Lead Magnets That Grow Your Business

As Solopreneurs and creators, we often find ourselves at the intersection of creativity and business strategy.

This is evident whenever we’re creating something of value for our audience. It has to be creative, interesting, unique, digestible, and have the potential to be shared widely.

But it also has to serve a business purpose such as moving our prospects closer to becoming customers of our products and services.

One area where this creativity and business intersection really stands out is the creation of a high-quality lead magnet.

A lead magnet is more than just some crappy free thing we give away to get someone’s email address. It has to be easy to consume and drive high engagement. Not one or the other. Both.

Today, I want to share with you how I’m thinking about lead magnets for my business and how to craft them effectively so that you’re getting leads AND creating value.

Let’s dive in.

Create Content That Resonates

As usual, the first thing you need to deeply understand is the challenges your audience faces.

What keeps them up at night? What questions are they asking you on social media?

Write content on platforms like LinkedIn (easiest) or Twitter and build a small following in a certain topical area/area of expertise.

Address the very specific challenges they need help with. See what content resonates, and then align your lead magnet to that specific challenge.

If you do, your lead magnet will resonate and drive conversions. It's not just about getting their email; it's about earning their trust.

An easy way to figure this out is to survey your email list or write a social media post about it. Take all of the answers and send them to ChatGPT for a quick and easy analysis of customer problems.

Choose the Right Type of Lead Magnet

There’s no perfect format for lead magnets.

But there are formats that perform better for simple topics and those that perform much better the more complex the topic gets.

Source: Leadpages

For more simple topics, focus on the upper left-hand quadrant above. Those are high-converting lead magnets: templates, on-demand videos, live tutorials, and toolkits.

This type of lead magnet is both useful and simple to consume, leading to high conversion rates.

For more complex topics, check out the upper right-hand quadrant above. Consider consultations, online training, webinars, and useful worksheets.

While these are generally more difficult to consume, the lead quality of someone who gets through them will be astonishingly high.

Align with Your Business Goals

Your lead magnet shouldn't just be some random offer.

It should align with the service or product you provide, acting as a stepping stone toward your paid offer.

A lead magnet that chips away at customer problems and leads seamlessly into your paid solutions is more likely to convert those leads into paying customers.

Optimize Your Landing Page

An exceptional lead magnet deserves an outstanding landing page. Without one, you’re going to struggle to convert people, no matter how good the lead magnet is.

Here are some quick tips:

• Use an attention-grabbing headline.
• Include an image to make your lead magnet tangible.
• Use copy that speaks to the “why” behind opting in for your lead magnet.

Make sure that it’s compelling as hell and easy to fill out.

Don’t collect unnecessary information that adds more friction to the process of getting someone to convert.

Conclusion

Lead magnets are not just about collecting emails.

They’re about providing genuine value, building trust, and paving the way for creating a customer relationship with your audience.

TL;DR

• Create content that resonates
• Choose the right format
• Align with your offer
• Optimize your landing page

Remember - a lead magnet is often the very first interaction a potential customer has with you and your business.

Don’t make it feel like you’re “stealing” their email address.

Make it easy. Make it valuable. Make it for the long term.

Here's to building connections that matter.