5 Wildly Effective Lead Magnet Ideas For Coaches

Email marketing is one of the most powerful strategies to grow your business, increase your revenue, and provide massive value to your community. 

But let’s get real: Convincing someone to hand over their email address is far from easy…

I bet you’ve tried every trick in your toolbag: 

*pop-ups on your website* 

*opt-in forms in every place imaginable* 

*social media ads driving to your landing pages* 

*giveaways and contests* 

And while these methods can work—maybe you’ve received a few subscribers trickling in every week—they won’t grow your list quickly or fill it with the *right* type of reader. 

I’m talking about the ones who see your value and implement all the knowledge bombs you drop. The ones you can convert into loyal, paying customers. 

So, what’s the secret to building your email list with genuine subscribers? A lead magnet. 

And not any kind of lead magnet—a lead magnet your ideal client will gladly hand over their email address for. 

Luckily, I’m spilling the tea on everything you need to know about lead magnets, including five types proven to skyrocket your subscriber list and get you selling with ease. 

What Is A Lead Magnet? 

Everyone loves a good freebie, amiright? 

A lead magnet is a free resource you can offer to your ideal client in exchange for their email address. Think of it as a beautifully wrapped up gift that will immediately impact the person who receives it. 

Lead magnets are a wildly effective and essential tool for growing your list and delivering instant value—which can create a great first impression with your subscriber (and those are everything when you’re an online business). 

How Do You Determine What Lead Magnet Is Right For Your Audience?

Short answer: market research. 

If you simply throw any free lead magnet into the virtual world, the reality is you won’t get the results you’ve worked so hard for. 

To attract your dream client and convince them to hand over their highly protected email address, you have to know what type of lead magnet (and information) they value the most. 

This means you need to conduct a little market research before getting into the nitty-gritty of creating your freebie. 

Consider the following factors when choosing a lead magnet:

• Who is the type of audience you’re trying to attract? 
• What type of content fits the way your ideal client learns (i.e.. short checklist vs. long e-book)?
• What lead magnet type relates to your paid offer the most?
• What type of information is most helpful for your audience?

If you’re unsure how to conduct market research or where to start, I’ve created a blog where I talk alllll about it: The Ultimate Market Research Roadmap for Coaches.

Now that you know what a lead magnet is, it’s time to dive into the types you can create for your business.

#1: How-To Guides or Mini Ebooks

When it comes to creating a how-to guide or mini ebook, focus more on the content you’re putting into it and less on the length. While this is true with *any* lead magnet, it’s easy to get carried away and make it too long simply because of its name.

The best thing about creating a guide or book is it gives you more space to share your expertise on a simple topic than a blog you’ve written. You can dive deeper into the subject and provide more actionable tips your audience can implement in their personal life or business. 

#2: Swipe File Vaults

Swipe file vaults have long been buried in the laptops of marketers, ad executives, and CEOs, but they are becoming increasingly popular among all types of industries. And there’s good reason. Swipe files are one of the easiest lead magnets you can create. Since you probably already have a compiled list (or vault) of recipes, workouts, inspirational quotes, money-saving tips, or high-converting headlines, you can quickly put them into an easily-digestible document for your audience. 

#3: Checklists 

Ah, checklists. They are a tried-and-true freebie effective in getting your audience to take action (aka handing over their email address). This type of lead magnet helps you organize a set of tasks your subscribers can check off as they work on a specific project or accomplish a goal. It doesn’t matter your industry or niche; every coach can create a checklist related to their digital products. 

#4: Quizzes

Who hasn’t stayed up all hours of the night taking fun quizzes, like “What Kind Of Entrepreneur Are You?” or “How Much Do You Know About Saving Money?” Guilty as charged. 

It’s no wonder quizzes have an astoundingly high average conversion rate of 50%. They offer your audience an interactive experience and pique their inherent curiosity to find out more about themselves. And you can use it to find out about them—after all, knowing everything you can about your ideal client is key to creating valuable content they want to read and converting them into paying customers on repeat. 

While quizzes are one of the most time-intensive lead magnets to create, platforms like Interact, LeadQuizzes, or Typeform take a lot of the work out of it. 

#5: Case Studies

Want to know how Kate generated $18,000 in passive income from a $99 offer? Kidding, kind of… but I bet you’re now curious. Case studies are all about sharing how you helped a client achieve a specific outcome or goal. It’s a powerful tool because it highlights their success and shows others they can achieve similar results by purchasing your product or booking your services. 

If you want to build your business using email (which I highly recommend), you need to start creating lead magnets full of highly valuable info to attract your ideal client. While there are dozens of different lead magnets out there, these are a great place to start!

And once you’re granted permission to land in their inbox, you can officially start to build your relationship with them. Show how you’re the expert in your industry, how you can improve their life, and how you’re the one they should trust with their money.  

I can’t wait to see your list skyrocket!