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The lead magnet: the rules of creation and use.




In this article you will find out:


  • Reasons to offer a lead magnet;

  • Types of lead magnets;

  • 10 examples of effective lead magnets;

  • 3 practical examples of lead magnets in different areas;

  • 6 signs of an effective lead-magnet;

  • Peculiarities of lead magnet creation with high conversion;

  • Step by step creation of an effective lead magnet for the site;

  • Inspirational ideas for lead magnet creation;

  • Tools that raise the effectiveness of a lead magnet;

  • 7 tips for promoting a lead magnet;


The lead magnet is a tool without which modern Internet marketing and business on the Web in general would not be possible. According to statistics, 79% of buyers are loyal to sites on which they have already made a purchase. The question of how to lead a visitor to his first purchase remains open. Many users leave a web resource without even leaving their data.

To turn a potential customer into a real buyer, you must first earn his trust. For example, gradually introduce your company and products through e-mail newsletters and other communication channels. A lead magnet will help you do just that.



Reasons for offering a lead magnet.


A lead magnet is a profitable offer to a client, in exchange for which he provides his contact information. As a rule, this is free content like checklists, guides, picks, etc.


On the site, lead magnets are usually designed as a modal window with a picture, a short explanation text (clear and concise), and a form for entering names and contacts. The most important thing here is the meaning of the text and how it is presented.


In order for the lead magnet to reach its goal, use the following "reasons" that may interest the consumer:


  • announcement of a new promotion available to a closed circle of people;

  • a sale for a certain group of consumers;

  • reduction of prices for products of interest;

  • discounts on the first order;

  • bonuses for further purchases in the store;

  • a coupon that guarantees free delivery;

  • gift for a user;

  • invitation to join the list of VIP clients.


The list of approaches to the lead magnet does not end here. Everything is determined by the specifics and capabilities of the store.


So what is the point of lead magnets? It's about convincing a potential customer to leave their contact information and giving them useful information in return.


That is, lead magnets are something in between direct sales and the multi-step funnel. It is an opportunity to explain the value of your product to the customer and make contact with them several times.


There is no need to push your product or service right away. First, create interest in it, which should then be warmed up and strengthened. When the lead is ready to buy and feels the corresponding need, it will become a customer of your company.



Types of lead magnets.


Lead magnets are needed in situations where they are useful for both parties and help them achieve their goals: for the client, the gain is in the sought-after content, and for the seller, the potential buyer's contact information. There are four varieties of lead magnets (and each contains several subtypes). Let's look at each type in detail.


The lead magnet is a discount magnet.


This lead magnet works on a very simple scheme: by leaving contact information, the buyer receives a discount. The optimal solution for sites with high traffic.


If the discount can be used for offline shopping, it is better to give customers promo codes; they will prove that these people came from the web resource, which will simplify the collection of statistics and analysis of the effectiveness of the marketing campaign. The discount is charged not at once but only when the user spends enough time on the target page; this means he is thinking over the decision, but something stops him, or he has already studied everything and is going to leave the site. A discount may encourage him to take targeted action.


The lead magnet is informational.


Its essence is useful information for the reader. The payment for it becomes his contact information. This is the most popular type of lead magnet. It can take many different forms:


  • templates (for example, a sample script for a salesperson);

  • check-lists for various processes (e.g., a check-list for the head of a merchandising team);

  • training videos (step-by-step calculation of motivation for a sales agent, etc.);

  • instructions (how to put Pixel on the site and set it up);

  • manuals (for example, for creating a website on Wordpress);

  • lists of typical mistakes (when setting up advertising campaigns, etc.);

  • comparative tables (differences and similarities among different models of technique);

  • case studies (on the promotion of a personal brand, for example);

  • kits (online services for working with illustrations).


And this is not a complete list of all existing formats, you can think of others. However, these options are quite enough for beginners; they are the simplest and most common.


The lead magnet trial period.


This lead magnet is often used by IT companies and service providers in niches with a high LTV—revenue generated by the client over the entire cooperation period (rather than a one-time sale). Lifetime value is a special metric for analyzing businesses. It is high, for example, for language and dance schools.


The client gets to use the service for free for a limited time or, as an option, to use a truncated version of the website builder or another similar service. After trying the service, he is likely to want to continue for a fee. To begin the test period, the user must remove his contacts.

The lead magnet is mandatory.


It is not a model example of a lead magnet because it does not give a person anything unambiguously valuable but only provides information to motivate a purchase. These are buttons like "Get a personalised offer," "Request a price list", "Order a call back", "Request a consultation", and similar.


However, they, too, are aimed at convincing a potential customer to leave their details. Such links and buttons are necessary on any site that sells anything.



10 examples of effective lead magnets.


"Sign up for the newsletter, and we'll deliver your order for free."

"Leave your phone number, and we'll give you a 15% discount on everything."

"A gift certificate for $150. Only for our subscribers!"

"A newsletter with useful tips for B2B sales. Subscribe!"

"Subscribe and get a hot discount coupon: minus 25% on warming up service for two weeks!"

"Get access to a closed warming up service sale here."

"Want to save money on shopping? "Sign up and become a club card holder!"

"Leave your contact information, and we'll give you a nice surprise for your birthday."

"A New Year's present just for you! "Sign up and get a 30% discount on all New Year's Eve products."

"Secret discounts and bonuses just for our subscribers! Sign up for the newsletter and save!"

3 practical examples of lead magnets from different fields.


1. An example of a lead magnet for an education niche.


An English school, launching the sale of a new course, developed a checklist called "How to Learn Tenses in Three Steps." The client instantly gets it in the mail by placing an order.


The topic of tenses presents a lot of problems to beginners who have recently begun to learn English and to those who remember from school that there are only 16 tenses, and they are all confusing and complicated. With the help of the checklist, you can quickly, and without unnecessary stress, figure them out. Amazing and satisfying, isn't it? For those who have requested this checklist, the school subsequently offers access to the course for 4-5 euros and, for buyers, personal lessons with a tutor and its other core products.


2. An example of a lead magnet for an online clothing store.


A clothing store for men offered customers free access to the author's personal style course and a personal discount on their first order. It's important for men to find clothes quickly and easily, and this offer meets their needs: thanks to the lessons, you can understand once and for all how to build your image and choose your closet, and you can save money on your first purchase as well.


3. An example of a lead magnet for the health field.


Juices made from natural fruits and vegetables that cleanse the body were promoted with a curious lead magnet: a list of six ways to lose weight, become more energetic, and improve concentration without much effort. This lead magnet touched several target groups at once: those who were worried about being overweight and those who followed a healthy lifestyle and wanted to eat organic foods. Clients were inspired by the prospect of getting the desired result easily, without diets, painful workouts, etc. And after that, they were already offered other products in the store.



Six signs of an effective lead magnet.


The lead magnet is effective if it meets the following requirements:


1. The solution to the real problem of CA (target audience). The correct and effective CPR can be thought of only when you know the needs, "pains", beliefs, and desires of the potential clientele.


2. Ease of perception. Any check list, training video, or text instruction must be useful, but it is better if they are also succinct and clear.


3. Speaking title. The title of the lead magnet should be simple. Its purpose is to indicate the problem it helps solve.


4. Instant download. When users must perform feats of perseverance and patience in order to download a file, their interest in the content—no matter how valuable and free—plummets dramatically.


5. Expertise/product value. A lead magnet is not only a way to entice potential customers but also an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise in a particular topic. And this is a strong argument in favor of buying the product for those who hesitate.


6. Originality. The user is not on his first day on the Internet, and he, believe me, has had time to get tired of hearing all these standard sentences repeatedly. Give him unique content that no one else (especially competitors) has, and the lead magnet will work.


Features of creating a lead magnet with a high conversion rate.


Focus on your target audience.


Analyze the dreams, goals, interests, and challenges of people who could become your customers. What feelings will your lead magnet arouse in them? What urgent problems will it solve? What questions will it answer?


Remember the goals.


For many marketers and businesspeople, a lead magnet serves a very narrow function: to lure contacts from the user. But on their own, neither the phone nor the email of the potential customer is needed; you need to engage him in the sales funnel and move him to the next stage, and so on to the moment of purchase.


Prepare valuable material.


Work on the lead magnet to make sure it's not only informative but also high-quality. The lead magnet effect for the customer is a solution to their problem right here and now, an opportunity to immediately implement it and see positive changes.


1 lead magnet and 1 exact issue.


Identify the most intolerable problem your potential customer is facing—just one. Develop a point solution (rather than an overview of possible consequences) and pitch it in the form of a lead magnet.


Send the lead magnet instantly.


To keep the user's interest from cooling off, ensure the lead magnet is sent immediately while the customer is engaged so they don't have to wait.


A good solution is to send the file through the messaging service that the customer chooses.


Create a WOW effect.


Exceed your client's expectations! Let him experience delight and gratitude while getting more than he expected!


Take into account not only the quality but also the volume.


The material in the lead magnet should be clear, readable, and concise so that you can quickly read it and apply the advice in practice. Otherwise, the lead magnet will be useless.



Step-by-step creation of an effective lead magnet

for the site.


Step-by-step creation of an effective lead magnet for the site work on the creation of any lead magnet begins with identifying the CA. Then develop an idea for the offer for the magnet. This is done as follows: the problems and needs of the potential buyer are written out in a table or list (as many as you can think of in ten minutes), and then quick solutions are looked at for each item (also no more than ten minutes for everything).


Of course, you can't reliably know which things are of concern to your customers. Research the topic communities on social networks and forums where your target audience communicates; you can even conduct surveys in places where these people gather offline; as a rule, individual "live" answers are more informative than hundreds of short lines on the Internet.


Here's a step-by-step flowchart for working on a lead magnet:


1. Preliminary plan.


Identify all of the client's larger or smaller problems and "pains" that you can help solve. Each solution is briefly described against the problem statement; this will become your tentative plan. After that, determine what you need to start with and what you need to end with. A schematic "fish" is enough; if there is no time to describe in detail the order of each item, the details can be written later or even outsourced.


2. Headlines for the lead magnet.


The headline is read in three to four seconds, so anything longer than that is not perceived by the user - he instantly forgets the information. Avoid stretchy, dull, dry headlines; they will not attract anyone.


To make the title a lead magnet, apply the following tricks:


  • current fashion and trends (e.g., trendy hairstyles for 2020);

  • a checklist to get a successful result (adjust the targeting of Facebook ads, etc.);

  • five easy ways to do something or learn something (dance, speak English, etc.);

  • the best, most interesting, or unusual items in the form of a selection (for example, the most original designs of small kitchens);

  • the ten best tools for a specific task (e.g., developing a content plan for Instagram).


3. Showing the benefits.


Colorfully describe all the benefits that your lead magnet will bring to the client. The abstract is built according to the following plan:


  • description of the problem's essence

  • outputs, solutions;

  • benefits;

  • another problem (which you, as a professional, can easily and brilliantly solve);

  • a conclusion about how important it is to solve the problem and how it shouldn't be left to chance (this works to get people to feel something);

  • what will change if you apply the method suggested by the lead magnet (verbal description and photo to illustrate).


The optimal length of the abstract is four paragraphs to half a page.


4. The crux of the problem.


The same lead magnet will not help overcome several different problems. It is better to offer two interrelated ones.


To develop a successful proposal, answer the key questions:


  • what is the cause of the "pain";

  • at what point did the "pain" appear;

  • what ignoring it will lead to.


5. Common mistakes.


You need to convince the reader that the lead magnet will help him solve the problem. This is done not directly, through anger and claims that can't be proven, but indirectly, through a series of leading questions:


  • about typical mistakes in the process;

  • why things don't go as planned;

  • the consequences of bad decisions.


Sloppy content (copied from the Internet, not adapted to the tasks of business, consisting of "water" and alphabetical truths) will not work as a lead-magnet: the client simply will not read it (and even less leave their contacts). This is a failure in communication with a potential client: he is unlikely to want to buy something from you because he does not see the lead magnet as a solution to his problems.


6. Help with a Problem.


So, you intend to help a client overcome his problem for free. You need to put your recommendations into two or four short paragraphs, written in popular language. Write in the first or second person.


Suppose your lead magnet is an online earning guide. Your target audience's "pains" are a lack of money and a need for a free work schedule. You put together a guide, including a list of online job exchanges, lessons on how to find a job in two weeks, and a cover letter template for an employer.


Tell the real-life success story of your client, who was able to find a job using this guide, in a before-and-after pattern. Illustrate it with photos and videos.


7. Summary.


To summarise, briefly outline your path to personal success and project history, say a few words about who you are, and explain why you offer your services or products (in the context of your subscribers' problems and benefits to them).


8. File Preparation.


Collect all the prepared materials. The resulting file is a lead magnet. Translate all the videos, pictures, and text into easy-to-read formats. Thus, the check list is best saved as a pdf file or Excel table.


9. Design.


The content for the lead magnet is ready; all that's left is to package it stylishly. Design plays an essential role in the perception of an infoproduct: with poor design, even the most interesting and useful content will not hook the user.


Before publishing, check again that the lead magnet meets all the key requirements.


  • reflects the main "pains" and problems of the CA and sets out ways to solve them.

  • guarantees a quick result and the achievement of the desired outcome.

  • designed for a single narrow and specific task (for example, if this webinar is about learning to read, it is not intended for all in a row, but only for lazy children who will read by syllables and using the magnetic alphabet).

  • the client is offered something simple, practical, and clear. Before launching the lead magnet, it's a good idea to test the offer and see how readable and clear it is.

  • targeted action is instantly rewarded with the promised bonus. If it is available not immediately but after a few days, then it is no longer a lead magnet; the client will have time to forget that he is waiting for training material, a discount, etc.

  • expert information presentation; the opinion of competent experts (if you aren't, ask those who are).

  • both the content and the offer are unique and unrepeatable.

  • available in a mobile version (more than half of the traffic today comes from mobile devices).

  • brings tangible results and a sense of satisfaction with the deal.

  • promises are kept. Don't promise a car to a subscriber when you can only offer a salon fragrance; instead, present a high-quality fragrance. Deceiving a potential client is a blow to the firm's reputation.


Is the answer "yes" to all the items? Feel free to publish the resulting lead magnet! By the way, you should have thought about where and how to do it beforehand. In order to effectively collect the contact information of the CA, lead magnets are usually placed on


  • on 404 error stub pages;

  • on one-page pages;

  • in the "Status" field of the social network profile;

  • at the beginning and end of the page;

  • as a banner on YouTube;

  • in a post-call on social networks (including Instagram);

  • in the message on the forum;

  • in a modal window on the site or blog.


Inspirational ideas for creating a lead magnet.

What's good about lead magnets? Quick and easy to create! By following the professional tips below, you'll easily develop an effective promotional offer, spending no more than a few minutes:


1. Target Audience.


First, determine the potential range of people who can become your customers. Describe their location, occupation, and demographic characteristics, and the more accurate the better. After that, begin to develop a proposal that will catch their attention. This is how you create relevant, in-demand lead magnets.


2. The title of the message.


USP begins with a headline. Take care that it will be quite catchy, attracting attention. Study the tips of professionals on the subject of creating the right promotional headlines.


What you definitely should not do is use banal phrases or stoop to the style of bazaar call-outs ("All here, it's cheap, we give gifts!") or intentionally cast a cloud, offering nothing special ("Discount on everything with a promo code of 15%"). The headline should be clear and specific.


3. Building a long-term relationship with the user.


In order for the lead magnet to help you get a new loyal customer, who will not just buy the coveted product and leave, ending up in the category of "cold" or "inactive", but will keep the interest in the store for a long time, promise the person long-term benefits.


Examples of such lead magnets: "To the one who activates his personal discount card today, give a permanent 5% discount on all goods" (to activate it, you need to buy something); "New customers will receive a 3% discount on all skin care products throughout the year." These are unique offers that a customer won't want to miss out on.



Tools to boost lead magnet efficiency.


The effectiveness of the lead magnet can be improved by using tools to integrate the site with third-party services:


1. Mailchimp—for analysing mailings and evaluating the effectiveness of campaigns.