How to generate new email subscribers using a lead magnet
Do you want people queuing up to subscribe to your newsletter? If so, a Lead Magnet can be one of the most effective ways possible to make that happen.
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Lots of ideas for what you could offer for your own lead magnet
How to create a snazzy digital lead magnet PDF file
How to deliver your lead magnet
How to promote your lead magnet.
1. What is a lead magnet?
A lead magnet is an incentive for a prospective customer to give you their name and email address in return for something. That something is usually either:
Digital - e.g. a PDF download, e-book, video, checklist, planner, guide or report
A discount code
From a business owner’s perspective, it’s really helpful for us to have the email addresses of potential buyers to be able to market to them (and add value of course).
But for the majority of us it can be quite a challenge to get those potential buyers to give us them.
And that’s where an effective lead magnet helps because someone is much more likely to give us their email address if we offer them something of [perceived] value in return.
What you offer as a lead magnet depends entirely on the nature of your business, what you want to promote and what your target clients value and are interested in.
If you have an e-commerce business a discount code is the obvious choice and one you’ve have seen time and again when you’re shopping online. But if you sell high value products or have a service businesses that’s probably not an option and you need to find something else that will work.
2. Which would you be most likely to give your email address for?
Imagine you’re a 50 year old woman and you’ve just read an excellent blog about top 10 tips for weight loss during the menopause. At the end you’re invited to give your email address in return for
Option 1: Future tips in your inbox
Option 2: A free hormone-balancing low-calorie dessert recipe e-book that you can download and print instantly
Option 3: A checklist of 10 crucial foods you should eat every week to help with menopause symptoms to stick on the fridge door
Option 4: 7 days’ free access to exclusive work-out videos to assist with balancing hormones (if that’s what the business offers)
Option 5: 15% off your first purchase of e.g. supplements valid for 48 hours (if that’s what the business offers).
The chances are that you’re not very likely at all to go for Option 1 because there’s little value in it for you and you think you’ll remember how to find this website again (even though you’ll probably actually forget what it’s called).
On the other hand, any of the other options could be of interest and are probably a lot more likely to get you to hand over your email address to get them.
There are pros and cons to each option, so how would you decide what to offer as a business? Well, onto the next point…
3. What makes a good lead magnet?
From a business’ perspective, it’s something that is:
relatively easy to develop
has no or minimal costs
can be delivered automatically and instantly without human input
gives a taster of what you do and shows your expertise
is not too valuable otherwise you’ll end up getting an audience full of freebie magpies who are unlikely to actually turn into customers
includes a Call to Action to get the person to engage with you further
From a subscriber’s perspective, it’s something that:
is simple to understand what they’re signing up for
solves a problem they have
is quick and easy to read / watch / use
provides a quick win
has an actual {or perceived} value
does the hard work for them
4. How to go about deciding on and developing your own lead magnet
This is where it gets a bit more complicated. So I’ve created a handy free guide to walk you through the process. To get hold of it just pop your details below - with the added bonus that you can see how your lead magnet can be delivered quickly and easily by email.
5. How many lead magnets do you need?
As with most business planning, a lot of it is simply educated guesswork until you have some experience under your belt. You can make a guess at what people might give you their email address for, but you won’t actually know until you test it out. On top of that, you want your lead magnet to get the right kind of people to subscribe i.e. the ones who are likely to be come your ideal customers.
So come up with a short-list and test them out. If you’re feeling fancy you could offer them simultaneously on e.g. different topical blogs or landing pages. By using certain sign-up tools, each sign-up box can add a different tag to that person behind the scenes which then delivers a different lead magnet depending on where they signed up from, and that will give you a better idea for what works and what doesn’t. If you need help with that, let me know.
And finally
If you’d like any help or advice about any of the things covered in this blog then just drop me a line. I can help you decide on a lead magnet which aligns with your business goals, create it and deliver it.
And don’t forget to subscribe below so that you can see a Lead Magnet delivery in action and get my free downloadable roadmap to developing your own.
Claire