What is a lead magnet? A wildly comprehensive guide with examples and best practices

Chances are that lead magnets came up more than once as the answer. But what is this lead generation tool exactly? And how do you create the best lead magnet?

That’s what you’ll learn in this detailed guide. With examples and best practices, you’ll become a lead magnet Jedi, capable of creating highly effective, irresistible incentives to boost email list growth and enhance your marketing efforts. Ready for your first training?

Lead magnets are digital marketing tools used to generate new leads in exchange for someone’s contact information—typically an email address. An example is when you give away a free resource to incentivize people to sign up for your newsletter.

These incentives come in all shapes and forms, such as templates, worksheets and courses. What’s best for you depends on your ideal customer!

“Are lead magnets worth it?” The answer is yes, they’re an essential part of building email lists and nurturing potential customers through your sales funnel. 

In fact, 50% of marketers reported greater conversion rates when using lead magnets to increase signups, according to LLCBuddy. Yet 40% of marketers say they don’t use them.

That’s probably because lead magnets take time and brainpower to create. While you’re gaining email signups, there’s no direct monetary reward. With lead magnet marketing, you’re often playing the long game.

Lead magnets grow your business through:

• Email list subscribers: Lead magnets are a proven method to entice people to sign up for your list, so you can email them directly and start moving them down the lead magnet funnel

• Thought leadership: Showing your audience your value helps to build trust and establish authority—two key factors when you’re looking to sell more

• Audience segmentation: If your audience is broader, targeted lead magnets can help segment audiences into different buckets based on their interests and needs

And best of all, the results are easy to measure. Through metrics like downloads, open rate and conversion rate, you'll discover exactly how well your lead magnet strategy is performing.

There are so many different kinds of lead magnets. It's easy to choose one that fits both your skills and your audience's needs.

1. Interactive lead magnets

Did you ever take a quiz to find out which Harry Potter house you belong to? Be honest…

Most humans are curious, which makes interactive lead magnets like quizzes a great way to get people’s attention and provide value. Once someone has completed the quiz, get their contact details by offering to email them the results.

Product demos are another type of interactive lead magnet. Let people test your tool for free by handing over their contact details.

Here are some more examples of interactive lead magnets:

• Poll

• Survey

• Quiz

• Product demo

2. Written resources

Downloadable written resources are a popular type of lead magnet, and for good reason. They're typically easy to create and you can even repurpose your existing content.

Plus, the content can be evergreen, which means you create it once and use it as a lead magnet for quarters to come.

The format depends on what best fits your business and target audience.

Examples are:

• Ebooks

• Guides

• Whitepapers

• Case studies

• Templates

• Checklists

3. Video content

According to Wyzowl, 88% of video marketers find video an important part of their overall marketing strategy in 2024, and 68% of marketers who don't use video plan to start this year.

There's a good reason why video is so popular: 82% of people have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a video.

Use video as a lead magnet by offering to send a valuable course or prerecorded webinar to people who leave their email addresses. 

Video lead magnets can either be live or recorded, including:

• Webinars

• Training videos

• Video series

4. Exclusive access

Exclusivity is a digital marketing strategy that’s been used for decades, and it still works today. Boost your lead magnet value by letting people unlock gifts or offer a “try before you buy” option. 

Give people access to a free trial, introduction class or closed community to boost conversions, build authority and position yourself as an expert.

Examples of exclusive access lead magnets include:

• Free trial

• Free class

• Private networking event

• Knowledge group

• Online community

5. Monetary incentives

Few people will say no to a discount. Capterra found that 85% of shoppers happily exchange their contact data for discounts. If your price margins allow for it, monetary incentives can boost signups and conversions like no other type of lead magnet. 

Monetary incentive lead magnets include:

• Discount codes

• Free consultations

• Product samples

• Free shipping

 … and so many other effective lead magnets!

The types of lead magnets are as broad as your imagination. Anything that could be valuable to your audience can be a lead magnet as long as you're willing to offer it for free.

Incentives we’ve seen working well for businesses include:

• Email courses

• (Secret) podcasts

• Infographics

• Behind-the-scenes content

Now that you know what lead magnets are, it’s time to get creative. 

Some people love this part (looking at you, Pisces), while others need to wait hours for inspiration to strike. For the uninspired, we made our own freebie—no email required.  Find lead magnet ideas for your industry in the list below.

🏃 Personal trainers

What do your clients struggle most with? Coaches can use various kinds of lead magnets to generate contact details. Just choose one that's relevant to your niche.

1. Offer a training plan from your couch to running 5K. 

2. Record a video series on how to lift correctly and walk into the weight area confidently. 

3. Share insights from your personal journey to build trust.

4. Create a workbook with an exact plan on how to achieve fitness or health goals.

5. Make a habit tracker to keep people accountable. You can even add access to a community of people working towards the same goal.

🔑 Real estate agents

With the property market being a popular yet complex topic, there’s no shortage of interesting lead magnets for real estate agents.

1. Make a comprehensive 101 guide for first-time home buyers.

2. Create a market trend report to help buyers make better choices.

3. Release a yearly neighborhood comparison guide.

4. Offer a tool that values properties based on market data.

📸 Photographers

Within this booming industry, there are many routes to take. Here are some ideas to get you started.

1. Create a checklist for picking the right photographer according to your style.

2. Offer presets and filters that people can use for their own pictures.

3. Create a quiz for people to find their photography style.

4. Give beginners tips on how to become a better street photographer.

🧑‍🎨 Artists

The options here are endless! Focus on the needs of your audience, whether they're aspiring artists or your creative peers.

1. Teach beginners specific skills in a video series. 

2. Let people submit their work and offer personal feedback on how to improve their craft.

3. Attract independent artists with guides on how to earn commissions.

4. Teach artists where to sell their art and how to price it right.

🛒 E-commerce

Discounts and exclusive offers tend to work well within the e-commerce industry. 

1. Invite people to join an exclusive club that gives them early access to new drops.

2. Give away coupons to newsletter subscribers.

3. Invite a selected group to branded events.

4. Host Q&As with the founder.

5. Run classes on how to use your products.

🛋️ Interior designers

As an interior designer, you have a gift that most of us don’t possess—so let’s use that in your lead magnet!

1. Help people find their interior style through a quiz.

2. Teach folks how to combine furniture when moving in with a partner. 

3. Share home hacks on a budget.

4. Create video classes on decorating and color palettes.

5. Visually show people how to envision and build their dream home.

🧑‍💻 Digital marketing agency

Digital marketing is a broad space where things are ever-evolving. For marketing lead magnets, you can offer so many awesome freebies, including:

1. Keyword audit tools to help people optimize their SEO marketing.

2. Strategy blueprints on digital marketing in 2024.

3. How-to series for creating a great email marketing funnel.

4. Social media trend reports.

5. The exact steps you took to grow your business. 

6. Case studies with actionable results to achieve a marketing goal.

👘 Fashion

For the fashion crowd, there are so many fun lead magnets to create. 

1. If you’re a stylist, create a checklist on what to pack for summer.

2. Make an online course on developing your style.

3. Get visual with fashion vision boards or color analyses.

4. Offer a free stylist consultation.

5. Make a scorecard for shopping more sustainably.

6. Create a downloadable with tips on how to upcycle clothing.

✍️ Copywriters

As copywriters, we’re always excited about writing inspiration! 

1. Create a lead magnet to combat writer’s block. Include prompts and exercises.

2. Offer a guide on how to repurpose content.

3. Create a content calendar template.

4. Make a calendar with all relevant holidays and events for content planning.

5. Provide templates for SEO briefings that can be used as a foundation.

6. Make a grammar cheat sheet PDF.

7. Host weekly writing sessions.

8. Create an email series on using AI prompts to write better content.

Let’s look at specific examples of lead magnets that made us (and many others) eager to trade our emails for the incentive.

Marcus Pork: A discount with lighthearted messaging

Discounts are an effective kind of lead magnet for e-commerce stores. Marcus Pork made its offer stand out with fun messaging. Not all businesses can get away with this, but if your brand allows for it, be like Marcus Pork. It’s a breath of fresh air!

Manifestation Babe: A library of free tools

Good salespeople know that you need many touchpoints before making a sale. Kathrin Zenkina plays into this by offering a variety of freebies in audio, video and written form. She has members-only libraries with free content that will keep leads engaged with her brand and build trust to increase the chances of them buying her paid products.

Penfriend: A valuable product trial

When the Penfriend team launched their product, part of their strategy was distributing content via LinkedIn and email. In one such email, marketers were invited to take their AI-driven content writer for a spin. All they had to do was create an account, and 10 free articles were waiting for them. Offer a free trial is a great way to increase signups and familiarize people with your product.

James Wedmore: A free eBook

The page offering James Wedmore's free eBook lead magnet contains all the key elements of a landing page that’s destined to convert. The prominent button makes it clear where to click and what you’ll get.

Scrolling down, you’ll visually see what you’ll learn in the free e-book and what others have taken away from the book. Pay attention to the balance between text and images, and the use of colors and fonts to guide the eye.

Coach K: Free live training

Business coach K helps people locate grant funding. Through free live trainings, she attracts new leads with this lead magnet landing page. What works well is that the page is short and clearly states what you'll learn. It closes with a bio and testimonials to build trust. With 3 CTA buttons spread over the page, it’s abundantly clear where to click to RSVP.

Your brain might already be tingling as you think of ideas for a great lead magnet for your audience.

Hold those thoughts, as we’ll guide you through how to create an effective lead magnet for your business in 9 easy steps.

1. Define the buyer

The first key element of an effective lead magnet is to define who you’re selling to. Use your buyer personas and refresh yourself on what their pain points, demographics, interests, behaviors and goals are. This helps you come up with relevant lead magnet ideas and content formats that are tailored to how your audience consumes information.

2. Solve a specific problem

How valuable your offer is depends on the problem you’re solving. Think broad here, you want your lead magnet to entice a large crowd. Use market research and customer feedback to figure out which common problems your target audience has. Then provide a practical solution through a neat lead magnet.

3. Think the design through

For the lead magnet design, think of branding and format. Does your target audience prefer video content or worksheets? Long or short content? TikTok or Instagram? Meet people where they’re at. Make your lead magnet seamlessly blend in with your brand’s graphic design, use high-quality graphics and make the call to action (CTA) super clear.

4. Create the lead magnet landing page

Most marketers create a website pop-up or landing page to capture leads. Landing pages give you the space to explain the benefits and strengthen the offer with testimonials and social proof. Having a dedicated landing page also makes it easy to direct people from social media or other channels to one designated space on your website.

5. Make it easy to convert

When it comes to the landing page, pay attention to where elements are placed. Opt for a landing page template that’s clear and easily scrollable on all devices. Balance text and images. Have clear buttons and use high-contrasting colors. Pick the right sizes for fonts and buttons.

To create the perfect lead magnet landing page, you can A/B test elements to see what performs best. Here’s how that works for MailerLite’s landing pages.

6. Seamlessly deliver the lead magnet

People are now engaging with your offer, so let’s deliver their goodies. Most marketers send an automation email after people confirm their email subscription. This welcome email contains the lead magnet or a link to it. To increase conversions, you can even get fancy with follow-up emails to those who didn’t open the first time.

7. Build out the customer journey

A lead magnet enters people into your sales funnel. Then it’s on you to build trust, nurture a relationship and offer more value. Map out the journey that potential customers will take after opting in for the lead magnet. An automated email series is super useful here! Each step has to provide value and move someone closer to making a purchase.

8. Promote your lead magnet

Let’s use SEO to attract visitors organically. When adding SEO keywords to your landing page, make sure the text remains easy to read—the human experience wins from trying to rank.

You can attract wider visibility through social media and paid ads. Set aside a budget to show targeted advertisements on the platforms where your ideal persona hangs out. Make sure to analyze the results and change course accordingly, if needed.

9. Review and optimize regularly

Once your lead magnet is live, you’re not done (sorry). You’ll want to check the performance of your lead magnet and gather feedback from users. Ask people to tell you what they think via a follow-up email to those who clicked or downloaded the lead magnet. Look at landing page performance as well, to know if you should optimize wording or tweak the design.

This question speaks for itself, so let’s get into the answers. Your next training is to learn some tips for great lead magnet opt-in design.

Provably relevant

The keyword here is research. You want to know your audience inside out before creating a lead magnet. Don’t go with lead magnet ideas that YOU think are cool, but base them on data. 

Dive into forums, research search queries, check competitors and analyze your own data on what resonates with your audience. Then suggest lead magnet ideas to your audience, to see what the sentiment is before creating the incentive.

Driven by value

Sure, people “only” give you their email address, but that doesn’t mean your lead magnet can be low value. 

If the offer is not attractive, you’ll see little engagement. Make sure that the content is actionable and offers practical solutions. Your goal is to make people realize how much value they’re already getting from the freebie, and get them curious about your paid products or services.

Credible and trustworthy

A lead magnet is often an introduction to you or your brand, so leave a great first impression! 

Make the lead magnet credible and lead with your expertise. Convince people that you not only know what you’re talking about, you’re also the best person to talk about it. Add stats, research, testimonials, case studies, social proof or anything that adds credibility to your claim.

Highly engaging

People decide in seconds whether to engage with something on the internet, so it’s vital to capture their attention asap.

Think about how you can make your digital lead magnet engaging. Can you add an interactive element? How will you hook people in the first few lines of your content or video script?

And is there an interesting, funny, unique or controversial way to get people to pay attention? Out-of-the-box thinking will serve you well here!

Easily shareable

Make it easy for people to help spread the word about your lead magnet. Include social sharing buttons on the lead magnet landing page, and encourage people to share it. You can even reward people by offering points that can be traded for additional free products or services. If you’re promoting your lead magnet via email, add a social share block, so people can share your newsletter with their friends.

You’re almost a lead magnet expert. Before we send you off to create a high-converting incentive of your own, let’s discuss a few lead magnet best practices.

Segment people from the start

Using strategic opt-in fields on the lead capture form lets you automatically categorize people based on interests, demographics or needs. You might ask for someone’s occupation, team size, location or goal. The answers can be used to create tailored lead magnet funnels for each specific group.

Keep testing and tweaking

The most successful business owners are always listening to their audience and tweaking content. You might launch a downloadable PDF, but realize a video tutorial resonates more with people. Or perhaps your live webinar is better off as a replay to achieve a higher ROI. Lead magnets are ever-evolving to best serve your audience.

Schedule maintenance updates

Especially when you’re running more than one lead magnet campaign, be sure to schedule reviews. Check conversions, comments, video likes, email unsubscribes and other relevant engagement metrics to see what can be optimized. Look for any piece of content that’s outdated (especially in studies or trend reports) and refresh insights where necessary.

Define metrics to measure success

Each lead magnet will have its own key metrics to measure. It could be the open rate, number of downloads, calls booked, lead quality, video views or website visitors. A high conversion rate but low engagement can mean that while the initial promise is tempting, people are not as impressed with the lead magnet itself.

You’ve now completed all the training needed to create a highly effective lead magnet! 

Remember that there’s not one popular lead magnet template that works for everyone, it all depends on your ideal customers. Spend most of your time learning about their problems and creating what they need. Then put a lead magnet funnel in place and keep optimizing your offer while analyzing the engagement and conversion metrics.