There are really only two ways to grow your email list:
- Top-down: Scrape the internet for the email addresses of poor innocent souls
- Bottom-up: Give people a reason to share their addresses with you so they (happily, voluntarily) opt in
Option 1 is illegal, so that leaves us with option 2. 😇 Lucky for you, today I’m giving you 9 lead magnet ideas to grow your email list. Let’s jump into it!
9 Lead Magnet Ideas to Grow Your Email List
- A Guidebook
Help your audience achieve a specific outcome by giving them a step-by-step guidebook. If you’re scared of giving away too much info for free, remember that people pay for implementation, not information. If they like what you have to say and don’t want to implement your recommendations themselves, they know how to reach you.
Example: “5 Steps to Create YouTube Thumbnails That Get Thousands of Views”
- A Checklist
The New York Times was right: some things are better as lists. And with a checklist you can break down core concepts into a less-overwhelming, more actionable format.
Example: “10 Items Expecting Moms Must Have in Their Hospital Bags”
- A Swipe File
If you’ve collected screenshots of your favorite article headlines, creative ads, paleo mocktail recipes, or anything else your audience would find helpful, compile it in an organized swipe file and give it away in exchange for an email address.
Example: “25 Facebook Ads That Generated Millions of Dollars on Black Friday”
- A Resource List
Have a list of go-to resources that make your life easier? Now’s your chance to share your setup with your audience.
Example: “The Low-Tech Tech Stack My 7-Figure Business Runs On”
- A Two-Page Playbook
The quicker you deliver a win for potential customers, the better. And what better way to deliver that win than with a 2-page playbook?
Example: “How to Create a ManyChat Funnel That Brings in Hundreds of Leads Each Week”
- A Blueprint
Introduce people to your signature method of accomplishing a goal with a blueprint document. Add visuals and diagrams to show people how you take them from A to Z. It’s a little sales-y but 100% worth the value exchange if you provide context and give people a reason to be optimistic that their problem has a believable solution.
Example: “How to Get a Complete Visual Identity in 1 Day, for Under $2k”
- A Private Podcast
Private pods are just plain fun! Plus they’re a phenomenal way to build rapport with your audience because you’re literally in their ears.
Example: “Unstuck—How to Find and Clear the Roadblocks in Your Body-Peace Journey”
- A Report
This is ideal if you have proprietary research to share or if you’ve synthesized tons of data and want to make it accessible to your audience.
Example: “Empowered Choices—Birth Control’s Impact on Bone Density and Heart Health”
- An Email Course
Teach people something they’re dying to know, but divide up the content into 5-7 lessons (that take no more than 10 minutes to consume) and drip it out throughout the week.
Example: “School of Data: How Marketers Can Use the Data They Already Have to Increase Conversion Rates Across the Funnel”
And that’s a wrap! If you’re needing a little nudge-nudge in the implementation department, pick up the Lead Magnet Kit to get instant access to templates for all 9 of these lead magnet ideas.
✔️ Available in 12 design collections
✔️ 9 lead magnet templates
✔️ Professionally-designed
✔️ One instant download
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Guaranteed to make you look legit and keep a cohesive brand aesthetic. (Payment plans are available.)
~ FOR THE RECORD ~
I don’t expect you to have 9 functioning lead magnets for your business. That’s overkill. Often you just need one strong lead magnet to build your list. But I wanted to give you 9 options in the Lead Magnet Kit so that as you launch, test, and iterate your marketing funnels, you can maintain a cohesive visual brand without having to shell out thousands of dollars every time you want to tweak or change your lead magnet. And spoiler alert: if you’re in business to make money which I think you are, you’re going to have to tweak and change your lead magnet to respond to market demands. 😉
List Building Idea #1 | List Building Idea #2 | List Building Idea #3 | List Building Idea #4
