Types of Lead Magnets…
Whether you call them Lead Magnets, Irresistible Free Offers, Optin Offers or Freebies… the fact is, some work better than others. We’ve created and hosted over 200 different lead magnets and we’ve seen the stats. So here is Part Three of an “executive briefing” on the advantages and disadvantages of different lead magnets.
Free Ebooks
Probably the most common type of lead magnet, the free ebook is often the perfect thing to get people interested in your work. So without a lot of fluff, here are the key Do’s and Don’ts of offering a free ebook as a lead magnet…
Don’t Do This…
- Create an ebook that takes longer than 1 hour to read. Your free ebook should be a mini-ebook that can be consumed in one sitting. Offer too much and you’ve defeated the purpose.
- Use a sample chapter from a full-sized book. It sounds alluring to YOU, but your audience doesn’t care. Sample chapters just don’t work.
- Create an “introduction” to your work with general information or a generalized “blueprint.” People want concrete solutions and take-away benefits, not preparation for something coming later.
- Make your ebook a sales pitch or brochure. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to sell in your email follow-up sequence, so relax and let the free ebook inform and WOW your audience.
- Create an ebook that looks and feels amateurish. Don’t self-publish if you don’t have the skills. Don’t design the cover or interior if you don’t have the skills. And don’t edit your own writing…ever!
Do Do This…
- Offer a set of steps or tips that are short and useful, such as “5 Thing You Need to Know…” or “The Secret to Creating a Winning…” or “6 Tips for Reducing Stress…” You get the idea.
- Pull highlights from a larger book to assemble 5-10 tips or strategies. These should be pulled from various locations in the larger book — not a contiguous chapter or section.
- Give your readers a WOW or AHA experience — if possible, something they have not encountered before.
- Leave your readers wanting more! Don’t give away the farm. Leave something out, so your readers want to get it. You might give the secret to building a successful business, but the secret doesn’t tell them how to accomplish it. Or you might give 5 steps for resolving conflicts, but offer an experiential program where people can actually practice the process.
- Align your free ebook with your upsell. It does you little good if you give an ebook with the “secret to reducing stress” when you don’t have a stress program to upsell afterward. Make sure the freebie is aligned with your upsell.
Follow these Do’s and Don’ts and your free ebooks will be among your top performing lead magnets…guaranteed!