Lead Magnets That Turn Website Visitors Into Email Subscribers and Clients

Trending

TL;DR: Lead magnets can help you grow your email list AND quickly build trust with prospects. Just follow these best practices.

A lead magnet is an offer (usually a free one) that delivers something of value in exchange for an email address. They are typically used to grow email lists, which is exactly why I use them for my own agency and for clients.

As you have heard me say a million times, email marketing delivers the best ROI of all marketing channels. It’s far ahead of social media. Like, light years ahead. 

Email delivers an average 3,600% ROI versus around 3% for any given social channel (and that includes ad campaigns). 

You don’t have to rely on your monthly newsletter for lead nurturing, though. You can also nurture new leads with their own dedicated email campaigns. More on that below!

Why bother with lead magnets in the first place?

According to HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report 2025, lead magnets can help grow an email list by around 32% per quarter (compared to 12% for those without lead magnets). 

Plus, the Nielsen Consumer Trust Index found that73% of consumers are more likely to trust your brand when your lead magnets provide immediate value. And you know what trust leads to? Clients.  

How to use lead magnets to capture and nurture leads

How do lead magnets work?

Lead magnets “live” on a landing page, where they can be downloaded. Some people allow a direct download from their website. I send my lead magnets via email. 

The reason is simple: the “here’s your download” email triggers a lead nurturing campaign. Once they go through the campaign, their email is added to my main email list.

What kind of lead magnets should I create? 

The answer is: Whatever topics that are both tied to your offerings and will be most useful to your ideal clients. 

For example, I offer five free lead magnets on my website: 

They are all tied to my services. (If you’re wondering how The How to Keep Up with Marketing Ebook is tied to strategic copywriting services, it’s actually tied to marketing strategy.)

When you’re creating lead magnets, don’t start from scratch! Dip into your blog post that cover evergreen topics your audience cares about. 

You may wonder, “But Monika, is anyone is going to reach out to you if you’re teaching them so much?”

The answer is, of course! Busy business owners cannot handle everything as they grow. They reach out to me when they need my services. And they’ll reach out to me first, because I am using marketing to build a relationship with them.

Here are types of content you can create:

Quizzes: These are not just fun and interactive! They can take the guesswork out of what product or service is the best for them. 

Ebooks/guides: An ebook done right is essentially a comprehensive guide on one topic. The ones I write are often focused on how to do something. 

Whitepapers: A white paper is much different from an ebook. It dives into a common challenge, expand on how to overcome that challenge, and positions your product or service as the best solution. These are best for more complex and technical products/services.

Case studies: A clear-cut case study helps a potential client understand exactly how you have helped another client with a similar challenge. 

Templates and checklists: These are ideal for prospects who might not need your services yet (they still have the time to do it themselves). However, offering “DIY” lead magnets allows you to start building a relationship now so when they’re ready to buy, they’ll buy from you. 

How to create a landing page that converts

First, I advise asking your website designer/developer to create a landing page that lives on your website. I know a lot of email marketing platforms offer landing page designs, but you want your website to get the SEO juice. 

Also, your designer/developer will ensure your landing page perfectly aligns with your visual branding.

Second, writing the copy for a landing page isn’t that complicated. Just follow these best practices:

  • Keep the page completely focused on convincing visitors to download your lead magnet. Don’t include distractions, like links to blog posts or other web pages. (My landing pages do not include ANY navigation.)
  • Write a headline connected to the benefit of downloading the lead magnet.
  • Keep copy clear and concise and focused on what they are getting (in other words, what will they learn)? Use bullet points for easy skimming.
  • Include industry statistics to further emphasize the value of your offering. For example, my blogging ebook starts out with this: Did you know that a blog will give you a 434% better chance of a high search engine ranking?
  • Add a graphic to the page for visual interest. 
  • Optimize the copy for SEO and GAIO.
  • Use prominent call-to-action button (not a text link! Never a text link!) in a contrasting color so it stands out. 
  • Don’t ask for too much information. Email, first name, and last name are plenty.

How to create a lead nurture email series 

Once the lead magnet is downloaded, a campaign will be triggered. The first email that goes out is usually the “thanks for downloading, here’s your guide” email.

Subsequent emails can nurture your new lead before they are added to your main email list.

Here’s how I set them up:

  • Make sure each subject line is clear about what valuable information is contained in the email. 
  • Personalize the greeting, simply because it’s a proven way to increase the click-through rate. 
  • Share valuable information in each email that is directly related to the content in the lead magnet. When someone downloads my blogging ebook, each email in the lead nurturing campaign includes a tip related to blogging (that is not in the ebook).
  • Keep emails concise and focused on ONE topic. If your email takes longer than 10-15 seconds to read, it’s far too long. 
  • Have a clear CTA in each email. Do you want people to read a blog post, take a quiz, do a quick analysis? The CTA doesn’t need to be “contact us” and in fact, it shouldn’t be. You are building a relationship, not making a sale.
  • The CTA in your final email can be a bit stronger. Maybe, “Send us your biggest challenge related to this topic, and we’ll send a personalized tip.” 

And don’t forget to review all of the above every year!

Some of my original lead magnets are 15 years old. Imagine if I hadn’t reviewed and updated my social media marketing ebook since then. It would be useless.

But before you make any changes, look at your metrics.

  • How’s the bounce rate on the landing pages? If your bounce rate is high, the value you’re providing in your lead magnet is not aligned with their expectations or what they actually need. 
  • What kind of email open and click-through rates are you getting? If they’re dropping with each subsequent email in the lead nurture series, the information you are sharing is not valuable.
  • Is anyone responding to your final email’s CTA (if it involves reaching out to you)? If not, rethink it. You could be asking for too much before they really know/trust you.

If your bounce rate, email open and click-through rates, and responses look good, give yourself a pat on the back. 

However, your work isn’t over yet! 

Once a year, set aside to read your lead magnets. Is the information still relevant? What new best practices are missing?

After you update your lead magnets, re-write your landing pages to align with the new information you’re sharing.

Finally, read through your lead nurture email series. Are there better resources, newer blog posts, or more impactful tips you can point people to?

Valuable lead magnets can provide a steady source of new emails – and eventually, clients

I’m not gonna lie: Creating relevant lead magnets, writing landing page copy, and setting up email lead nurture campaigns is time-consuming. 

I forgot just how time-consuming until I updated my social media marketing lead magnet. It took me about 10 hours, including updating the landing page copy and reviewing the lead nurture series.

Related: Linkedin’s New Algorithm Is Here—Your Marketing Strategy Needs This Shift