A lead magnet is the free incentive you offer in exchange for someone joining your email list. Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies for running a profitable online business. No matter what niche you are in, you must have a responsive email list.

People won’t give you their email address to receive something that doesn’t interest them. When you create a lead magnet, it has to be something so attractive that your prospect would pay for it.

Lead Magnet Types

Your lead magnet can come in a variety of formats. Think about what your audience is most likely to respond to. Here are some examples

• Cheat Sheet – This can be a worksheet, notes, a mind map, or some kind of visual.
• Course – People often like email courses that they receive over time.
• Report – A short, easy-to-digest report that offers great strategy or advice.
• eBook: a more extensive and complete lead magnet in the form of an eBook.
• Audio file: a sound recording or a course that teaches something.
• Video – A video that teaches something, shares a great strategy, demonstrates something, etc.
• Coupon: A discount for new prospects who sign up for your list.
• Test – People like to answer questions and see if they are correct, so you can email your results.

Keep it simple

Don’t complicate things too much. Your offer must be simple and effective. It should be easy to understand the value it offers and easy to sign up. Make sure your lead capture page (also called a compression page) is clean and straightforward.

Be precise

Make sure your offer is specific. Offering a solution to a problem that people in your market have. You don’t want to be too general or try to cover many different areas. Explain exactly what people can expect to receive.

Create a great lead capture page

Remember that you really need to encourage people to sign up for your list. You really have to “sell” it to get people to sign up. Make them an offer they can’t refuse and put the strongest 3-5 benefits on the lead capture page.

You need highly targeted traffic

Drive targeted web traffic to your lead magnet. This means that you know that your audience will be interested in what you have to say. You can use paid or free traffic or a combination. If you have a good lead capture page and create a lead magnet that your target audience will want, you will get a considerable amount of sign-ups for your list.