You’ve probably seen lead magnets all over social, and you’ve likely even signed up for some yourself—proving that they work. But have you ever thought of creating one yourself?

Lead magnets are free assets such as guidebooks, workbooks, discount codes, webinars, templates, checklists, surveys, cheat sheets, or other resources that you offer to customers in exchange for their contact information. Once a customer provides their name and email address, or any other information you might find relevant to your business, they’re sent their free assets. And you’ve got their contact information for your email marketing efforts.

Lead magnets are a synergistic relationship because the customers who register for them are likely already interested in the products you offer, making them susceptible to being sold to later on. Through registration, they prove that they’re your target customer. Plus, through lead magnets, you position yourself as an authority in their field your customer is interested in, further solidifying trust, brand awareness, and loyalty.

Sounds great, right? But they do take some effort to create. Here’s how to do it.

1. Define Whose Information You Want to Capture

Instead of casting a wide net, whittle your target audience down to an ultra-specific demographic. While your business might appeal to a broad audience, your lead magnets should speak to each of them specifically. They don’t need to happen all at once—pick the easiest persona to speak to in your circle now, and start creating.

For example, let’s say you run a personal training business and your main audience is made up of women over 50, new moms, and TikTok girlies. Start by selecting the group you feel most comfortable appealing to—maybe you have the most success attracting this group already—and create your first lead magnet for them.

2. Identify What Will Attract Them

Now, figure out what sort of information is going to be irresistible to your target group. What will this group be compelled to stop scrolling for, enter their information, and be excited to receive? The best way to go about this is to figure out what your target group already needs, so there’s almost no convincing that needs to happen to get them to click. So, rather than providing them with something you think they want, actually take the time to figure out what they need, and then deliver it.

Keep in mind that lead magnets should be short and sweet, so whatever content you’d like to include in it needs to be able to fit onto just a couple pages. If you can repurpose content you already have, even better. No gigantic ebooks or 30-day courses here! Let’s say you’ve opted for new moms as your target audience for this lead magnet. Some digestible lead magnet ideas might include something like “3 must-do exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor” or “The do’s and don’t’s of returning to the gym after baby.”

3. Create It

As you develop your lead magnet, you’ll want to ensure a few things. Firstly, keep it super simple. Remember that you’re simply providing a glimpse into what you offer, so keep it targeted, concise, straight to the point, and devoid of any “fluff” whatsoever.

You’ll need to decide on what format you want to deliver your lead magnet in, too. To this, go with your strengths. If you’re a great writer, write it down. If you’re better at speaking, record a video. Whatever you decide, keep in mind that your goal is to deliver your content quickly, easily, and efficiently. You may need the help of a designer, videographer, or photographer to create quality assets. Remember that most customers will remember and judge your content by the quality of your images or visuals, so we recommend ensuring that these assets are top notch in order to see the best returns.

4. Include a Call to Action

Before your press “save” on your lead magnet, help your customers know what to do once they reach the end of your free content. Maybe you’d like them to follow you on Instagram, check out your website, book a free consultation, or find follow-up products for purchase that could help them continue their journey. Whatever your call to action, make it clear what you want them to do next, and include how it’ll benefit them if they follow through.

5. Take It to Market

This is the fun part where you get to show off all your hard work—and we say, go hard on this step, because if you’re simply waiting for the magic to happen…it won’t. You have to go out and create it. Here are all the places your lead magnet should appear:

• Make it a main call to action on your website
• Add it as a header or footer on your website
• Put it as an opt-in box on all your blog posts
• Add it to your bio or About page
• Add an exit pop-up on your website
• Create a cover image for it on your social pages
• Set it as the link in your social bio
• Post about it on social—a lot
• Share it in social media groups
• Run it as an ad on Facebook or Instagram
• Offer it at the end of podcast interviews
• Plug it during your livestreams
• Add it to your email signature
• Offer to guest post for someone else and include a link