How to use lead magnets to push prospects into your sales funnel

Lead magnets are an opportunity to help people and demonstrate your expertise – and that’s a great way to start a sales conversation.

Potential customers share their contact details (the lead) to get free, valuable things like marketing templates or masterclasses (the magnet).

Our blog will help you understand if lead magnets can work for your business, the different types of assets you can create and how to promote your offer.

Will lead magnets work for my business?

Lead magnets need to provide something valuable enough for your target audience to share their contact details, as BRUTAL Business & Marketing founder Laura Burton explains:

“Generally, any service provider can have a lead magnet. Whether it’s right for you comes down to what people are consuming and whether you can genuinely give them something that piques their interest.”

The approach works for most service-based businesses, from accountants and consultants to therapists.

How much time does it take to create a lead magnet?

It’s possible to develop a lead magnet and the campaign to promote it in a day, if you have the right tools and know what you’re doing.

Advanced campaigns can take a whole week, including creating several assets, developing a promotional campaign and refining the approach.

The format you use has a big impact on how much time you need to invest, so let’s tackle that next.

Six types of lead magnet you can use to promote your business

The type of lead magnet you create comes down to what you’re sharing, and the resources and knowledge you have.

Start with your customer – what’s the best way for them to learn or take action?

Topics can also be tackled in a narrow or more detailed way. If you help people get more leads from LinkedIn, for example, you could share post templates or develop a whole course.

Here are six common types of lead magnet, listed roughly from the simple to produce to the more complex. Laura’s YouTube overview of these approaches is also a useful starting point.

1. Templates

Templates are easy to create and give potential customers a practical tool.

The format works really well for businesses like marketing experts (for example, a content calendar or blog post template).

2. Video sales letter

A video sales letter is a sales pitch delivered through video, which is designed to convert viewers into customers.

Laura says every business should have one, recommending keeping it to about 10 minutes in length:

“Start with a video sales letter if you’re unsure what else to create. They can run for a very long time. Pin it everywhere, so people can check you out without having to talk with you.”

Video sales letters need to start with a compelling problem statement your customers can relate to. They then explain the solution, establish social proof, have a clear call to action and reinforce the benefit.

3. Quiz or assessment

Quizzes and assessments ask potential customers questions that lead to some kind of useful output.

It puts the ownership on them to share information you can use in your sales and marketing – and they convert at a high rate.

That means you not only know they’re interested, but you can also check if they match your target persona and refine the next steps you take.

Examples include a job satisfaction survey developed by a recruiter and a leadership skills quiz from an executive coach.

4. Masterclass

Online masterclasses teach delegates something related to a service you offer. They normally run for an hour online – think Enterprise Nation’s Lunch + Learns – but can use lots of different formats.

Laura explains:

“Masterclasses are great because you don’t need a massive platform. You can do it in a very basic way or have all the bells and whistles. The key is to give just enough away so they get value, while framing yourself as the solution.”

Masterclasses convert well and can be based on content you’ve already created, such as talks or an existing approach you use with clients.

5. Course

Creating a course requires a much higher level of time investment, but the value it provides makes it more engaging.

Courses are normally simplified or scaled-back versions of something you deliver as a service. And, they should naturally lead on to them working with you directly.

For example, a business coach could offer a course on improving your mindset that creates an opportunity to pitch one-on-one support.

Unlike most other types of sales assets, you can charge for a course, which improves the chances that the leads you get are willing to spend money on your services.

6. Book

Books can be incredibly powerful lead magnets, positioning you as an expert and creating PR opportunities.

However, it’s obviously a huge investment and requires a sophisticated marketing plan; this is an approach for people who have mastered lead generation.

Writing a compelling hook

The “hook” is the compelling communication of the value of your lead magnet. These are normally the title and description.

It’s an incredibly important element of marketing your lead magnet and Laura suggests starting the planning process by writing a hook:

“Everyone forgets that you have to grab someone’s attention.”

Here are some examples to get you thinking:

1. Leisa Pickles: Your Trade Show Success Kit – The essential guide, planner & lead tracker for food and drink brands ready to make shows count.

2. Naeem Alvi: Steal Our SEVEN Email Copy Frameworks That Booked 67 Sales Calls In One Month.

3. Laura Burton: Creating a lead magnet? Use these tools to make sure it actually grabs attention and converts to sales!.

Creating the lead magnet

The support that lead magnets offer should naturally promote a service you sell. Because of that, it’s likely you already have material to base the asset on.

For example, you might offer a simplified version of your social media content planner or use the questions from an onboarding script to create a checklist.

There are lots of tools that can help, too:

1. Adobe Express Premium makes it easy to design assets using templates. Adobe is an Enterprise Nation partner, so you can get a three-month free trial.

2. Google Drive allows you to share documents and spreadsheets.

3. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude can help you get inspiration and plan what your lead magnets will include.

4. Platforms like ClickFunnels and Leadpages are designed to manage the process.

5. You can use ScoreApp to build quizzes and surveys.

6. CapCut is an easy-to-use video editor.

What data should I collect with my lead magnets?

The minimum you should ask for is the person's name and email address. Their phone number can be useful too, if you have a way to do the follow-up marketing.

The amount of information you ask for should be relative to the value you’re providing; if you’ve developed a whole course, you can get more details.

Asking for more information can make people more hesitant too, so limit your questions to the information you need to start the sales process.

Checking the performance of your sales asset

It’s important to monitor how your campaign is performing. Compare the number of clicks vs. how many people signed up, and then sign-ups vs. sales calls.

If you’re not getting many leads, try a new hook or invest more time in marketing.

Resources to help you create lead magnets

• How personalised lead generation can help with sales (Enterprise Nation webinar)

• Scale Your Business To More Profit With Lead Magnet MAGIC! (Laura Burton’s YouTube video)

• Laura Burton offers an AI prompt, hook writer and masterclass script (Laura Burton’s website)