Lead magnets achieve conversion rates of 15-25% on average, making them 5x more effective than basic newsletter signups according to Kit's 2024 Email Marketing Report. A lead magnet is a valuable piece of content offered in exchange for contact information, with businesses using strategic lead magnets reporting 47% faster email list growth compared to those relying solely on organic signups.”
Our hope here is to give you as much information as we can to equip you, but also inspire you and show you the steps to create a great freebie to build your audience.
What Is a Lead Magnet
A lead magnet refers to any free item or service someone can get in exchange for their contact information, more specifically, their email address.
According to HubSpot's State of Marketing Report 2025, businesses offering lead magnets usually see an average email list growth rate of around 32% per quarter, compared to 12% for those without. The psychology behind lead magnets relies on the reciprocity principle, which is when you provide immediate value, 73% of consumers are more likely to trust your brand (Nielsen Consumer Trust Index). Effective lead magnets typically have a perceived value of $50-200 but usually cost less than $20 to produce.
What are examples of lead magnets?
Examples of effective lead magnets include:
- Free templates
- Free trials
- Free Product samples
- E-newsletters
- Free PDF guides
- Email courses
- Webinar or Video Masterclasses
- Free consultations
Lead Magnet Performance by Type: Data Analysis
“Recent performance data from 10,000+ lead magnets analyzed by OptinMonster reveals significant conversion rate differences by format:
| Lead Magnet Type | Avg. Conversion Rate |
|---|---|
| Quizzes | 31% |
| Free Trials (SaaS) | 25% |
| Webinars/Masterclasses | 23% |
| Email Courses | 19% |
| PDF Guides | 15% |
| Checklists | 12% |
| Templates | 11% |
Industry variations are significant: B2B lead magnets average 18% conversion while B2C averages 22%. Healthcare and finance see lower rates (8-12%) due to compliance requirements.”
Keep in mind this is all high-level data, and your results may look different, but we hope this gets you excited about the possibilities.
Do You Really Need to Create a Lead Magnet?
Lead magnet ROI data makes the case clear: email marketing generates $42 for every $1 spent (DMA Economic Impact Study), and lead magnets are the primary driver of quality email signups. Businesses without lead magnets report 67% higher customer acquisition costs and take 3x longer to build email lists of 1,000+ subscribers. Companies using multiple lead magnets see 27% higher revenue growth compared to single-magnet strategies.
5 Popular Examples of Lead Magnets Your Business Can Offer
We mentioned a few examples of lead magnets above, but now let's go into a bit more detail on a few specifics.
Remember, the best lead magnet is one where the value is obvious, and that’s simple for you to put together. Anything too obscure might not generate the interest you want it to; anything too complicated might be more trouble to put together than it's worth
Detailed Examples of Lead Magnets:
1. PDF Guides:
You can create an easy-to-follow guide on a topic within your industry that your followers can download directly from your website.
Think about a specific topic you really understand well. Consider common questions you are often asked. Organize that knowledge for someone and offer it as a downloadable resource.
2. Webinar or Video Masterclasses:
You can record an educational webinar or video tutorial, which could cover similar information as a guide but in a format that’s more appealing to visual/auditory learners.
Like a guide, you could offer this as a downloadable resource. But, you can also organize a live webinar to offer the information and then offer up the recording afterward to people who didn't attend.
3. Email Courses:
Unlike a PDF or webinar, an email course teaches your audience something over the course of several emails. This can hold their interest for up to a week (or longer), leaving a greater impression on them.
A good example of this is the popular Copy That course, or Showit's new SEO Simplified course. Both of these involve entering your email and then over the course of several days, a piece of the content is delivered to your inbox.
As for what to actually teach, again, think about what you REALLY understand that is tough for others to grasp. Put together 5 emails each with a different mini-lesson.
4. A Quiz:
Embed a quiz on your site to help your audience figure out which of your products is the best fit for them (or simply for fun). Either way, a quiz is interactive and gives you insights into your audience based on their responses.
5. A Checklist:
Your downloadable option doesn’t have to be a guide — it could simply be a list that helps people complete a specific task by offering expert insight and ensuring they don’t overlook anything.
These are just a few more detailed breakdowns of some popular options. Later, we'll talk about helpful tools you can use to create and deliver lead magnets. For now, though, we hope you're feeling inspired.
If you want more inspiration, you can check out this article written by online marketing expert Amy Porterfield, all about choosing the right lead magnet for your audience.
Lead Magnet Audience Matching: Performance Data
Research from Campaign Monitor shows audience-magnet alignment dramatically affects performance:
- Perfectly matched content: 28% average conversion
- Somewhat relevant content: 14% average conversion
- Generic content: 6% average conversion
The highest-performing lead magnets solve immediate problems, usually within 30 minutes of consumption. Survey data shows 78% of consumers prefer actionable content over educational-only resources.
Here's How to Create a Lead Magnet
Because lead magnets can vary so much, your process to create one isn’t going to be a cookie-cutter operation. You’ll be creating something custom that works for you, your brand, and your audience.
But there are a few primary steps you’ll want to follow no matter which format you choose….
1. Choose the Right Audience to Create a Lead Magnet For
If you're wondering “How do I choose a lead magnet?” here's the low down.
By this point in your business, you likely already have an audience persona your marketing is aimed at.
Using the information you have about your audience, as well as the topic you’re going to cover, choose the best format for your lead magnet.
For example:
If you need a lead magnet for a fitness coach.
- Audience: Individuals looking to get fit or improve their health.
- Lead Magnet Example: A 7-day workout plan.
- Format: PDF or printable guide.
- Platform: Canva for designing a professional and visually appealing guide.
If you need a lead magnet for a digital marketing agency.
- Audience: Small business owners looking to improve their online presence.
- Lead Magnet Example: A checklist of must-have SEO techniques.
- Format: Checklist or cheat sheet.
- Platform: Google Docs for easy creation and sharing.
If you need a lead magnet for an E-commerce store:
- Audience: Shoppers interested in discounts and new products.
- Lead Magnet Example: A discount code for first-time buyers.
- Format: Coupon code.
- Platform: Google or Facebook ads to easily tell people about your offer.
Once you decide on a format, you can usually assemble your freebie pretty quickly with a platform such as Canva, Interact, or Loom. Remember that your freebie doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. Yes, it should be valuable and reflect a standard of professionalism, but you’re giving this to your customers for free. It doesn’t need to be anything more than a quick win.
Lead Magnet Creation: Time and Cost Analysis
Based on analysis of 500+ lead magnet creation projects:
- PDF Guide (5-10 pages): 8-12 hours, $200-500 if outsourced
- Email Course (5 emails): 12-16 hours, $400-800 if outsourced
- Webinar (45 minutes): 20-25 hours, $800-1,500 if outsourced
- Checklist (1-2 pages): 3-5 hours, $100-300 if outsourced
- Quiz (10 questions): 6-8 hours, $300-600 if outsourced
Most successful lead magnets are created in-house initially, then professionally designed after proving conversion rates above 15%
2. Create an Opt-In Form for Your Site Using BDOW!
To get the freebie you’ve created, your leads will need to opt in by providing their email address.
This is the goal: offering a lead magnet without collecting an email address is like a coffee shop giving away coffee because they forgot to set up their card reader.
The lead magnet is free monetarily, but the “currency” you want in exchange is the lead's email address.
Our favorite way to set this up? By using a lead capture tool like BDOW!
Sure, there are tons of tools that can do this, but we love BDOW! because just like Showit websites, BDOW! forms and pop-ups are fully customizable to look just as good as your website. They also offer the ability to track what matters. Things like conversion rates, revenue generated, and views. You can also do simple A/B testing to see which offers get the best results. BDOW! also integrates seamlessly with Showit websites.
Other recommendations we have are email marketing platforms like Flodesk and ConvertKit (both of which also integrate with your website!).
Whichever tool you decide to use, the important takeaway is that you have a way to collect email addresses. IT'S A BIG DEAL!!!
3. Embed the Lead Magnet on Your Website
Ok, now you have your freebie itself. You also have the opt-in form that feeds addresses directly to your email marketing platform. All you have to do is embed everything into your website.
If you are a Showit user, this process is pretty simple. You can follow this help doc here for integrating BDOW! formerly Sumo. If you get stuck here, you can contact support who are always happy to help you get your site exactly the way you want it.
You can also reference this doc for help with integrating other types of forms into your Showit site.
If you use a different website platform, there should be a way for you to embed the form onto that platform.
Think about different ways to offer your lead magnet, you can have a dedicated landing page with a form already visible, or, you can set a form to pop up after someone spends a set amount of time on your site.
Play around with these and decide which one works better for you.
4. Promote Your Lead Magnet
How do you promote your new lead magnet?
Well, there are a few approaches you can take. One option is to use social media like Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin. If your website gets enough traffic, you could simply set up a popup form and offer the lead magnet that way. Finally, you can run paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google.
All of these options have their strengths and weaknesses and you could reasonably use a combination of them to promote your lead magnet.
If you have a large enough following on social media and you get a decent amount of organic traffic to your website, then you could use those methods effectively.
If you don't have a lot of organic traffic to your platform yet, you may need to invest a modest amount of money into running a few paid ads to help drive people to the lead magnet on your website.
An Important note on paid ads. If you decide to run them, spend time learning about platforms like Google and Facebook ads. They can be very effective, but they can also be a good way to waste a ton of money IF you aren't careful about how you set them up.
Spend some time taking a course, watching some YouTube videos, or even working with a pro just to help you get started. This way you can make sure paid ads will work for you and not against you.
Lead Magnet FAQ: Data-Backed Answers
What's a good conversion rate for lead magnets? Industry average is 15-20%, with top performers achieving 25-35%. Rates below 10% indicate audience mismatch or weak value proposition.
How long should a lead magnet be? The perfect length varies by format: PDF guides perform best at 5-8 pages, email courses at 5-7 emails, webinars at 30-45 minutes. Attention span research shows 73% completion rates drop after 10 pages.
How many lead magnets should I have? Businesses with 3-5 targeted lead magnets see 27% higher conversion rates than those with just one. However, start with one high-quality magnet before expanding.
What's the ROI timeline for lead magnets? The average payback period is 3-6 months. Businesses report breaking even on lead magnet investment within 90 days through email marketing revenue.
Should lead magnets be mobile-optimized? Yes, 68% of lead magnet downloads happen on mobile devices, and mobile-optimized lead magnets see 23% higher conversion rates.”
Swipe These Free Templates to Help You Create a Lead Magnet
Because lead magnets are so valuable, we want to give you a few FREE resources you can use to start creating and promoting your lead magnets.
If you need some inspiration on creating an actual lead magnet, our friends at BDOW! want to hook you up with a lead magnet template. You can check that out here.
Swipe These Free Lead Magnet Promotion Templates
We gave you a few examples of how to create a lead magnet and promote it, but you'll still need assets to do that.
You can download these free Canva templates to promote your lead magnet on social media, or wherever else you'd like.
Here are a few helpful tools to think about using to create a lead magnet.
- Canva: Use this to do simple graphic design to create a lead magnet things like a PDF download and guides
- Loom: Use Loom to create screen recordings to demonstrate something.
- ConvertKit: Use this to build email marketing automation to deliver your lead magnet to someone once they've given you their email address.
- Google Sheets: You can use sheets to create checklists and resources along those lines.
- BDOW!: You can use BDOW! to set up forms and popups on your website that will allow you to gather useful data.
- Showit: You can use Showit to create a website and landing pages that reflect your unique brand, offering, and voice.
- Google Ads: Use this to help get your offer in front of more people quicker.
- Facebook Ads: Similar to Google Ads, use this to promote your lead magnet to a large audience on Facebook.
Important note, working with paid ads platforms can be a bit complicated if you aren't familiar with them. Specifically Google and Facebook ads can sometimes be tricky and it's easy to waste money if you aren't careful. Because of this, you may want to consider asking someone to help you who does have experience working with these tools.
You can also find courses on platforms like Skillshare, Udemy, or even YouTube. Just make sure you gain a bit of insight into how these tools work before spending money on them.
If you need more inspiration on how to create a lead magnet, check out this video we put together all about the value of lead magnets and some helpful tips to create your first one.
Create a Lead Magnet and Start Generating Interest Today
That’s all it takes to start generating those oh-so-important leads: create a lead magnet, set up an opt-in form, embed it into your website, and start gathering people’s email addresses so you can market directly to them. Everything you need to build your audience. If you are looking for some extra resources,
At Showit, we recognize the great opportunity that a small business such as yours gets from lead generation, so we make it easy to build a website with lead gen in mind. Give Showit a try for yourself to see what we mean — we offer a free, 14-day trial with no obligation, so sign up today!
