10 Ways to Grow Your Email List with Lead Magnets

A lead magnet is an incentive that attracts prospects to provide their email address or contact information in exchange for your resource. They are one of the top ways you can increase your email list. If you haven’t been using a lead magnet to capture contact information of new connections, you are missing out on a potential game-changer for your business.

Lead magnets are typically available in a digital format so that it can be downloaded or emailed to the new lead. Examples include reports, checklists, e-books, guides, and so on.

Without a lead magnet, you’re leaving money on the table

You may not think you don’t need to start using lead magnets, but we would disagree. Email addresses and other contact information is very personal and website visitors aren’t going to volunteer their contact details without being prompted for it. They need to be incentivized before they will be willing to share it with you and that means your lead magnet has to create that incentive. Give them a good reason to keep in touch with you.

You might use a lead capture form on your contact page, or you may include an opt in form for someone to join your email list at the end of a blog post, but imagine if that was coupled with a free downloadable pdf guide of _secrets__ that outlines all the steps someone should take when financing a new home. Which one is more likely to motivate someone to give you their contact info?

Now that you see the value and importance of giving your visitors a carrot for sharing their contact details with you, let’s cover different lead magnets you could prepare and what it takes to make a great one.

How to make a Memorable Lead Magnet 

If you’re struggling to think of what you could offer as a lead magnet, you just need to focus on making it useful.

You want your lead magnet to…

  • Solve a problem.
  • Be easy to follow and read quickly.
  • Perceived as valuable
  • Be easily accessible
  • Empower the reader with YOUR expert knowledge. 

Your lead magnet is another way to showcase your expertise.

Now that you have the goals and understanding of what you need your lead magnet to accomplish, let’s go over some examples.

Top 10 Lead Magnet Ideas

We’re focusing on lead magnets that are educational, useful, and contribute to your community.

The Checklist

This is probably the easiest lead magnet to prepare and is an all-time favorite. Checklists are known to convert visitors better than most other lead magnets. They are concise, clear, focused, and helpful.

Resource List

Not quite like a checklist, but a list nonetheless. This is where you build a list of resources that are  valuable to your readers because they save time, money or provide other benefits. By putting this together, you’re making your reader’s life easier and saving them from having to do all that research. 

A Spreadsheet

You can provide a spreadsheet that helps your reader accomplish a step along the process they would need to take when signing up for your services.

You could provide a budgeting spreadsheet for calculating a budget that populates their monthly and annual expenses, for example.

A Tutorial

Don’t let this one scare you. This is a way to teach your reader one small thing that you wished they could know earlier in their journey. You could prepare a video or you could just prepare a PDF for download.

A Guide

A guide is a little more than a checklist and a little less than a tutorial. Guides are helpful in educating your readers on the benefits of working with you.

An Industry Report

Data and statistics are knowledge to your clients and your prospective clients. Prepare a report that incorporates industry data, research and statistics to improve their access to your industry and your expertise.

A Toolkit

People love to know what you use to make your life easier using the tools you rely on for your professionalism. They are a huge hit!

P.S. This could even be a way to promote certain products or services that provide affiliate benefits.

An Educational Video

The great benefit of a video is that it has YOU in it and video instantly helps build a stronger relationship with your readers. They put a face to your name and your expertise.

An Email Course

If you have a lot to teach your readers, you can consider using an email course as a lead magnet.

A Free Consultation

This can be a lead magnet! Allow your prospect to set up a time to connect with you. This is a huge incentive.

If you need some inspiration for your industry, you can use the free guides and reports 

that are part of your newsletter membership. You can visit the different guides by clicking on the Free Guides icon from your newsletter membership home Dashboard.