Why You Need a Lead Magnet and How To Promote It

Even if you don’t use the term “sales funnel” in your business life, chances are good that you actually have a funnel in place unknowingly. A funnel always starts off with a lead magnet (or freebie gift), something that attracts multitudes of prospects to your site and onto your mailing list. Without a lead magnet, you’ll just float along in cyberspace, hoping for someone to find your site. 

What is a Lead Magnet?

A lead magnet is often a short eBook, planner, calendar, checklist, or other printable that your audience will find valuable and useful in solving one of their pain point problems. You don’t want to give away all your secrets in your lead magnet but it should give them some action steps to take, which will help build trust with your prospects that you actually know what you’re talking about.

What makes a lead magnet stand out as kick-ass? Consider your lead magnet a 5-minute introduction to your business. Think of the question you get asked the most and create a freebie that offers answers or action steps that your audience can take to begin solving their problem. It’s a taste of what you have to offer; if your prospects like your action steps and are inspired to take them, they will move down further into your funnel. If your freebie offers too much information or is presented in a complicated manner, you may lose them forever when they unsubscribe. Creating a kick-ass lead magnet takes some finesse of offering great information without being overwhelming.

Anyone who wants your lead magnet will happily give their email address to you so this serves as your primary list building opportunity; but use your lead magnet to also promote one or more of your other paid offers. Do you have a signature course? Put a link in the lead magnet. Do you have a membership site? Add a link. Do you have an eBook? Add that link, too. You could also include a biography page that includes a bit about you plus all of your top-selling products or courses, with links directing the prospects to each landing page. 

Do I need a landing page for my lead magnet?

Speaking of landing pages, even if you have an opt-in box on the homepage of your website, always create a landing page dedicated to lead magnet subscriptions. It doesn’t have to be long with tons of copy and it doesn’t have to look especially fancy but a dedicated landing page is very helpful when you’re promoting your lead magnet via social media or with ads. Instead of sending prospects to your main page and having them scroll to the opt-in box, send them to a dedicated landing page with an obvious opt-in box and strong call to action. This way prospects won’t be distracted with other information on your home page.

Delivering the goods!

The most common way to deliver magnets is via an email autoresponder which is triggered once someone enters their email address. So your first message contains the download link and a welcome message; but what happens after that? 

Set up an automated funnel with follow-up emails. Autoresponders send emails at a predetermined schedule, such as every day, every other day, or once per week. Your email with the download link should always be set to deliver IMMEDIATELY so your subscribers don’t complain, but the schedule for follow-up emails is entirely up to you.

The idea with autoresponder emails is to keep evergreen content flowing to your audience. By doing this you’re building trust, showing your expertise, and keeping your name foremost in their mind. Consistent contact will push them to reach out to YOU instead of another competitor when they’re ready to buy a product because you’ve spent the time building this relationship.

Of course, you also have the option of sending broadcast emails which can be the form of a topical newsletter, affiliate offer, or a special that you’re announcing. Broadcasts are considered time-sensitive and are sent in addition to your autoresponders to anyone who is currently on your list. Keep your seasonal or holiday news in broadcasts as well as any announcements about new products or services you’re offering. Keep the evergreen content in your autoresponder series.

Using ads to promote your lead magnet.

To ramp up your efforts for new subscribers, run ads that point to the freebie on your preferred social media platform (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). With these ads you can choose your own demographics and set your own daily budget so you’re not hit with any surprise charges at the end of its run. You can also retarget people who fit certain criteria, such as watching a certain percentage of videos on your website or who have otherwise interacted with your social media page.

Most importantly, include a strong call to action in every ad. These few words tell the reader what to do next and shouldn’t leave the reader guessing. This is not the place for subtlety; if you want them to subscribe to your email list, tell them to SUBSCRIBE NOW! Also remember to direct them to the URL for the lead magnet’s landing page, NOT your website’s main page.

Don’t forget the power of video.

Let’s not forget the power of video. Using a short video as your social media ad attracts those video lovers who wouldn’t necessarily read a longer text ad. Video also allows easier storytelling, which many people respond to. The beauty of ads is that you can test out each of these options and track your results. If one format shows a drastically higher rate of subscriptions, then create a series of ads using that format and rotate them throughout the month.

In this lead magnet scenario, the hardest part is creating an interesting and informative lead magnet. Choose a medium that’s easy for you to create and a topic that doesn’t require a lot of research. Your expertise should be enough to pump out a short report or a few videos very quickly. If you need to do research on the topic, choose something else in which you already have in-depth experience. 

Setting up the ads is not difficult but if it’s your first time, expect the process to take a bit longer since it’s unfamiliar to you. Jot down notes about the audience demographics you choose for each ad so you can make small tweaks in the future. Not every ad will be a homerun so expect to make changes in your campaign. 

After your lead magnet is set up, sit back and watch the referrals roll in!