Are you ready to grow your online audience? If so, it’s time for a lead magnet. Often offered as a “freebie” or website download, a lead magnet is an irresistible offer that encourages visitors to subscribe or make a purchase.
Lead magnets can be used by any business or organization looking to grow its audience and email list. Today, let’s review what is a lead magnet, why they are important, and how you should use them on your website.
What is a lead magnet?
A lead magnet is a piece of content that encourages potential customers to subscribe or make a purchase. They can be offered as freebies, webinars, reports, ebooks — anything your target audience wants.
Lead magnets are effective because they offer something of value in exchange for contact information. This creates the opportunity to build an engaged email list and create lasting relationships with new customers by delivering more relevant messages over time.
Why are lead magnets important?
Lead magnets are important because they can help drive traffic to your website and improve conversion rates. The content is offered at a low barrier-to-entry — all you’re asking for is their email address, and sometimes name! As a result, people are likely to give you their contact information in exchange for your valuable content.
The lead magnet also serves as an incentive for customers by offering them something of value right off the bat with no commitment on their part. This makes it easy for them to sign up without feeling pressured to buy anything else from you just yet — but knowing that these offers will come soon enough if they do decide to take action!
What makes a good lead magnet?
It depends on your business and what you’re trying to do. If you’re a software company, then an ebook explaining how the platforms works is perfect! If you’re in marketing, then maybe a case study or webinar replay is best for your needs.
Whichever kind of lead magnet you use, make sure it’s valuable enough that people are willing to give up their contact information in exchange. Also include a call-to-action (Read: What Makes a Good CTA) and contact information for your business. After all, you don’t want someone to download your lead magnet, love the content, and not know how to follow up with you!
3 Types of Lead Magnet
So you’re ready to create a lead magnet — great! Here are three of the most popular types of lead magnets.
How-To Guide
This type of lead magnet offers a step-by-step guide that is easy to follow. It may offer instructions or checklists on how to best use your product or service, answer common questions in your industry, and more.
See Example: WordPress Website Launch Checklist | Studio Anansi
Workbook
Similar to guides, workbooks contain instructions for specific tasks and projects. They are oftentimes meant to be printed and completed by your audience. They may even include questions to answer or exercises for people to fill out.
See Example: Website Brand Guidelines | Studio Anansi
Case Study
In today’s time, customers have become more demanding in terms of proof. As the internet has evolved, customers invest more time in peer reviews, customer success stories, and more. Case studies show the results of working with you.
Lead Magnet FAQ
Do I need a lead magnet?
If you are looking to grow your list, then you should invest in a lead magnet. Yes, it may require time now to create a good lead magnet. However, with evergreen content, you can reuse it for years down the line. Some of the best lead magnets remain unchanged even five or ten years later!
Do lead magnets work?
Absolutely. Lead magnets help establish your authority, position you in front of your target audience, and build your online audience.
What’s the best kind of lead magnet?
The best lead magnets are ones that provide value to your audience. Depending on your industry, this may be an e-book, a sales video, a free course on how to use your product or service, etc.
What should I include in my lead magnet?
Ask yourself what types of questions you hear most often from prospective customers or clients. Put yourself in their shoes — what information would be the most valuable? Answer their questions and always include your contact information, whether that’s your email, phone, social media, or website URL.
How long should a lead magnet be?
Your lead magnet can be as long or short as you like. But the most popular length is between one and five pages, with two to three paragraphs per page on average.
What should I avoid in my lead magnets?
Don’t make your readers work too hard! People are busy and typically won’t read more than a couple of pages unless they’re interested enough already.
How do I create a lead magnet?
Free platforms such as Canva are great places to get started designing your lead magnet. Not the DIY type? If you want a done-for-you lead magnet and email funnel, get in touch to inquire about our availability and rates.
We’re also publishing an upcoming step-by-step guide on how to create a simple lead magnet — join the Studio Anansi email list to receive the guide as soon as it’s available!
