The Best Lead Magnet Does One Thing

Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content and has gained 600K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.

Posted 10.22.24

If you’re a small biz or freelancer, you’re expected to offer a freebie on your website or blog. It’s standard operating procedure. But a lead magnet is not the unique temptation for readers that it once was.

You may call it a complimentary resource, opt-in offer, or free download. Regardless, It’s an incentive that you give to readers and potential clients in exchange for their email address (or other contact info) and permission to send information — a checklist, cheat sheet, workbook, video, short eBook, infographic, or planner, for instance. You offer a lead magnet to grow your audience, whether it’s to add names to your mailing list or generate leads.

It is a particularly crucial piece of your marketing puzzle, especially if you’re a freelancer or solopreneur. Your freebie is one of the key ways you build your list and build your reach.

But since everyone creates a lead magnet and offers one on their website or blog, can yours stand out so readers actually want to opt in?

Yes! The best lead magnet does one thing. I know this — and you do, too — because you get freebies all the time.

The best lead magnet for me

Over the years, I’ve opted in to receive dozens of freebies. And to be fair, I’ve stayed subscribed to plenty of those providers.

But the issue here is not staying subscribed. It’s getting readers to give up their email addresses in the first place. If you’re like me, you’re hesitant to relinquish the keys to your inbox because every day, your inbox is packed with email.

Please don’t misunderstand. I’m willing to give up my email address for a good offer. I’ll even surrender it for a decent offer.

Provided that the information I’ll get in return is irresistible to me.

The best lead magnet meets a need

Let me paint a picture of what this process looks like. The first thing to do is to switch from writer mode and put on your consumer boots. As a prospective reader, here’s my inner dialogue when I see an offer.

• “That checklist is just what I need to make sense of what everyone says about publishing my new book.”
• “I need that template for my next cover letter. It will make the process go so much faster.”
• “I’ve been struggling to create my tagline. I need that worksheet to guide me through the process.”

The common denominator in my thoughts? Need.

• I need to avoid confusion.
• I need to save time.
• I need a step-by-step guide for a new project.

I have a need. So when I see a lead magnet offer that meets the need, my response is natural. I click, slap in my email address, and check my inbox for that precious download.

Your prospective reader undergoes the same mental conversation when he sees your lead magnet offer.

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The best lead magnet starts with the reader

That’s why the best lead magnets don’t germinate in the mind of the writer. “What kind of lead magnet should I create?” It’s a question I hear a lot. But it’s the wrong question.

Instead, the best lead magnets start with knowing who your reader is.

If you’re new to content writing, create an ideal reader profile — a description of a typical member of your target readership. If you’ve been writing for a while, go back to your reader avatar to refine it.

Ask yourself this: Who do you want to help? And don’t say “everyone.” Identify your audience by recording characteristics that differentiate them from others: age, gender, education, income, and goals.

For instance, let’s say you’re a working mom who has learned how to make healthy, inexpensive home-cooked meals for your family. Over the years you’ve soaked up tips from other busy parents. You’ve accumulated all kinds of shopping tricks, food prep ideas, and recipes. Your pile of resources has kept you out of the fast-food lines and instead, placed you around the table sharing a meal with your family at dinner time each night.

Now, you’ve launched a blog to help other working moms save money and foster healthy eating for their families. You’ve done your homework to identify your ideal reader. She is a 39-year-old working woman with two children. She has a bit of education — perhaps a 2-year degree or more — and owns a starter home. Her focus on her children’s health is accompanied by her desire to stay fit herself — and to save a bit of money each month from her grocery bill to put into a college fund. And although she has very little free time, she is resourceful.

The best lead magnet identifies a pain point

What do those readers need help with? Brainstorm and create a list of this ideal reader’s pain points. What do they need or want to accomplish their goal(s)?

Let’s go back to our example. What are a working mom’s key pain points? (If you don’t identify with your prospective reader, find someone who does and pick their brain.)

• She needs to be thrifty
• She needs convenience
• She needs actionable advice
• She needs quick advice
• She needs tips, not a lifestyle overhaul

The best lead magnet offers a specific benefit

You’ve got all kinds of options you could offer this working mom. But it’s at this point that plenty of writers make an unforgivable boo-boo. They create a lead magnet that’s too long, overwhelming, or ambiguous for the audience to consume. Imagine our working mom glancing at these offers:

76 Ways To Save on Your Grocery Bill

True, this eBook would help her sock away cash every week. But remember — your ideal reader doesn’t have a lot of extra time. The prospect of wading through 76 ideas is simply too much. Chances are good that she won’t bother clicking on this offer.

Help Your Kids Eat Healthy Meals Every Night

How? Will you pour peas down their throats? This offer is too vague. Every mom I know wants her kids to eat healthy meals morning, noon, and night. But there will be no click here because this lead magnet headline doesn’t offer an actionable benefit. It just states a wish.

Make Dinner In Less Time — and Ahead of Time

Better. But this offer doesn’t target a particular reader. Plenty of people want to save meal prep time. Is this download for a single yoga instructor … a new widow … a travel nurse … parents of 6?

Tips for Healthy Family Meals

Way too broad. Enough said.

To sum up: the best lead magnet solves just one problem

Your lead magnet’s job is not to solve every single problem your reader faces. Instead, drill down. The best lead magnets are very specific.

• Offer an answer to one pressing issue.
• Focus on a single benefit — one that is digestible and quickly actionable.
• Use simple formats like checklists, templates, or concise guides that offer fast value.

Back to our example. How about this?

3 Healthy Family Crockpot Recipes with 5 Ingredients or Less

Yes! This lead magnet offers one thing your prospective reader needs. It offers convenience.

It gives a solution to her problem of how to cook healthy, cost-conscious meals each night for her kids — and do it quickly. Three recipes are manageable for moms with limited time to review them. Crockpots are convenient. Recipes are actionable. Just five ingredients imply economy.

The best lead magnet does this one thing

The best lead magnet offers don’t focus on your content. They focus on your reader. So you need to know who that is.

But there’s more to it than that. A successful lead magnet offers a solution to one single problem or issue your reader faces.

Struggling with too many ideas? Use this template as you create your freebie.

My lead magnet will help [Who: identify a specific group of people]
to [What: state a specific need]
so that [Why: state the specific benefit for the reader].

Once you complete that sentence, create a lead magnet to address that one question for your specific reader.

Do that, and you’ll find readers are more than tempted to click. You’ll get dozens and dozens of new subscribers. Because they want the answer you offer.

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