As you get clearer on who your target audience is, you'll need to provide them with awesome lead magnet ideas that entice them to join your email list.

Why? Because it's one of the best ways to grow your email list.

Below I'm going to share with you 37 easy lead magnet ideas you can create today, some in just minutes (with the right tools).

In a great article by Backlinko, Brian suggests that you can increase your email conversions by 785% in one day just by adding a lead magnet or content upgrade to your blog posts.

I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty impressive.

But it's not just about simply creating a lead magnet and throwing it up on your website. You've also got to know what type of lead magnet is going to work best for your audience, which is why you'll want to create multiple lead magnets.

And you'll wanna put some thought into what you create as the carrot for your subscriber.

If you want to grow your email list exponentially, then you'll want to add as many lead magnets to your website as possible.

Just make sure that those lead magnets take your new subscriber through to your welcome email sequence and then into your paid products. Aka your sales funnels.

So what exactly is a lead magnet?37 Easy lead magnet ideas for your side hustle business

A lead magnet is an opt-in bribe that you add to your website to encourage a new subscriber to hand over their email address in exchange for the lead magnet they want.

Another version of this is a content upgrade. This is where you apply a specific opt-in bribe to each individual blog post on your website.

Now I don't know about you, but that sounds super intense and not an effective use of your time.

Who has the time to create individual opt-ins for every blog post they write?

Not me and I bet not you.

But that doesn't mean that you don't provide some way for your readers to join your email list from within every blog post you write.

How many do you need?

So yes, add a lead magnet to every blog post you write, but you only need about 5-10 lead magnets for your entire site.

And each of those lead magnet ideas should be relevant to what you offer and what your target audience needs help with the most.

A great example of someone who does this well is Jenna Kutcher. She has several lead magnets on her site.

No matter what blog post you land on, a lead magnet opt-in will pop up.

But here's the cool part, that lead magnet relates to the blog post and what she offers in the way of products and services.

It's extremely smart and great use of her time!

Having a variety of lead magnets on your site will 10X the number of people who subscribe to your email list. The key is to make sure the lead magnet you offer is relevant to the blog post they land on.

Ok, now that we've covered all the basics, let's figure out the best lead magnet ideas and provide you with inspiration on what you could create for your own website.

Easy Lead Magnet Ideas

#1: PDF of Blog Post

Now while this isn't typically what I would recommend for a lead magnet idea, it is easy to offer for each blog post you do at the click of a few buttons.

I've offered this in the past as a content upgrade for blog posts that are a series or extremely long and they provide your reader with an easier way to get the content you've provided in a format they can take offline.

I use the WordPress platform which gives me access to a multitude of plugins… one that makes creating beautiful PDF's out of your blog post with a few clicks is called Beacon.

Here's a quick peek at how you can use it:

So simple and easy to use, you can have your PDF of your blog post lead magnet created in less than 10 minutes 🙂

#2: Templates

Does your product or service include setting something up for your ideal client? Are there templates that you could create and offer as a lead magnet?

Templates are so easy to create and provide a quick win for your reader.

Lead magnet ideas for templates include:

  • Blog post template
  • Social media template
  • Invoice template
  • Email template
  • Non-fiction book template

Those are just some ideas that came to mind. I know you've got even more for your business.

Use something like Canva.com to create your templates, particularly if they are social media related.

#3: Infographics

Can you take something that you explain frequently to your clients or on your website and create an infographic to make it easier for your readers to understand and implement?

I've seen some great infographics that take a complex topic, or a lot of ideas, and condense it into a beautiful infographic that is easy to understand and visually appealing.

What could you create for your readers?

#4: Video tutorial

These are some of my best lead magnet ideas. I'm a huge fan of video tutorials because they are so quick to create.

If you have an online business and you offer a service where you're creating a website or setting up someone's email list, you can break down all the itty bitty steps and record short screenshare tutorial videos to help your readers.

There are free tools that make this super easy for you. I personally use Loom for quick browser-based tutorials and Screen-cast-o-matic for everything else.

If you're wanting to grow your YouTube channel, pop them on there too!

#5: Video course

Do you have something you can teach over 3-5 videos? Then create it and turn it into a course that you offer new subscribers.

You could even offer a couple of teaser videos from your paid course as an incentive… your readers will be more inclined to buy your course if they see how you teach first hand and you help them achieve a small win for free.

It also helps to build your know, like and trust score with your readers.

#6: Email course

Do you know your target audience really well and know they prefer written content? Then you can create a drip email course that drips out your content over the next of 5-7 days.

This works really well if you are teaching something that doesn't require a lot of technology setup and is more about teaching them how to break through something.

It's great for mindset or personal growth interests.

#7: Cheat sheet

I love cheat sheets. They are a mashup of a checklist + guide. The goal is to keep it to no more than 3 pages long and it should provide everything that your reader needs to know to get moving on the topic.

Some great lead magnet ideas for a cheat sheet include:

  • Shopping list for a recipe, plus variations on how to cook for a large group
  • Break down of an exercise (with images) and explanation of each step
  • Anatomy of a blog post

I'm sure you can think of your own ideas for creating a cheat sheet lead magnet.

#8: Resource guide

A resource guide is an extension of your cheat sheet above. Add in the tools and software that you use to the cheat sheet (another 3-5 pages) and you've got yourself a resource guide.

This is a super easy lead magnet idea and one I have used in the past. It's also one of the things I love to get my hands on from other online entrepreneurs.

#9: Resource library

This is my favourite lead magnet idea. It's the main lead magnet I use on my own website and allows you to combine a whole bunch of lead magnets into one huge resource library.

Your readers will love you forever if you create this and particularly if you add to it often.

If you haven't gotten access to the H&G Resource Library yet, you can do that here.

#10: Audio recording

Are you more of an audio person than a video or written word? Then audio might be a great way of connecting with your readers further.

Are you an author? Have you thought about giving away the audio version of your first book as the main lead magnet idea for your website?

That's something your readers would love and happily hand over their email address for, don't you agree?!

#11: PDF transcription

Do you have a video tutorial that's getting a lot of attention? Have you had the video transcribed and turned into a downloadable PDF?

What are you waiting for? This is an easy lead magnet idea to create and you don't have to do the transcription! I use www.rev.com to get all my videos transcribed and they are so fast!

This is a quick lead magnet you can easily create in less than 30 minutes.

#12: Challenge

Running a challenge is a great way to connect with your target audience and get them acquainted with who you are and the way you like to teach.

The best challenges are short ones, 5-7 days is ideal for a lead magnet. And if you're smart (which I know you are) you can use this as the start of your sales funnel for your paid coaching program or online course.

#13: Quiz

Anyone else here love quizzes? I'm a huge fan and am creating one for all you amazing H&G Subscribers as I write this!

Quizzes allow you to learn more about your readers and also provide them with insight into something that will help them get clearer on their path.

This works really well for both product and service-based businesses, so don't think you don't have anything you can create.

Think about it in terms of the product or service you offer. What type of quiz would help your ideal customer get closer to working with you or buying your product? That's the type of quiz you should create.

Great tools to help you do this include Typeform.com and Onlinequizcreator.com.

#14: Workbook

Have you got an online course that you're looking to promote more? Then a workbook would be your easiest lead magnet idea to create.

Take the online course and break it down into the exercises or tasks that you have and turn that into a workbook.

Provide a little bit of context at the front and make sure the end of the workbook leads them into your paid content.

Canva.com would be your best tool for creating this!

#15: Worksheets

Can you take a couple of pages out of the workbook and create them as individual worksheets? These are ideal for giving away on specific blog posts or as a lead magnet straight into your paid product or service.

The sky is the limit, you just have to think about how it best works for your reader.

#16: Case studies

If you're a service-based business, how great would it be to offer case studies on how you've helped people? You can take your reader along for the journey, showing what life was like for your client before and after they worked with you.

You can do something similar for a product-based business too.

And this not only showcases that you know what you're doing, but it also showcases your skills or product in action.

#17: Swipe files

Swipe files are fun lead magnet ideas to create.

Particularly if you've got some you use all the time. You can easily share these with your readers without too much effort on your part.

I love swipe files.

Wondering what a swipe file is? It's a resource where you have multiple examples of one idea. A great example of this is a book cover swipe file, or a sales copy swipe file.

It's about one topic but with multiple examples. Super easy to create.

I create my swipe files in Evernote, but you can create yours in a Google Drive or Dropbox folder for easy sharing. I use Evernote for my personal swipe files.

#18: Photoshop presets

Are you a designer? Have you ever thought about sharing some photoshop presets with your audience?

I know you might think that this is counter-intuitive but it really isn't. I've shared templates with my clients before, only to have them come back to me and say could I just do it, because it's too hard for them to figure it out.

The same applies here. Provide value to your potential clients in this way and you'll start to see an uptake in sales 😉

#19: Bonus content

What can you offer on top of what you've already got on your website that would be considered a bonus by your readers?

Think of it in terms of additional features… What about a list of all the blog posts on your site that relate to a specific topic… with hyperlinks. Create it as a PDF and make it accessible to your audience.

Easy to create, and a win for your audience, because now they can find all your amazing content focused on one topic.

#20: Quick-start guide

Selling a product? Have you even thought about providing a quick-start guide that shows how your customer could get up in running in a specific amount of time?

Modem companies do this all the time. Your modem arrives and inside there is a ‘quick-start' guide. It's full of pictures and shows you, step-by-step, what you need to do in as little amount of words as possible.

You want to do the same.

#21: Checklist

Checklists are great lead magnet ideas because literally, any business can implement them. They are quick to create too.

Take your most popular blog post and convert it into a checklist! I use Canva.com for all my checklist creation projects. It's simple to use and free!

#22: Free 15-Minute clarity call

Have a coaching business? Not sure what your target audience is most interested in? Think about offering free 15-minute clarity or strategy calls. Provide your potential client with a questionnaire to fill in before your call, and you'll have some great data to help you create even more lead magnet ideas.

#23: Free online course

Have an old course that you're thinking about retiring? Why not convert it into a free course that then leads into a premium product at the end.

Online courses are a great way to build authority and get people familiar with you.

A great upsell might be to add coaching or a private community where you go live once a week.

#24: Free trial (product)

Do you have a SaaS product? Or another type of online product? Offering a free trial for 30-days is a great way to get potential customers familiar with your product and hopefully, they love it so much they can't do without it.

ConvertKit does this every so often with their email platform. It's smart and once you've tried ConvertKit, it's hard to go to something else because it's so amazing!

#25: Interviews

Have a podcast? Have you thought about compiling your best interviews into a book or audio series, with your key takeaways included?

How can you add value that then makes these interviews must-haves for your audience? That's what you're looking to figure out.

#26: Editable planner

Do you talk about productivity like I do? Then a planner is a great idea. Offer the digital version of your physical planner as your lead magnet and you'll not only increase email subscribers, but you'll increase sales to the physical product too.

#27: Editable calendar

Are you trying to make life easier for your clients and customers? Can you provide them with an editable calendar that includes recommendations on best practices as far as your business is concerned?

Are you a social media manager? Why not offer a social media content calendar for the next 7 days.

#28: Best-of list

This is a great idea for a lead magnet. Once you've got 100+ blog posts on your website, you can then create a best-of list with hyperlinks to each of those blog posts. Create a Top 10 and then you could also do one split up by categories.

#29: Workshops

Have you delivered an in-person worksop or online workshop, recorded it and now aren't sure what to do with it?

Why not use it as a lead magnet and then add an upsell into your product or service? Win:win.

#30: Facebook group (private)

Private Facebook groups are all the rage. They make a great lead magnet IF you're active within them and are regularly allowing your group members to promote themselves at least once a week.

It's a great lead magnet for anyone that has an online course or coaching program they are looking to launch in the next few months.

#31: Recommended tools

What are the tools you use in your business? Ever thought about sharing those with your readers as a lead magnet? I have this on my own website (although not as a lead magnet) and get asked for it all the time.

It's a great resource and your audience is looking to use a tool they know has been vetted by someone they trust… that's you.

#32: Discount code/coupon (product)

Have a product that you're wanting to promote more? Offer discount codes and coupons to visitors who land on your store as a lead magnet. Super easy to set up too.

#33: Reports

Have a lot of data collected from previous clients and trying to figure out a way to share this in a meaningful way? Why not create a beautiful report that showcases the data (not your clients' private information of course!) and give it away as your lead magnet.

High value and easy to set up.

#34: Printables

Love creating pretty pages for people to print off? Why not give some of your best stuff away as a lead magnet?! Think daily planners, to-do lists, inspirational quotes etc.

#35: Inspirational

Are you great at providing inspiration to your readers? Have you thought about delivering this inspiration via email or as a downloadable screensaver? Do it!

#36: Live webinars

Do you love teaching live? Have you thought about offering your live webinars as a lead magnet to new subscribers?

It's a great way to entice them onto your email list and if this is something you're already doing, it's a no-brainer to set up!

#37: Creation guide

Is there a process you follow to create your product or service? Silly question… of course there is!

Have you thought that maybe your reader might like to see your process? Why not offer your product creation guide as a lead magnet!

Phew. That's quite a list. I'm certain you'll be able to find many lead magnet ideas that will be suitable for your business.

Action Step

Start by choosing one lead magnet idea from above. Create it. Set it up on your website and start promoting it. Then create the next one.

Remember, you're looking for a maximum of 5-10 lead magnet ideas that should fill the gap for your target audience and also leads them into your paid products.

Try mind mapping it out so you can see the workflow from start to finish if you're struggling with this concept. Then take action!


Lise Cartwright
Lise Cartwright

Founder of Hustle & Groove and your creative business strategist. If you want to get notified of new posts just like the ones you see here, then make sure you join the awesome H & G community — Join Now!

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