21 Lead Magnet Ideas That Can Be Created Under 60 Minutes And Actually Give Value

by Caroline Onyedinma

Not all lead magnet ideas are created equal.

If you’re an online business owner ( aspiring or not) EXPLODING your email lists should be a top priority in 2020. We need to bring our list-building A-game if we are going to be successful at it.

Gone are the days you could just waft an ebook in front of your target audience and have a mass rush on your email list.

The market has raised the stakes. They actually require your lead magnet to be valuable before they’re willing to grace your email list with their presence or even consider reading your sales page.

Stop offering lead magnets that go down like yet another tie gift on Father’s Day!

Give your audience something they can actually use, want to consume, and will appreciate.

First impressions count. Make sure the first encounter you have with potential buyers makes you stand as an amazing value giver rather than a sucky gift giver.

Here are 20 tried and tested lead magnet ideas that can be created under 60 minutes that will transform your free gift from acceptable to EXCEPTIONAL.

You can increase the perceived value of the free gift without adding more content and make people want it just by adopting a smart messing strategy to name the lead magnet.

Messaging totally matters, so I’ve included some messaging tips where appropriate.

#1 Curated collection of stock photos for a particular niche

• Stop your audience from unwittingly swiping copyright-protected images from Google that will earn them a cease and desist by curating commercial free images they can use.
• Take the time to curate a special collection. Unsplash dot com allows you to create your own graphic collection.
• Tool: Arrange them in folders in Google Docs or Dropbox and create a bit.ly link to the folder.
• Messaging Matters: Call it a <niche name> gallery as opposed to stock photos.

 

#2 Email Swipe Files

• Don’t you just hate writer’s block when you need an email sequence in a funnel, like yesterday?
• Give your audience an email that you prepared earlier but don’t give them duds that nobody opened. Only give emails that received high open and conversion rates.
  Create a template from the copy. Insert place holders e.g [Insert Product Name Here] that allows them to customize by filling in the gaps
• Tool: Place the different files on a categorized color-coded Trello Board with placeholders.
• Messaging Matters: Call it a SYSTEM as opposed to SWIPE FILES.

 

#3 Checklist

• Checklists give structure, provide a plan and suppress anxiety about the chaos of life because of proof of progress.
• Checklists don’t have to be in PDF format but should still allow people to tick off tasks.
• Tool: Airtable spreadsheet, Trello Board, Asana project, Google sheet or doc.
  
• Messaging matters - PRODUCTIVITY TOOL, PLANNER, or SYSTEM as opposed to CHECKLIST.
  
  

#4 Content Calendar

• Offer a daily prompt or idea that provides structure and promotes sanity.
• Example: Social Media Calendar. Cleaning task of the day calendar. Workout calendar.
• Tool: Google or Excel formatted in the style of a calendar. Canva Calendar template downloaded as PDF.
  
  

#5 A Quiz

• Buzz feed style quizzes tap into human psychology and people love to take them.
• Example: What type of Entrepreneur Are You? What’s Your Celebrity Style?
• Tool: TryInteract, LeadQuizzes, TypeForm.
• Messaging Matters: Give your quiz a distinctive name - Brand Archetype Quiz, Sacred Money Quiz, Get More Clients Quiz
  
  

#6 A Calculator

• Helping your audience make data-driven decisions will have you top of their Christmas card list forever. A calculator provides a numerical result based on a given formula that will help your ideal client make better decisions.
• Example: FB Ad Budget Calculator, Course Pricing Calculator, Calorie Calculator.
  
• Tool: Calculoid, Outgrow, Excel (Tools that allow you to embed the calculator on your site are the best).
  
• Messaging Matters: Position the name of the calculator as an answer to a problematic question. How much should I price my course? ---> Course Pricing Calculator.
  
  

#7 A Resource List

• Curate a list of helpful related resources that help your audience buy gear and get paid for the referral with affiliate links.
• Example: Course Creation Toolkit, Vlogger’s ToolKit.
• Tool: Create a PDF with Canva or Google Doc. Or use Kit dot com for a digital version. Be sure to add affiliate links.
• Messaging Matters: TOOL KIT or RECOMMENDED SWAG rather than RESOURCE LIST.
  
  

#8 Mood Boards

• Create a visual mood board to get your audience’s creative juices flowing.
• Example: Arrange complimentary colors, fonts, icons, and typography together.
• Tool: Pinterest is a great place to curate different looks.  Milanote. Canva.

 

#9 An Icon Set

• Pretty icons add a finishing touch to a sales page but are nowhere to be found when you really need them. Offering an icon set attached to a particular theme can provide the “icing on the cake” that your audience will appreciate.
• Example: Instagram Story Icons, Social Media Icons, Travel Blogger Icons.
• Tool: Illustrator, IconsFlow or buy done for you icons under a commercial license from Creative Market.
  
  

#10 A Canva Template

• You shouldn’t need a degree in graphic design just to create a workbook for your online course. If graphic design is not your love language a preformatted Canva template is a gift that keeps on giving.
• Example: Offering a product mockup template designed in Canva is perfect for digital product creators or eCommerce sellers that want to display their product on a sales page.
• Tool: Canva template share URLs.
  
  

#11 A Challenge

• 5 Day challenges that handle a specific problem and offer a quick win provide great value and can explode your email list. The trick is to come up with a great title.
• Example: Dream Job Challenge, 5 Day Kajabi Challenge. 100 New Subscribers Challenge.
• Tool: Use a landing page tool such as Kajabi or Clickfunnels to create the registration page.
  
  

#12 A Free Trial

• A free trial is a great way to introduce someone to your product or tool risk-free. Once they are hooked they typically will become paying customers after the free trial period.
• Example: Kajabi, a popular all in one, course creation, tech, and marketing platform offers a 28 Day free trial that allows people to test drive the tool risk-free. Once people fall in love with the tool and start building their digital empire on it it’s hard to leave.
• Tool: Kajabi, Your membership site.
  
  

#13 A Coupon

• Extreme couponing isn’t confined to the supermarket. People love to get a deal and that applies to products and services your brand offers. A coupon attracts your audience like bees to honey.  Why? Because you can assign a percentage or dollar amount off the price of a product or service for a specific time.
• Kajabi allows you to create coupons for your digital products. Shopify is also a great tool.
  
  

#14 Interactive Videos

• An interactive video allows your audience to explore your product by clicking and being prompted to answer questions or choose what happens next.
• Interactive sales consultation video to allow potential customers to serve themselves outside office hours without having to call sales.
• Tool: DotVu
  
  

#15 Product Recommender

• When you’re finding it hard to make a choice and "eenie, meanie, miney, mo" will not work a type of quiz that helps your audience decide what product or service is best for them is helpful.
• Example: Best Online Course Platform Finder, Best Niche Finder.
• Tools: TryInteract or Typeform.
  
  

#16  A Look Book

• Sometimes you need inspiration from a lookbook of curated examples., whether it’s fashion or websites it can give you fresh ideas.
• Example: Wedding Dress Lookbook
• Tool: Brandboom
  
  

#17 PlayList

• Ever gone to the gym and spent most of the time finding songs to motivate rather than running on the treadmill? Sharing your Spotify playlist of 100 songs that motivate you to kick butt will find favor with your audience.
• Example: My pre-webinar playlist of 50 game-on songs features Gloria Gaynor’s - I will survive.  Tool: Spotify, iTunes.
  
  

#18 Video Transcript

• Does your tribe prefer to consume content by reading rather than video? Transcribing a popular video breaking down a process into written a case study or report that you can deliver in a digital format.

• Example: A Facebook live stream … How I added 1,000 new subscribers to my email list in 14 days using simple lead generation quizzes.

• Tools: Create the video with Zoom. Download the live stream from Facebook. Use a speech to text tool like Rev.com, Otter.ai, Temi.com
  
  

#19 A Celebrity Niche List

• Ever attempted to do market research and struggled to find the movers and shakers in a niche. Even if your industry’s best secret you can become niche famous by curating and publishing your own “Forbes List” of who’s who in your industry will put you at the top of the list by association
• Examples: 150 Fearless Women To Follow in Fashion. Marketing in 2020. The top 100 Online Therapists That Rock
• Tools: Infographic, blog post or the best format is a Trello Board or Asana Board. Each card is a person's profile with a ranking number
• Messaging Matters: Create a title that highlights exclusivity or elitism. It’s important to rank each person.
  
  

#20 Event Lists

• Finding networking events or conferences takes time. Imagine what having a list of the best events to attend will do for your relationship building? Offering your audience a list of events not to miss for your industry is very valuable.
• Example: Top 50 Marketing Conferences. 50 Networking Events for YouTube Influencers
• Tools: Facebook Groups, Google Search, Google docs.
• Messaging Matters: The title -  “... Events You Must Attend in 2020...” grabs attention.
  
  

#21 Comparison Chart

• People who are actively looking to buy typically deliberate over the features of different products and services that provide a similar solution before they purchase. Offering a comparison chart that allows you to compare features like for like will help your audience make an educated decision. It also showcases your authority or expertise on a topic.
• Example: Email Marketing Comparison Chart.
• Tools: Venngage, PiktoChart, Canva, Excel or Google Sheets.
• Messaging Matters: Instead of a Comparison Chart consider Decision Helper or Feature Breakdown.

Choose one at least or have a few, promote them often and establish your business as an amazing gift giver. 

If you impress your potential buyers with great content they will be eager to buy your paid offers because they know they can expect amazing value.