3 Strategies for a Captivating Lead Magnet
February 27 2025
Building your email list is essential to filling your programs not just once, but over and over again.
The number one way to attract the right subscribers to your list is by offering a client-captivating gift. And not just any gift. You need one that transforms your audience into paying clients.
What goes into your gift can either make or break your sales results. If you give away too much for free, your potential clients will be full and go away without buying.
If you don’t give enough value, then people won’t trust your expertise. And if you give away the wrong type of information, you may miss the mark and lose interest in your offers.
Your gift should build hunger and desire for your paid program while deepening trust in the value you provide. You need to raise awareness about what your ideal clients need next. Tell them why your program is the perfect solution for them.
I often see people offering gifts like guided meditations, recipes and other resources that are pieces of their courses. Those are valuable, but do they raise awareness about why your ideal clients need more support? Probably not.
People will appreciate those gifts but they won’t be excited to invest in your program. They’ll just thank you and go on their way.
That’s why it’s so important to make your gift educational.
It needs to teach about the problem your ideal clients have and what it’s going to take to get the outcome they crave. Your gift shows people why they need your solution and why they should prioritize it now.
There are different ways to educate your potential clients, with videos, webinars, eBooks and more.
My favorite format for a free gift is a digital download. That’s what we call an instant gratification gift. I always lead with this format because it easily gets ten times more optins than videos or webinars.
There’s a perception that it’s very quick to get the value from a download. Just click the button and then it’s saved on your computer. It’s a much lower time commitment.
I still give videos and webinars to my subscribers, but they usually come as a second step, after they opt-in for the instant gratification gift.
So let’s talk about how to make your lead magnet really effective. These are the top 3 strategies to package it.
Strategy #1: Call it a template
People LOVE the exact step-by-step system for what to say or what to write. This could be hot for many different niches. A very similar alternative is a checklist. A template or checklist works great as an appetizer that solves a very specific problem.
Your potential clients experience the value of your training and they’ll want more. You need to tell them how this gift is a small piece of your bigger solution (the program you charge for).
One of our most successful gifts that’s generated well over 10,000 opt-ins is our 4 Hot Title Templates to name your program so it stands out and sells.
(By the way, you can get free access to this gift here.)
You get started with this juicy nugget and then in our Irresistible Marketing Club, you get the complete set of templates for every web page and email you need to attract more subscribers and fill your programs.
So you see, the gift is an appetizer that whets your appetite for the main course.
Strategy #2: Call it a blueprint
A blueprint is a clear visual framework that makes it easy for people to understand how you help them transform. I’ve found that blueprints are best at showing the overview of your system, particularly the system that you teach in your paid program.
Your clients learn about what it is and see how all the pieces fit together. Plus, they see what’s involved and discover the importance of getting more in-depth guidance and support to implement the system. That’s what you offer in your paid program!
In my Irresistible Marketing Club, I teach the Lucrative Launch Blueprint, that shows you how all the pieces of your online marketing fit together to fill your programs.
It’s like a map so you can see the big picture and get clear on your plan. Then you get customized coaching to implement the blueprint with marketing copy that stands out and sizzles.
Strategy #3: Call it the 3 mistakes
Write about 3 mistakes, pitfalls or obstacles that keep your ideal clients struggling with their problem. This is a great lead magnet topic because it piques curiosity. What are we doing wrong and don’t even realize it?!
It also helps people see why they need more help from you. If these 3 mistakes are holding them back, clearly there are other ways they’re sabotaging themselves from the outcome they want.
I find it easier to build hunger and desire for my program when I educate about 3 mistakes because I’m teaching about what people need and why they need it.
But I’m not giving away any in-depth how-to’s beyond a few taster tips. Focus on the what and the why in your gift, and sprinkle in a few actionable steps.
For example, I have an eBook called the 3 Pitfalls That Tank Program Sales. In it I teach 3 common ways people are unknowingly repelling clients with their marketing.
I give valuable tips to get started, and I show the importance of learning my complete Irresistible Marketing System.
So there you have it, 3 strategies to package your client-captivating free gift! I recommend making 3 gifts that each follow one of these formats. Then you’ll have different lead magnets to rotate and keep building your list.
If you want to see inside one of my best performing free gifts and learn some valuable tips to make your program stand out and sell, download my 4 Hot Title Templates here!
