9 Lead Magnet ideas to build email list

Building an email list is lucrative for any marketer. The larger your email list, the more money you will make. The only bit of a problem with the same is how to make visitors submit their email addresses?

For many of you, this is the biggest hindrance to building an email list. The answer is to introduce a lead magnet to your visitors. There are numerous lead magnet ideas you can use. We will touch upon that below, but we will cover the basics to provide you with a holistic view before that.

Let us first understand what lead magnets are before we go into the magnet ideas you can use to build an email list.

What is a lead magnet?

A lead magnet is a piece of valuable content that you can use to entice the visitor to submit their email address and other information through a form, landing page, or a squeeze page. In a nutshell, it is something that you offer to the visitors in return for their contact information. Also called a bribe or incentive.

Lead magnets for “lazy” marketers

What if you are struggling, lack time, can’t make a good bribe for some reason?- You can either outsource everything for a dedicated person or get a ready-made e-book, videos, pieces of software, etc. Many people use this cheat to build large email lists or offer as a bonus gift near-by main offer. Make sure it resonates with your audience and sorting problems people in your niche may face.  

Why do you need a lead magnet?

lead magnet ideas action plan

Now you know what it actually is, you might be thinking why a lead magnet is necessary. Truth be told, there are reasons for the same. We will go into these reasons below to provide you with a better understanding.

  • Visitors are often pretty careful with whom they share their contact information. Providing them with an incentive makes it easy for them to share their contact information with you. It is why you cannot do without the lead magnet.
  • Offering them something of value in return of their email address helps you build a rapport with the visitors. You can build more trust by doing so. It will allow you to gain a conversion from the visitor/email list subscriber in the future.
  • Building an email list by offering such a magnet offers you one of the highest ROI compared to any other digital marketing methods. It is another reason to go for it.

With advantages like these, you cannot ignore such magnets to build an email list.

With the basics covered, we will now help you understand the type of lead magnets you can offer to your visitors. We will share with you nine effective lead magnet ideas that you can use.

9 Lead magnet ideas

lead magnet ideas list brainstorming team

These nine lead magnet ideas have been carefully vetted based on their effectiveness. You can choose depending on the niche and value that you need to provide to your visitors.

1. E-book

E-books can offer a whole host of value to your visitors. Moreover, as a marketer, they are easy to write as well. You need to make sure that the e-book which you are offering to your visitors is relevant to the niche.

Only when it solves the problem or answers a question, will the visitors be interested in the book.

The book’s advantage is that you can share as much information as you want with the visitors.

So, if you are in the health industry, you can offer e-books on various topics like:

· How to lose weight?

· How to detox your body?

· How to maintain the work-life balance?

· And so on

You can offer them the combo of these e-books as well. The more the perceived value, the higher will be the conversion rate.

2. Webinar

Have you conducted a private webinar?

If so, you can think about offering it as an incentive to the visitors. A webinar holds more value than an e-book. Most visitors think that since the webinar is something that an expert/marketer has put a face to, the value is on the higher side. Its perceived value is second to only an online consultation.

Once again, a webinar is a magnet idea that you need to work on just once. After that, you need to only release part 2 or part 3 after a long time. If you want to offer personalized ideas and information to your visitors to gain their email addresses, a webinar is a reliable choice.

3. Blueprint

A blueprint is one of the easiest to create lead magnet ideas. You just need to create a shortlist of steps that your readers/email subscribers need to follow. However, it should have precise information.

For example, a blueprint can be something like a step-by-step guide to organizing your bedroom.

When drafting a blueprint, do make sure that it is relevant to your visitors. Only, in that case, you can incentivize them to submit their email addresses.

4. Software trial

Want to go the extra mile?

If yes, offer a software trial to your visitors in exchange for their email addresses. Here, you have some options to do so.

You can tie up with the software/app provider to offer a free trial to your visitors in your niche. If that is not feasible, you have another option as well.

You can create your own iPod software and provide a free trial of the same to your visitors. Creating the app or software is not a difficult task.

When offering them something more than information like software, you can certainly increase your conversion rate further. So, you should not ignore this lead magnet idea.

5. Templates/Scripts

Many marketers do not have the time to create a lead magnet themselves. The idea that we are sharing now is easy to outsource as well.

You can be a developer/programmer/coder to create a template or a script. Once you do so, you can negotiate with them regarding reselling and distribution rights. You have to procure those rights.

After procuring those, you can offer that as an incentive to your visitors. Since you will be offering them something exclusive, gaining their email addresses in return will not be an issue.

Moreover, in most cases, you have to incur a one-time cost for development expenses. After that, you need not worry about any additional costs as well.

The best thing is that you can outsource it completely. It will not only save you time but also allow you to scale up your marketing efforts significantly.

6. Free consultation

Are you an expert or authority figure in your niche?

If yes, consult the biggest lead magnet idea that you can use. You can offer a short free consultation to your visitors in return for registration on your website. Sure enough, this idea will take time, but it will allow you to build your email list rapidly.

The consultation can be short. You can just offer them a 15-minute consultation.

There is an additional advantage of this idea as well. You can presell your services for a paid consultation. Consultation is one of the most lucrative ways to make money online. So, if you can presell your paid consultation services, it will allow you to build up your email list and make a significant amount of money in the process.

7. Discount coupon

Nothing can lure email subscribers like a good old discount coupon. While this idea might be old it works even today.

You can share discount coupons for your products or some other products in your niche. The important thing is to share working discount coupons. Once you do so, the visitors will be lured and submit their email addresses.

The best thing about discount coupons is that you need to work towards procuring them. You need not do anything special on your part. You are just sharing crucial information with your visitor.

That’s all!

The effort that goes into procuring discount coupons is pretty minimal. Consequently, discount coupons offer you one of the highest ROIs when it comes to lead magnets.

8. Exclusive podcast

It’s the age of multimedia. Why not offer such an incentive to your visitors?

The easiest way is to create an exclusive podcast. Podcasts just require your voice. Therefore, you need not worry about graphics or shooting anything. Sure enough, you will need a few retakes to record your podcast, but it is easier for you to use it as a lead magnet once you do so.

The only requirement is that the podcast’s information should be of value and relevant to your niche.

You can create a podcast in just half a day if you work dedicatedly. It means that without investing anything significant, you can execute this lead magnet idea easily.

Of course, you have to highlight the advantages of that podcast to your visitors on the squeeze page or the landing page.

If you can do so effectively, you should see your conversion rate increase.

9. Video training

We have kept the best method for the last.

Video tutorials and video marketing are in trend these days. Among the books, infographics, podcasts, and videos, videos hold the most value in the visitors’ minds.

Sure enough, video training requires you to put in a lot of effort. However, that will provide the best incentive for the visitors to submit their email lists.

Depending on your niche, the type of video training will vary.

For example, in the health niche, you can offer video training on how to do squats the right way?

In the finance niche, you can offer video training on how to pick the best stocks?

The topics are plenty. Also, once again, you need to put effort into creating video training just once. Once you have created the videos, you just need to worry about marketing them and not anything else.

Since most other marketers are trying to bundle video using their paid packages, offering one as a lead magnet is sure to provide you with an edge. You can grow your email list exponentially when you do so.

So, there are quite a few lead magnet ideas to build your email list. We have covered the nine most effective ones.

We know you might be wondering all this is great, but how will I promote my lead magnets?

I will answer that question below.

How to promote a lead magnet?

more: How to generate traffic to your business

While there are ways to promote a lead magnet, we will touch base on four of them today.

· Social Media

Social media markets these magnets in the best possible way. Depending on the niche in which you are operating, you need to choose a social media network like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and so on.

After that, you can share content consistently to build a following. You can market your magnet to your audience from time to time. Doing so ensures that you have a never-ending supply of visitors to your squeeze page or landing page.

· Your blog/website

Do you have a successful blog or website?

If so, you can market your magnet idea on every page of that website or blog. You can do that below your post or in the sidebar. It will ensure that you can redirect the visitors from that website to your squeeze page. Once you do so, gaining new subscribers to your email list becomes easy.

In this method, you’re just harvesting your current success to grow your email list. It is what most of bloggers and influences do.

· Video sites like YouTube

Sharing relevant videos on sites like YouTube can easily help you promote your magnet. Instead of directly promoting the magnet, you have to include subtle signs of the same in your videos. This step ensures that you share relevant information with the viewers and, at the same time, promote your email list/newsletter as well.

· SEO

Why not launch a website exclusively to promote free resources and information you’re offering?

Once you launch such a website, you need to just promote it through SEO. After ranking for some low competition and long-tail keywords, you can get consistent traffic and new subscribers to your email list. So, you get consistent subscribers in the longer run.

In case you’re short of ideas on promoting your lead magnet, these are the four ways to do so.

So, it is the perfect time to harness the power of such magnets to build your email list. You can choose any of the nine ideas that we have highlighted above. Once you do so, it will become easy for you to gain new subscribers and use your email list to make money.

9 Lead Magnet ideas to build email list pin

About Mantas J

Blogger, marketer, coffee lover,- currently now developing several online projects. I know a thing or two about digital marketing :)