When it comes to knowing how to create a lead magnet that attracts a steady stream of new prospects, there are some critical elements you won’t want to neglect.

Whether you’re a real estate agent, insurance broker, financial professional, or other type of service provider, finding new clients can feel like an uphill battle. Cold calls, networking events, and client appreciation gatherings have their place, but what if there was a way to attract prospects consistently and effortlessly—without having to chase them down? Lead magnets can do that for you.

What are lead magnets?

If you don’t know Alex Hormozi, he’s a certified marketing genius. He went from being broke at age 26 to being worth more than $100M less than 10 years later. In his book $100M Leads: How to Get Strangers to Want to Buy Your Stuff, he describes a lead magnet as a complete solution to a narrow problem that, once solved, reveals another problem your core offer will solve. He goes on to provide more detail, including how it needs to be so useful that if it wasn’t offered for free, your ideal client would be willing to pay for it.

For a more granular definition, we can turn to OptinMonster:

A lead magnet is a marketing term for a free resource or incentive offered to potential customers in exchange for their contact information, typically an email address. Commonly used to generate leads and grow email lists, lead magnets can include e-books, webinars, white papers, e-newsletters, or free consultations.

By offering valuable, free resources in exchange for contact information, you can position yourself as a trusted expert while growing your prospecting list. Discover the essential features of an effective lead magnet along with strategies for maximizing its impact.

Qualities of great lead magnets

At ReminderMedia, we’ve created checklists, templates, calculators, webinars, giveaways, and a host of other items that function primarily to grow our own email lists. We’ve also developed dozens of lead magnets designed as e-books that not only generate leads for our business but also help potential clients do the same. Depending on their particular format, we’ve found that the best lead magnets generally adhere to these criteria:

• They’re consumable. Lead magnets should be easy to digest with a clear structure, familiar language, and relevant images. And while I’m reluctant to specify a length (believing that an audience will readily consume what it finds valuable no matter how many pages it may be), most prospects prefer shorter over longer ones. In other words, a 5-page e-book may get more traction than a 20-page one, while a checklist may perform better still.
• They’re action-oriented. The top lead magnets help prospects quickly solve a problem. For instance, a real estate agent might offer a moving checklist to keep prospects organized. Likewise, a financial advisor could provide a retirement savings calculator to help potential clients determine if they are on track for a secure financial future.
• They’re relevant. A detailed understanding of your ideal client and their pain points will direct you toward topics and issues that align with their interests and needs. As an example, if you’re an insurance broker who wants to work with new homeowners, offering a homeowners insurance comparison guide is far more likely to attract attention than a general budgeting worksheet.
• They’re promptly available. I’ve heard it said that instant rice takes too long—it’s a comment that emphasizes just how much people like expediency, so automate the delivery of your lead magnets through a tool like OptinMonster, Mailchimp, Leadpages, or Manychat to ensure that interested folks receive them quickly.
• They’re available in multiple formats. As Alex Hormozi notes, people consume content in all types of ways, which is why he encourages businesses to offer lead magnets using several formats. Let’s say you have a checklist—you could increase engagement by making it available as a PDF, an infographic, or an online tool.

Magnet marketing

Of course, no matter how good a lead magnet is, it won’t attract leads simply because you’ve made it available—you also need to market it. That’s why our clients at ReminderMedia have the option to add lead magnet QR codes to the covers of their personally branded magazines or postcards.

They can use these codes to guide potential clients to their own resources or any of our free ones. They turn what is already an amazing tool for nurturing their sphere into one an asset that also delivers new opportunities. Click here, and we’ll send a free sample to your inbox.

If you aren’t one of our clients, consider trying one or two of these popular tactics to market your lead magnet:

• Landing pages: Create a dedicated lead magnet landing page where visitors enter their contact details to receive their free item. Open a free account with us, and we’ll give you an unlimited number of them—no strings attached.
• Pop-ups and on-exit overlays: Use a tool like Qualaroo, Picreel, or OptinMonster to display your offer when a visitor enters or is about to leave your site.
• Email: Include a banner in your email campaigns or add a link to your signature line to advertise your lead magnet and capture existing subscribers’ interest.
• Social media ads: Promote your item of value through Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn ads targeted at your ideal audience.
• Direct messages and LinkedIn outreach: Offer it during one-on-one conversations with your prospects and contacts.

Lead magnet examples

Below are some highly effective lead magnets that clients and visitors to our website have used to generate leads. Review them as inspiration for your own magnet ideas, or download and utilize them for free. (You can access our full library here. Bookmark the page because we’re always adding more!) When deciding on yours, just remember to keep your ideal audience and their pain points in mind.

Real estate lead magnets

• The 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Home
• Cracking the Code: Understanding Homebuying Terms
• Should You Rent or Buy?

Insurance lead magnets

• 11 Ways to Lower Your Homeowners Insurance Rate
• Why Employer Life Insurance Isn’t Enough
• A Guide to Health Insurance for the Self-Employed

Financial lead magnets

• Retirement Calendar and Checklist
• Interview Questions to Ask Financial Advisors
• Investing for Millennials

Nurturing leads after capture

Just like making a lead magnet available isn’t enough to get it noticed, having someone download it doesn’t mean you’ve won a client—you still need to follow up and nurture them. They may have raised their hand, showing their interest, but to convert them, you must connect with them and move them through your funnel. Here’s one approach to doing that:

• Send an automated welcome email. Thank them for downloading the resource, and introduce your services.
• Provide additional value. Follow up with relevant blog posts, case studies, or industry insights.
• Offer a next step. Include a clear call to action, such as scheduling a free consultation or joining a webinar.
• Use a drip email campaign. A sequence of three to five emails over the next few weeks can build trust and guide prospects toward a consultation or purchase.

Whatever your strategy, never let a lead go unless they opt out of your marketing. Consistent outreach helps to ensure that when the time comes and they need your services, you’ll be the first person they think of.

The takeaway

Lead magnets are a powerful way to attract high-quality prospects, but only if they are done right. By creating valuable, relevant, and easy-to-consume resources and strategically marketing them, you’ll easily grow your contact list. Still, it’s only by following up and nurturing those leads that you’ll convert them into clients.

Invest some time to visit our library of lead magnets and other resources, downloading as many as you want. Distribute them in the ways suggested above, or open a free ReminderMedia account (no credit card is needed) to get an unlimited number of free landing pages on us.

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