What is a lead magnet? A lead magnet is a product you create for your customer to try out your services. It’s a way to introduce yourself to your clients and for them to get to know your style and your work. When we zoom all the way out, your lead magnet is the first step in the funnel phase. Before you start thinking about a leadmagnet you need to be clear on your business goals, your avatar, your messaging and your offer. If you are not clear on those you do not need a lead magnet yet.
The objective of a leadmagnet is to convert strangers to leads. And how do you do that? Just like how you would make a new friend, you start a conversation. With a leadmagnet you want to advance your audience through your funnel, make them go from know, to like, to trust. But it’s not about getting as many leads as possible, it’s about high quality leads.
A leadmagnet should be highly desirable for your audience. It should not be difficult to consume. Depending on where you are in your business, you can either optimize for more high-quality leads (easy to consume) or optimize for higher quality leads (hard to consume). I always recommend starting out with an easy to consume highly desirable leadmagnet and when you want to filter your audience a bit more, make the content a little harder to consume.
The priority of your leadmagnet is to create value. You want to focus on what your audience is interested in – that’s where you need your avatar research – and you want to give the value in the context of your offer – that’s why you need to be clear on your offer. Don’t be afraid to ‘give too much away’, you have one chance to connect, I’d rather you overdeliver. WOW your audience with your leadmagnet.
The leadmagnet should get them results in a short time window. They have expressed interest in what you have to offer, make good on that promise. Get them the results they are looking for, if it’s too much, chunk it in smaller pieces. They should be able to consume it within 5-10 minutes. Your ideal client is probably on the subway somewhere, they don’t have the time and patience to read a 200 page ebook.
By giving them a lot of value and helping them get transformational results with free content you build trust. Building trust is important to advance the conversation to sales. If there is no trust yet, do not start offering them paid stuff. You have this one opportunity to build trust and rapport with your potential client. Do not blow it by moving too soon. You wouldn’t ask somebody to marry you on a first date, right? Patience is key. And having a conversation is a priority over having ‘a conversion’.
When you focus more on starting a conversation, your communication won’t be so cheesy and sales-y. And it’s easier to prevent falling in the trap of perfection. Communicate in a way that comes natural for you, maybe you are more of a writer, maybe you are more of a speaker, think of ways to connect with your audience in a way that you enjoy. Trust your unique style, it’ll come off as fake if you don’t.
In the end you want to think bigger than a leadmagnet. Keep it fun, for you and your audience, don’t be afraid to think different. And keep in mind, it’s not about getting that email, it’s about connecting.