When you’re running a business, getting new clients is an important part of ensureing your success!  When it comes to marketing, there is a lot you can do but one thing you will hear again and again is how incredibly important email marketing is.  Yes, even today in our social media times, building an email list is one of the best things you can do. 

So how do you do this?

You do some research, sign up to an email provider and even add a smart newsletter sign up form on your website.  Then hope everyone who visits will register, right?

Let’s pause here,  yes some people will register – usually your existing clients who may want to hear offers and news from you …  but people usually need a good reason to part with their email address! 

That’s where your lead magnet comes in! You will give them a great reason to sign up and reward them in return. 

What is a lead magnet?

A lead magnet is the secret ingredient needed to quickly grow your email list and the tips below will help you understand how to create your own signature lead magnet that will attract new clients and help you to grow your very own business email list.

Also known as a freebie, opt-in, or content upgrade, your lead magnet is a free, value-packed piece of content that your customers (or potential customers) will want to get their hands on. In return, they give you their email address and are happily added to your email list. Every time someone downloads your lead magnet, you get another subscriber on the list! It’s win-win really. 

Having your own specifit lead magnet is one of the best strategies to grow your email list quickly.  Not only does it directly help your prospective clients solve a problem or challenge they’re facing, but it also reminds them that you as an expert in your niche

Some lead magnets you could use are;

• A Top Tips guide
• Recipes/ tutorial
• Cheatsheet to do something
• A ‘How To’ Guide
• Mini-Course
• Worksheets
• Quiz
• Masterclass
• 20 Affirmatins/ Quotes 

A lead magnet usually solves a paint point that your customers have.  Once you’ve proven that you have the solution, then it is far more likely that clients are going to keep coming back each time they need your advice/ guidance/ product or service.  It’s a great way to help build your know, like and trust factor. 

The more you can share for free, the more likely potential clients are to buy from you in the future.

While all of this may make perfect sense to you, it may still feel a little daunting to create your own lead magnet.  The truth is, it’s far easier than you may think and anyone can create a lead magnet using the skills and knowledge they already have. 

All that’s left to do is put that knowledge into something tangible for your audience, like a document, ebook, video or audio recording.  There are lots of options to pick from. 

Below is a simple five step strategy for crafting a super valuable lead magnet that will help you to grow your list in no time. 

Follow these 5 steps to see your list grow organically .. quickly!

1. Brainstorm Ideas 

Set aside some time to brainstorm all the ideas you can think of for your lead magnet.

Find somewhere quiet, where you can focus … your office, your bedroom, a cafe you ilke to work from .. wherever you feel inspired.  Once you’re ready,  Don’t forget your notebook ( I love doing this on paper) or laptop … whatever works best for you.  Now list as many ideas as possible, that are things you can easily do!  For example if you are a fitness coach, it could be a Top 5 Ways To Tone Your Arms list.  If you’re a chef, it may be a free recipe.  Download my Tiramisu Made Simple recipe.   If you’re a yoga teacher, it could be a 5 minute video for lower back pain.  

What are you an expert at? What problems can you easily solve?

Write as many things as you can think of. 

During your brainstorm session, ask yourself the following ten questions. 

1. What am i passionate about?
2. What problems do I solve regularly for others?
3. What do I want to be known for?
4. What’s the biggest transformation my clients have?
5. What positive feedback have you received from customers or clients?
6. What questions am I often asked?
7. What’s my favorite thing to talk about?
8. What lessons have I learned along the way?
9. How does my audience like to receive information? Email, video or audio?
10. What lead magnets do I engaged with? Why? What do I like about these?

Write down whatever comes to mind and get as many ideas as you can. Lists, mind-map, Q & A format … do whatever works best for you. 

2. Know Your Ideal Client’s Pain Points

Before you spend any time or energy creating your lead magnet, let’s make sure it covers a topic your ideal client needs help with.

Choose three or four ideas from your brainstorming session and immerse yourself into the discussions your ideal client has on your topic. There are plenty of tools out there to hlep you do this.  Quora, Reddit, Facebook Groups or even your own social group (if they match the profile of your ideal client).  

Doing this will help you to truly understand what your ideal clients are struggling with and how they’re communicating this struggle.

Tip: During your research, note down specific words or language your ideal client is using when talking about their paint points. Later, when it comes time to promote your lead magnet, you’ll be able to use their language and phrases here so. that you are connecting in the way they understand best. 

3. Decide on your post lead magnet offer.

Once your lead magnet has been downloaded, you will direct your new potential clients to a thank you page.  Here is the ideal place to also offer something extra at a bonus discount price.  Some refer to this as an ‘I need that’ offere.

Once you decide to do this, (and I do recommend this as it’s another win-win for both you and your new subscriber) then think about what that offer could be.  If you have a variety of products on offer, make sure you’re clear on the product you’re going to offer to them.  

Also, think about where you’re sending your new subscriber once they’ve given their email address.  This may be their first experienc with you and you want it to be a good one!

Knowing this will help you narrow down which ideas from your lead magnet brainstorm works best and will help you communicate to your new subscriber more powerfully in the future, as you’ll know what they need help with.

There are two elements to a great offer which are important if you want your lead magnet to work!

1. What value is your new subscriber expecting?
2. How will your lead magnet transform their life or help with a pain point?

4. Create your lead magnet

First it’s a good idea to create an outline to ensure that you have everything you need in your lead magnet.

On a blank page, create three colums.  

In column one, write down the lead magnet idea you have decided on.

In column two, write out the transformation your lead magnet will provide. 

Now is the time to get all your thoughts out on paper by using bullet points for the content you want to include in your lead magnet.

You’ll easily be able to see whether or not the content you’ve added flows sequentially. If it doesn’t, you may need to add/delete items to ensure it makes sense. You want to be confident you’re providing your new subscriber with the utmost value. At the end of the day, your goal is for them to take action, not to feel overwhelmed!

Create your lead magnet.

How long this takes will depend on the style of lead magnet you’ve chosen and your skill level in createing these.  At first it may take you a few hours, days, or a week to create and launch it.

Another alternative, if you simply don’t have the time is to hire someone to do this for you. 

If you hate video, don’t choose to record a video training. If you’re not a good writer, don’t choose to write a guide. This is your first lead magnet so it doesn’t need all the bells and whistles just yet. Keep it simple and get it out there.

Above all else, make sure it’s actionable and solves the problem your ideal client faces.

By going methodically through these five steps, you can be confident the lead magnet you’ve created will help your ideal client in some way, instead of adding to the noise.

I know you’ve got it in you to create something amazing — something that will transform your prospective clients’ lives, no matter how big or small. This is going to be a lead magnet that they’ll want to download (and hand their email address over for). 

5. Create Your Landing Page

While many people will create a simple “here’s my freebie” landing page,  it’s well worth spending some extra time to create a page that will convert your audience into new subscribers. 

You’ve spent a lot of time creating this epic signature lead magnet — let’s make sure visitors to your landing page convert to subscribers!

It doesn’t have to be complicated! Here’s a simple template to get you started:

• Header – A large clear header that shares the name of your signature lead magnet, maybe text-only or a “logo” design.
• What’s the transformation – You know your ideal clients better than anyone else so speak to their pain points before offering your free download. 
• Sneak peek – Show a sneak peek of what they can expect inside the lead magnet via a static image, a GIF, or a video image to get them excited about it. 
• Use Bullet points – Highlight the benefits they will  get out of reading, watching, or listening to your content.
• Call to action – Add a button that makes it super obvious what you want them to do.   This can be a ‘Download Now’, ‘Join here’ ,  ‘Get your copy’  or simpoly a ‘YES PLEASE’  whatever woding works best for your clients. 

Where to place your landing page?

Many people get confused about hwere your landing page should be on your website.  This is ok, so did I at the start! One of the best ways to do this is keep it as an unlinked page. This means that only those with the link can access it, instead of having it integrated into your website menu.

All you need to do is add a button on your home page which directs people to this unlinked landing page.

And that’s it! You’ve created your free lead magnet and landing page! What next? 

Spread the word, tell everyone what you’ve done and where they can find it!

Creating it is great but you need to go out there and let people know about this amazing free download they can enjoy!

If the idea of talking about your lead magnet and asking for an email address feels icky, think about it like this: if you’re not sharing about your freebie regularly you’re doing your community a disservice. This is something that is intentionally designed to add real value to their life, and they might not be aware it exists!

Please dont’ forget this last importnat part! Your energy and effort creating this amazing lead magnet will be wasted if you don’t continue to promote it.  Make it part of your marketing strategy and blog, guest talk, post it on socials … or a mix of all of these .. but keep promoting it! 

Your lead magnets success (or failure!) depends on the effort you put into promoting it!

For more business related tips, why not check out our other blog articles.  If you enjoyed this, then please feel free to share it on social media or with a friend directly.