails from you with tips, tricks, and encouragement.
At the end of the challenge (or better yet, as a part of the challenge), they could be introduced to your products and services.
Not only does this type of lead magnet generate tons of leads, but it also builds relationships and helps you sell more stuff!
Here’s an example…
7. Free Consultation
A free consultation is a great way to generate leads if you offer high-ticket coaching or consulting services.
It gives you an opportunity to get on the phone with someone and really understand their needs.
At the same time, it allows you to show off your expertise and build rapport with your potential clients.
How are you going to get people to agree to hop on for a free consultation?
Well… you’ve got to make it clear what your expertise is and how you hope to be able to work with them.
Approach it from the angle of wanting to figure out if your products or services will be a fit for you and for them. People will be more open to this type of consultation.
Here’s an example…
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8. Discounts & Coupons
Discounts and coupons are a great way to generate leads from people who are already interested in what you have to offer.
Who doesn’t love getting a discount on something they’d like to buy anyway?
The key to discounts and coupons is to make sure they’re time-sensitive. This will create a sense of urgency and encourage people to take action quickly.
You can promote your discounts and coupons on your website, social media, or even in physical stores.
Here’s an example…
9. Free Samples
Free samples are a classic lead generation tactic for a reason… they work!
People love getting free stuff, especially if it’s something they were already interested in buying.
Free samples are perfect for physical products, like food, cosmetics, or cleaning supplies. But you can also use them for digital products, like software programs or ebooks.
Of course, by offering free products to everyone (especially physical products), you could lose a lot of money.
The solution is to ask people to pay for shipping and handling. This will help cover your product costs and generate leads at the same time…
Plus, people get to try out your products and see if they like it!
We do free+shipping offers all the time here at ClickFunnels. Here’s an example…
10. Giveaway
A giveaway is a great way to generate leads and get people excited about your products or services.
The key to giveaways is to make sure that whatever you’re giving away is only going to attract your target market.
You shouldn’t, for instance, give away an iPad if you’re trying to attract leads for your dog walking business.
Why?
Because you’re going to get email addresses for everyone who wants an iPad! Not necessarily for everyone who has a dog.
It’s also important to make sure that the entry requirements for your giveaway are simple enough that people will actually take the time to enter — ideally, they provide you with their email address and share the giveaway on their social media accounts.
Here’s an example…
Our favorite tool for creating simple and effective giveaways is KingSumo.
11. Free Trial
A free trial is a great way to generate leads for your software products or services.
It allows people to use your product for a certain period of time (usually 7-30 days) without having to pay for it.
This is a great way to generate leads because it allows people to use your software and see if they like it before they commit to paying for it.
At the same time, it allows you to upsell people on the features they’ll get if they decide to upgrade to the paid version.
For example, our software ClickFunnels offers a 14-day free trial…
12. Case Studies
Case studies are a great way to generate leads because they show off your expertise and build trust with potential clients.
People want to work with someone who has a proven track record of success, and case studies are the perfect way to show that you have what it takes to help them succeed.
At the same time, they give your target market a breakdown of the type of success that they want to achieve — and how to achieve it.
Make sure to include plenty of details, including results, specific tactics, and tools used, in your case studies. The more specific you can be, the better.
Here’s an example…
13. Cheatsheets
Cheatsheets are a great way to generate leads because they provide potential clients with valuable information that they can use to improve their businesses in an easily consumable format.
The key to cheat sheets is to make sure that they’re packed with helpful, actionable information.
For example, if you’re a web designer, you could create a cheat sheet that shows people how to choose the perfect color scheme for their website.
If you’re a social media expert, you could create a cheat sheet that shows people how to get more followers on Instagram.
The possibilities are endless!
Here’s an example…
14. Email Course
An email course is a great way to generate leads because it allows you to show off your expertise and build trust with potential clients.
People want to work with someone who has a proven track record of success, and an email course is a perfect way to show that you have what it takes to help them succeed.
You can create an email sequence of 5-10 emails that provide people with valuable information that they can use to improve their situation.
For example, if you’re a business coach, you could create an email course that shows people how to start and grow their businesses.
If you’re a real estate agent, you could create an email course that shows people how to buy their first home.
Even though an email course feels personal and real-time to the person receiving the content, it’s entirely automated and scalable.
This means you can generate leads on autopilot.
Here’s an example…
15. Swipe File
A swipe file is simply a collection of the best examples of whatever it is you do.
This could be a collection of the best websites, the best sales letters, the best ads, etc… that you’ve ever found.
The key with a swipe file is to make sure that it’s full of high-quality examples that your target market can actually use.
The appeal of this should be obvious to your target market.
You’ve done the hard work in compiling and curating amazing examples of the best stuff out there. All they have to do is sit back and consume it.
Here’s an example…
16. Gated Content
Gated content is simply content that’s restricted behind some sort of opt-in — that could be a paywall or just an email opt-in.
This could be an ebook, a video course, a webinar, etc…
But most often, it’s a blog post.
The key to gated content is to make sure that it’s high quality and provides value to your target market.
People are only going to be willing to give you their information for content that they’re very interested in.
If you’re not sure what type of content to gate, a good rule of thumb is to take your best-performing blog post and make it gaited.
Require people to enter their email addresses and “create an account” in order to keep reading the content. In some cases, this can be a very effective lead magnet.
Here’s an example…
17. Newsletter
A newsletter is a great way to generate leads because it allows you to keep in touch with your target market on a regular basis.
When people sign up for your newsletter, they’re giving you permission to stay in touch with them and send them information about your business on a regular basis.
This is a great way to build trust and credibility with potential clients, and it’s also a great way to keep them up-to-date on what’s going on with your business.
The key to a newsletter is to make sure that it’s packed with value.
Your newsletter should be full of helpful tips, resources, and information that your target market will find useful.
If you can provide value on a regular basis, people will be more likely to stay subscribed to your newsletter — and they’ll also be more likely to do business with you when the time comes.
Here’s an example…
18. Resource List
A resource list is a great way to generate leads because it provides value to your target market while also demonstrating your expertise.
A resource list is simply a list of helpful resources that your target market can use to improve their situation.
This could be a list of the best books, the best websites, the best software, etc…
The key to a resource list is to make sure that it’s full of high-quality resources that your target market will actually find useful.
You don’t want to just throw a bunch of random stuff together — it needs to be carefully curated and selected.
Here’s an example…
Final Thoughts
Now that you know what a lead magnet is and why you need one, it’s time to get started creating your own!
Remember, the key is to make sure your lead magnet is high quality and relevant to your target market.
If you can do that, you’re well on your way to generating tons of leads for your business.
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