What Is The Best Lead Magnet Type And Why?

There are many to choose from. Below are my top go-to options and WHY I select them.

1. Checklists

Quick, easy to digest, and actionable. Checklists prevent people from feeling overwhelmed (as long as there are 10 or fewer steps). Normally it can all fit on one page.

This option is easy to create but highly competitive for that same reason. I do not use checklists very often since it does not allow me to connect as much as I'd like to with the reader.

Although if the main goal is to give your audience check steps to achieve results quickly and easily, this is the go-to option.

2. Step-By-Step Guides

This option provides a full road map to achieve a more complex goal. I normally limit this to 5 steps one page each.

3. Resource list

Some audiences just need to know where to go and they can figure out the rest from there

4. A Compelling Video

Video is becoming the right hook in lead generation in today's world.

A video of you with a compelling hook, story, and close can be more than enough to grow your email list. This is my most effective option.

A hook is a compelling headline introducing a relevant problem.

A story explains where you were before you solved that same problem for yourself and where you are now.

A close is where summarize then you instill your viewers with a sense of urgency to take action now and end ALWAYS end with a call-to-action

Many people think they need to have short videos in today's world. That is false. Sure you might convert fewer people you gain more attentive viewers when they watch your 7-minute video versus your 17-second one. Either way, it's important to test both.

I run video ads on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Youtube and I generally get the most leads from videos 1-2 minutes in length. But my highest engaging video was about 5 minutes long.

5. Blog Post

This one is great for 2 reasons:

1a: No matter what people say, Google always optimizes pages using text. They always have and they have gone on the record to say that they always will. This means that the text on your blog post can help bring more relevant viewers to your content without any more cost to you. This is called SEO optimization. Be sure to read into this because it gets complex

2a: Syndication. When you post on someone else blog (also known as guest posting) if the creator of the blog or someone who manages that blog believes it can resonate with more of their viewers, they can publish it on other blogs they own or manage. This will magnify your visibility at no extra cost to you.

Bonus: Exit intent pop-up for a discount code or voucher

These are mainly for online retail stores or blogs. These are highly effective and have brought me hundreds of leads over the years. The reason why I value this is that when I pay money to Google Ads for traffic, I want to make the most of it.

Rather than just letting visitors leave, give them a discount code or voucher by having them enter their email. Some will even buy that same day if the offer is enticing enough. But at the very least I get the ability to market to them via email again in the future.

So what is my go-to option out of the ones listed above? When I am running ads, it is a combination of video and the step-by-step guide with Facebook Lead Generation ads.

When I am not doing ads, I post a guest post on a blog and leave a link to a landing page were interested readers can enter in their email a downloadable step-by-step guide or resource list.

So ultimately the best type of lead magnet depends on your goal. If you're targeting property contractors and want to show them a list of red flags to look out for, then the checklist is your best bet.

But if you need to walk people through creating an online retail store from beginning to end, then a how-to video on youtube, PDF file or both will be a better option.