Creating Lead Magnets For Email Marketing Success (Must Read!)  


Do you wish you can start creating lead magnets that will help you achieve success in email marketing?

Let’s face it, everyone loves freebies, even in the digital world!

However, if you are expecting to get massive sign-ups by offering some random, run-of-the-mill freebie, then you are in for a rude awakening.

Luckily, in this blog post, I will share with you some actionable tips you can apply so that you’ll know how to create a good lead magnet with ease.

Let’s get started!

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Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links which means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here.


What Are Lead Magnets?

Lead magnets are one of the most effective ways to build your email list. 

How it works is quite simple. You create something of value for your target audience and then give it away in exchange for their email address. 

You can choose to display this lead magnet on your homepage, sidebar, or even your about page, although the most common place is your blog post. 

For example, if your blog post is about “getting started with Pinterest”, then a good lead magnet would be an eBook or an eCourse about setting up Pinterest

Related Post: So What Are Lead Magnets Exactly?

Lead Magnet Examples

You have a wide range of options when it comes to choosing what to offer your target audience. Here are some common examples.

  • Ebooks
  • Ecourses
  • Checklists
  • Cheat sheets
  • Free graphics
  • Templates
  • Webinars
  • Spreadsheets
  • Quizzes
  • Printables
  • Resource Lists
  • Step-by-step guides
  • Free trials

Whichever format you choose for your lead magnet, just make sure it best serves your purpose and solves the problem for your target audience. 

What Makes A Good Lead Magnet?

Below are some essential elements that make a good lead magnet. Keep these in mind as you create the most effective opt-in offer possible for your blog or business.

It must be delivered quickly

Effective lead magnets are those that are delivered instantly or within just a few minutes.

I mean… seriously, if you have to wait until the next day to receive your digital freebie then it’s just ridiculous and frustrating.

Quick delivery of the lead magnet will allow your audience to begin applying the information or implementing the solution almost immediately. 

Moreover, this helps build trust with your audience, making it more likely for them to respond to your follow-up email messages.

It should be comprehensible

Your lead magnets must be clear and easy for your target audience to understand. 

This is why it’s very important for you to know your audience. Let’s say your target market is beginners. Do you think they’ll be able to easily consume your content if it contains expert-level information?

Having said that, matching your lead magnet and your audience based on the level of experience can help ensure that new subscribers will not opt-in to an offer that is beyond their experience level or need.

Pro tip: When creating lead magnets, make the title clear enough so that people will know exactly to whom the offer is intended.

For example, Pinterest for New Bloggers is a course that teaches new bloggers how to make Pinterest work for their blog. So if I’ve been using Pinterest for a few years now, I would know right away that this course may not be for me. 

This brings us to the next one…

It should be laser-targeted

Your lead magnets must be laser-targeted to the audience that you want to sign up for your email list. To do this, make sure that they always contain words and solutions that are specific to their needs.

This will help keep freebie seekers and confusion to a minimum, thus keeping your email list clean.

It must provide quick results

When people grab your opt-in offer, it’s most likely because they need a quick solution to a problem they are facing. 

For example, if I’m actively searching for “how to start blogging legally” on Google and I come across an offer to enroll in a free legal course, I would grab it instantly because I believe that it will help me protect my blog legally in the quickest and easiest way possible.

Having said that, when you create your lead magnet, make sure that it provides a certain degree of relief from specific pain points related to a question or a problem.

This will help you build your authority on the topic, which prompts your audience to buy paid products from you eventually. 

It should be brand consistent

Even with freebies, brand consistency is a must

This means the quality and the visual branding of your lead magnets should be the same as your paid products.

Doing this will make your audience feel safe as they can easily identify your items and at the same time, they know what to expect from you. 

This feeling of safety will then ultimately turn them into returning, loyal, and long-term customers or supporters of your blogging business. 

It must have a focused and relevant content

I know how easy it is to lose focus when creating your lead magnet but in order to make it effective, you have to keep it focused and relevant to your niche.

To do this, identify the most popular topics and posts on your blog. 

If you see content that doesn’t already have an opt-in, then create a lead magnet for that post. 

Make sure that it is highly relevant to the topic and the target audience you want to attract. 

It should have a dedicated opt-in landing page

It could be long or short, but each one should focus on ONE topic, ONE solution, and ONE offer. 

The page should be designed to introduce the freebie and provide details about its benefits, and it must also include an opt-in form to collect the name and email address (where the freebie will be delivered).

Steps To Creating Lead Magnets That Work

Below are the steps to create lead magnets that will help you reach email marketing success.

Analyze your current content

If you want to create a compelling opt-in offer, the first thing you should look at is the content you have now.

Which of your blog posts are the most popular?

Check your analytics to find out so you’ll know which content is the perfect place to add a related lead magnet. 

Adding lead magnets to these posts will allow you to attract and reach more people in the specific subset of your audience.

As long as you make sure that the lead magnet is directly related to your post topic and is what your audience needs, then they are more likely to sign up for your email list.

Focus on your audience’s problems

People will come to your blog for a reason, and it’s most likely because they are searching for a solution to a problem they are currently facing. 

If you know who your target audience is and where they usually hang out online, you can survey them to learn about their common problems so you can choose which one to address. 

Having an existing email list, social media accounts, and an online community (such as Facebook groups) can help you do this. 

Consistently engage with them, and in the process, you can determine what type of lead magnet to create. 

Educate your audience

Now that you know your audience’s problems and pain points, it’s time to choose what you want to educate your audience about. 

For example, if your audience is struggling to get organized at home, then you can choose to educate them through an ebook about home organization tips.

Name your lead magnet

If you want to make your lead magnet effective, it’s always a good idea to be very specific regarding who the target audience is and the problem it solves. 

Naming it will be easier and so is adding specific benefits to your copy.

For example, an ebook titled “19 Budget Hacks For Uni Students” is very specific. It provides information about what’s inside the lead magnet, without any confusion. It’s also short and straight to the point.

Create offers your audience can’t refuse

When you create lead magnets for your blog, take note of the following:

  • You must catch the attention of your audience and provide exceptional value.
  • Offer a much-needed solution that will make their lives easier in some way.
  • Use wording that will motivate them emotionally.
  • Show them realistic benefits and solutions

Overall, the goal should be moving your audience forward from where they are now, to where they want to be.

When you provide a high-quality freebie to your audience, they are more likely to take the next step to make a purchase.

It will take a lot of research to develop the right lead magnet, but it will all be worth it.

Final Thoughts on Creating Lead Magnets

A lead magnet is essentially an ethical bribe that you offer to your target audience that will make them want to give you their email address and join your email list. 

If you want to make a compelling offer, I recommend you look at your most popular content and engage with your audience to determine the type of freebie that will be useful to them.

You can even check out what your competition is doing if you don’t have enough content on your own. 

Once you’ve identified the type of freebie you are going to make, then you can start creating lead magnets that are relevant, easy to understand, brand consistent, and provide quick results to your audience. 

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