How to create lead magnets people actually want to download

Let’s say that you are looking to take up a new hobby this summer, such as yoga.

But you're a first-time yogi and you’re not sure where to start. So, you decide to look online for guides on how to start your yoga journey and find yourself on a website that offers a free guide in exchange for your email address.

This is a classic example of a lead magnet for businesses that are looking to attract potential customers to their websites. But what exactly is a lead magnet?

Simply put, lead magnets can help a business turn viewers of their website into customers. But more often than not, lead magnets fail because website owners are either:

• Creating lead magnets that no one wants 
• Or creating lead magnets that don’t attract the right customers 

But don’t worry, because we’re here to help. In this article, we will be discussing in depth what a lead magnet is, and how to create effective lead magnets based on your customer, their problems, and different ways you can help solve those problems. 

What is a lead magnet?

A lead magnet, or a “killer bribe”, is a free incentive that your business offers a user in exchange for their contact information.  

Users aren’t going to just offer their email to anyone without an incentive. And the incentive in question could be anything. Coupons, ebooks, videos, checklists, courses - you name it!

Think about when your parents had you do chores as a kid. Maybe you didn’t want to wash dishes after dinner, but when your parents offered you an ice cream movie night in exchange, you were happy enough to scrub down a plate or two.

But do lead magnets actually work? Let’s dive into this.

Do lead magnets work?

We believe in generating results, not just traffic, for our clients. And for most clients, results are leads and customers. 

Based on our clients over the years, we can say with absolute certainty that lead magnets work when done well. And that’s why we help businesses create lead magnets that help convert your users and fill your sales team's pipeline.

For a lead magnet to be effective, however, it has to have these 5 characteristics. A lead magnet should have the following:

• A value exchange
• Targeted content
• A way of nurturing relationships with your customers
• An easy and accessible format
• A good design

Let’s go through each of these characteristics below:

1. Value Exchange 

An effective lead magnet must offer something valuable to the customer in exchange for their contact information. If something valuable is offered, then the customer will have the incentive to provide their email to complete the transaction. 

2. Targeted Content 

To catch the eye of a customer, a lead magnet has to be targeted to your audience. Think of your customer’s problems, and how you can offer solutions through your lead magnet. This way, you create content that is relevant and attractive to your audience. 

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3. Nurturing Relationships

Relationships are based on trust. But you can only nurture relationships if you make a connection. An effective lead magnet will capture a user’s contact information so that your business can nurture this relationship through marketing. As you build trust with the user, you can guide them down the sales funnel to turn them into a customer.

4. Easy and Accessible 

Personalized lead magnets can capture users at an amazing conversion rate of 30% - 40%. With this in mind, you have to make sure that your lead magnets are 1) easy to download and 2) short and sweet. If a lead magnet is too complicated, users are more likely to ignore your lead magnet.

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5. Design, design, design!

When you create a lead magnet, your design is key. You want something that is easy on the eyes, but also attractive to your user. That way, your user will be attracted to the lead magnet, but will also be able to consume the content effectively.

But how do you create a lead magnet? Let’s move on to this question in the next section.

What are the types of lead magnets I could create?

The sky's the limit for all the different types of lead magnets you could make. However, the most successful lead magnets are tailored to attract a specific audience and address a specific need. 

Here is a list of the different types of lead magnets you could create:

• Ebooks
• Webinars
• Courses 
• White Papers
• Case Studies
• Tutorials
• Free trials 
• Consultations
• And so much more! 

How do I create a lead magnet?

To create a lead magnet from scratch, there are several steps you have to follow to make your lead magnet effective. Let’s walk through the steps below:

1. Identify your audience 
2. Know your audience’s problem
3. Know your incentive
4. Choose your lead magnet 
5. Name your lead magnet
6. Write and design!
7.  Create your landing page
8. Create your “thank you” page 
9. Build your delivery email
10. Promote your lead magnet

1. Identify your audience 

To create a lead magnet, your first step must start with your audience. Who is your target customer? What’s their demographic? What are their interests?

Once you have these questions answered, you now have a profile of your ideal customer. Now you can begin creating content tailored to your target audience’s needs. 

2. Know your audience’s problem 

It’s time to change perspective: put yourself in your audience’s shoes. What problem is your customer trying to solve? If you can create a lead magnet that helps solve this problem, then you’ll drive up your conversions!

3. Choose your lead magnet’s benefit

It all comes down to incentive: what can you give your customer in exchange for their contact information?  Even though you’re solving a problem for your audience, what else does your lead magnet have to offer? 

Consider these questions as you think about this:

• Is your solution easy to understand and implement?
• How soon will your audience see results?
• How is your solution better than others?

Once you know how to answer these questions, you’re all set to begin choosing your lead magnet.

4. Choose your lead magnet 

Decisions, decisions. What format will you choose for your lead magnet? 

There are many answers to this question, but it is ultimately up to you how you want to format your lead magnet. Refer to our list in “What are the types of lead magnets I could create above to see some of the different lead agents you could chose from.

At Centori, we use a number of lead magnets to help our clients grow their businesses and websites. Here’s a few examples of lead magnets we might offer to out clients:

• An growth guide eBook
• A free consulting session 
• A keyword research worksheet
• A content brief template 
• A blog idea generator

As long as you give it some thought, you can ensure your lead magnet’s format matches your intended goals.

5. Name your lead magnet

Now it's time to pick a name! The name of your lead magnet will be the headline of your landing page, so it's important to choose carefully. Your name will either bring your audience in or drive your audience away. 

For some ideas, come up with titles that insight curiosity, are benefit-rich, and get straight to the point - why should your audience take your incentive? 

Some examples of lead magnet titles include:

• The Big Question - This title helps you say right away the problem your audience has that you want to help them resolve, such as “How to Improve My SEO?
• A Complete Guide - For longer lead magnets, such as eBooks, you can say something along the lines of  “A Complete Guide to Keyword Research”
• How I… - For this title, you can make a connection by speaking from your own experience, such as “How I Improved my Ranking on Google”
• How to… - Perfect for any content that explains how to solve a problem, such as “How to Design a Website”

With an enticing title, you are sure to grab a potential customer’s attention immediately.

6. Write and Design!

Now comes the fun part, writing and designing your lead magnet. 

Start by researching other lead magnets in your industry. What do they do well in? What can be improved?

Then, you can create an outline for your content with the info you want to cover. After that, you’re ready to write your first draft and once that’s reviewed, you’ll have feedback to create your final copy.  

Regarding design, you want to create an enticing and professional-looking cover. You want to catch your viewer’s attention, so take the time to consider how you want your lead magnet to look.

7. Create your lead magnet’s landing page

Once you have your lead magnet, it’s time to make your landing page. Also known as a squeeze page, your landing page is where you promote your lead magnet.

Landing pages are usually short and sweet. They have a brief description of your lead magnet, the benefits, and a form where users can enter their contact information.

Your landing page is incredibly important because if your landing page doesn’t do a good job of conveying the value of your lead magnet, no one will use it.

8. Create your “thank you” page

Now that your user has given you their contact information, it’s time to send a “thank you!” This page is what users see after they take advantage of your lead magnet.

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You can even sneak in another call to action. Something like, “Thanks for downloading X! Join our free Slack community and share your thoughts!”

9. Build your delivery email

Once the user fills out their contact information, you can email them the file or link with the content they want. 

And now we can move on to the final step.

10. Promote your lead magnet

With your lead magnet ready to go, it's time to promote it! If you want users to download it, you need to tell them that it exists.

Here are some ways to you can promote your lead magnets: 

• Online ads
• Blog CTAs
• Alert Bars 
• Website pop-ups

This way, you can bring your content together with relevant lead magnets to promote desired actions by the user.

What tools can I use to create lead magnets?

Now that you know how to create a lead magnet, we want to make your lead magnet journey a little easier for you. Below, we have curated a list of different tools you can use to create your lead magnets.

1. Google Analytics 

If you want to find detailed demographic data on your audience, use Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a free tool that tracks metrics such as conversions or website traffic, bounce rates, views, sessions, and more.  

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With Google Analytics, you can make a profile of your ideal customer to find your target audience. 

2. Google Search Console 

One tool that can help choose your lead magnet’s benefit is Google Search Console. Google Search Console is typically used to view website performance and gain insights into website performance in Google search results. 

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But, you can also use Google Search Console to analyze what content drives the most traffic to your site and in turn, what users are looking for on your website.

3. Canva 

As an easy-to-use graphic design platform, Canva is a popular tool for anyone looking to spruce up their lead magnet’s design. 

With both free and premium memberships, Canva can help you make your lead magnets pop!

4. Adobe InDesign

Similar to Canva. Adobe InDesign can help you create lead magnets like e-books, pamphlets, and brochures.

If you have a knack for design Adobe InDesign’s software may just be for you! This tool offers a variety of plans for both small and medium businesses that can help you amp up your lead magnets. 

5. Forums to learn your audience’s problem 

To learn the problems of your audience, you can use tools that are most likely already in your grasp. Forums such as your inbox and social media platforms can help you see what questions your customers are asking. 

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If you find a common question among your customers, you can use it as the building block of your lead magnet.

6. Software to send your delivery email

For your lead magnet’s effort to count, you want to make sure you use an email service that can deliver your lead magnet’s benefits on-time. These email services will save you the time and stress of sending out these emails yourself. 

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You can deliver your lead magnet using email marketing platforms like Active Campaign, Aweber, or MailChimp.

Where should I place lead magnets on my website?

When it comes to lead magnets, location is key. How else can your users provide their contact information if they are not drawn to, or cannot even see your lead magnet?

Placing your lead magnets strategically on your website is crucial for maximizing their effectiveness. Let’s walk through a list of some locations where you could place your lead magnet: 

• Homepage: Home is where the heart is! By putting your lead magnet on your homepage, it ensures that it's the first thing that users will see!
• Sidebar: Putting your lead magnet on a sidebar will ensure that your lead magnet is visible on any page where the sidebar appears.
• Pop-ups or slide-ins: These can help capture a user’s attention. By timing them correctly, these pop-ups or slide-ins will appear less invasive. 
• Blog Posts: On your blogs, you can include forms that offer a lead magnet that relates to the blog’s topic.
• Resource Pages: Pages that list white papers, case studies, eBooks, or other resources can help promote your lead magnets.
• Landing Pages: By dedicating landing pages to lead magnets, they can help drive up high conversions.

Start creating effective lead magnets today

To compete in today’s market, lead magnets are a necessary tool to have in your back pocket. By bringing traffic to your pipeline, lead magnets can help you convert your traffic into effective leads. 

At Centori, we have helped over a hundred companies drive up their traffic by designing lead magnets that not only attract potential customers, but also nurture relationships with leads. If you want to learn more about how to create lead magnets and how they can help you, download our free organic growth guide here.