Lead Magnet Insights

We grew an email list from 0 to 500K subscribers in just 10 months. If I were starting from scratch today, here's exactly how I'd do it again: 1) Nail the Lead Magnet: The fastest way to grow your email list is by offering something valuable in exchange for an email. Think of it like this: people won't give up their email for nothing. Create something they can't ignore: a discount, exclusive content, or a tool they can’t find elsewhere. For us, offering free travel guides was a game-changer. 2) Optimize for Opt-Ins Everywhere: Your website, blog, and even social media accounts should work like opt-in machines. For example: - Add pop-ups and fly outs on key pages. - Place CTAs above the fold. - Use scroll-triggered modals when visitors are engaged. We tested endlessly, and this attention to detail paid off big. 3) Tap Into Paid Growth Early: Ads get a bad rep, but when done right, they’re a growth accelerant. We launched targeted ads promoting our lead magnet and built a funnel that turned traffic into email signups. Paid campaigns helped us scale fast while testing which offers resonated with our audience. 4) Partner with the Right People: Collaborations can grow your list faster than any single effort. Whether it’s co-branded giveaways, email swaps, or shoutouts, find brands or creators that share your target audience. A well-executed partnership will unlock exponential growth. One really unique thing we did: We bought a bunch of viral social accounts and rebranded them for our business. This was huge in kickstarting massive and sustainable growth. And we fast-tracked the social proof we needed to build trust and scale quickly. 5) Focus on Quality, Not Just Quantity: A big list is meaningless without engagement. From Day 1, we focused on high-value emails to ensure subscribers opened, clicked, and stayed. Here’s a pro tip: Consistency wins. Sending emails weekly or bi-weekly keeps your list warm and engaged. 6) Build a Content Machine: Pair email growth with an organic content strategy that feeds your funnel. Blog posts, social media, and SEO aren’t just good for traffic—they create trust. The more valuable content you share, the more people will want to hear from you. 7) Leverage Cheap Marketing Channels in Ways Others Haven’t: This is going to ruffle some feathers but we absolutely dominated cold email for user acquisition. To the tune of 6 figure subscriber acquisition. No one was doing cold email for B2C the way we did it. This proved to be the most scalable yet cheapest acquisition channel we had. — To recap: - Offer something valuable for free to grow your list. - Use every channel—paid and organic—to drive opt-ins. - Build relationships with partners who already have your audience. The result? A system that scales. Your list is the one asset you fully own—start building it ASAP!

Welcome emails get the highest open rates you'll ever see (~70%). And then it falls off a cliff (but it doesn't have to be that way...) What if you could spend 10 minutes to keep it from dropping quite as much? Jason Resnick discovered a simple 4-hour follow-up hack that increased his engaged subscribers from 48% to 67% in just two months. Here's exactly how it works: 1. Send your normal welcome email with the lead magnet. 2. Four hours later, send a second email ONLY to those who didn't click. - Keep it casual: "Hey, just checking—did you get the download okay? Here's the link again." - Add a simple question to encourage replies: "What are you hoping to learn from this?" 4. Respond personally to build relationships. (it's wild to me how many creators don't reply to their readers) Why this works: - Catches people at a quieter moment - Signals to email providers that you're a trusted sender - Feels like good service, not marketing (an easy way to stand out these days) - Creates actual conversations that lead to sales This extra email takes 10 minutes to implement but creates a permanent advantage for you moving forward. The best part? You get to build deeper relationships with your readers.

After building 100+ lead magnet landing pages, I've found 7 non-negotiable rules to maximize conversion rates. Let's break them down: RULE 1: The Rule of 1 There's only ONE thing you can do on my landing pages: Opt-in or bounce. There's no navigation bars, blog archives, social media buttons... NADA. All of these are distractions. And distractions = lower opt-in rates. So if you want to increase your opt-in rates, the first thing you should do is follow The Rule of 1—just one CTA. RULE 2: Transformation-Driven Headline If you're reading this, you've probably heard the famous Ogilvy quote before: “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” Now, even though he said that decades ago (and in the context of paid advertising), this is still true. And it also applies to lead magnet landing pages. But, how do you write a great landing page headline? There's dozens of small nuances—but none of them matter if your headline doesn't promise a tangible & compelling outcome (or transformation). So, keep that in mind next time you're writing a landing page. RULE 3: Objection Busting Now, sometimes making a good promise isn't enough. People have doubts. So, if you want maximize your opt-in rates, make sure to always include an Objection Busting sentence to the end of your headlines. Pro tip: Use smaller font size & italicize your Objection Busting sentence so your "main" headline doesn't get too bulky. RULE 4: Mockup image One of your main goals when creating a landing page like this? To make your lead magnet feel *tangible.* Even make it feel like a product. That's why all of my landing pages always have a high-quality mockup image. Obviously, you can whip up your own mockup images using a tool like Canva. But if you can hire a designer to help you create one, that's even better. (It's worth every penny!) RULE 5: Compelling Lead Magnet Name Another way to make your lead magnets feel more tangible? Name them something! One of my favorite frameworks for this is Hormozi's MAGIC formula. RULE 6: Tangible Social Proof As we all know, social proof is extremely powerful. Now, when you have limited real estate, one of my favorite ways to add social proof is to add a short blurb with *tangible* social proof. (Instead of adding a "quote testimonial.") See the image below for an example of this! RULE 7: Opt-In Form Above The Fold Lastly, you want to make it as easy as possible for people to opt-in for your lead magnet. And easy means NO scrolling. That's why your opt-in box should always be "above the fold." Pro tip: Check the mobile version of your page to ensure the opt-in box is above the fold there too. And that's it! Now, the question is - which of these rules are you implementing first?

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐭? (𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦) A irresistible lead magnet does one thing exceptionally well: It provides massive value upfront, compelling your audience to exchange their contact information without hesitation. Here's how to craft one: 1️⃣ 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 Don't try to be everything to everyone. Focus on a single, pressing issue your target audience faces. For example: 𝑺𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑩𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔: "Download our free guide to increase local SEO and bring in more customers." 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅: "Get my top 5 tips on how to build a personal brand that attracts job offers." 2️⃣ 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 Your lead magnet should offer immediate value. The person should be able to take action right after downloading it. Examples: 𝑺𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑩𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔: A checklist for setting up your first email marketing campaign in under 30 minutes. 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅: A template to craft a LinkedIn profile that gets noticed. 3️⃣ 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 No one wants to sift through mountains of information. Short, focused, and easy-to-consume content works best. Consider these formats: 𝑺𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑩𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔: A 2-page PDF with quick tips or a mini video series. 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅: A swipe file of your best-performing LinkedIn posts. 4️⃣ 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 People love feeling like they're getting something special. Exclusivity drives sign-ups: 𝑺𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑩𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔: Exclusive access to our webinar replay. 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅: Join my private community for early access to my content and personal insights. 5️⃣ 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐭𝐨-𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Tell them exactly what they need to do next. 𝑲𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅. Use something like this: "Download your free guide now." "Get instant access to my checklist." Remember, the ultimate goal of a lead magnet is not just to gather contacts but to initiate a relationship. Give value first, and the rewards will follow. --- P.S. What’s the best lead magnet you've ever downloaded? Share it in the comments!

I recently started testing a new lead gen strategy for LinkedIn. And it’s working. Here’s the sauce: Everyone's pushing educational lead magnets these days. Free guides. Templates. Swipe files. They work. But I’ve found something that’s been working a lot better for myself and my clients: Service-based lead magnets. Here's the cold, hard truth — your prospects are drowning in PDFs they'll never read. Instead, give them a real taste of your service: 󾠮 Web designers — Create a free homepage mockup 󾠯 Content agencies — Write their first piece free 󾠰 Ad agencies — Set up a test campaign on the house 󾠱 Recruiters — Deliver one free placement Why this works: ✅ Shows, not tells, your expertise ✅ Creates instant reciprocity ✅ Proves ROI before they pay ✅ Makes competitors irrelevant Like I said, I’m using this exact approach right now and getting more leads than in the past. The good news: Most agencies are too lazy to do this. They hide behind long, boring lead magnets instead of putting in real work and adding value to their prospects. Curious what your service-based lead magnet could look like? Tell me in the comments what your company does and I'll recommend a service-based lead magnet you can try! PS - the image below is an example of a "free service offer" where I gave away 3 hours of my time for qualified individuals (got 22 applications in one week).

My team and I always look for innovative approaches to give our lead generation a unique edge.  These lesser-known strategies may not be as obvious, but trust me. They can work wonders for your business. 🎮 Gamify Your Lead Magnets: Create quizzes, challenges, or puzzles related to your industry or niche. People love gamification, and it can dramatically increase engagement and lead capture.  🤝 Host Virtual Co-Creation Workshops: Invite your target audience to collaborate in virtual co-creation workshops. Together, brainstorm innovative solutions to industry challenges or product enhancements.  📽️ Leverage Interactive Video Content: Use tools that allow viewers to choose or interact with the content. Interactive videos boost engagement and keep viewers hooked, increasing the likelihood of them becoming qualified leads.  🗣️ Harness the Power of Podcasting: Podcasts are popular, but here is the twist: don't just host interviews, be a guest on niche-specific podcasts. Share your expertise, industry insights, and success stories with a broader audience.  📦 Send Snail Mail Surprises: Identify high-potential leads and send them personalized packages. Include thoughtful items like handwritten notes, branded merchandise, or exclusive offers.  By adopting these under-the-radar strategies, you will tap into fresh opportunities and stand out in a crowded market.  Keep experimenting and watch your lead pipeline flourish like never before. What out-of-the-box lead generation techniques do you know? Let me know in the comments. 👇🏼 Follow @dralexadagostino for more tips on scaling a business. #leadgeneration #innovativeapproaches #uniquemarketing #entrepreneurialedge

Very unlikely you get many people to pay you $5,000/mo off of one cold email. It's like asking someone to marry you before asking them to dinner. It just doesn’t work like that. If you’re selling any B2B service that’s relatively expensive ($2k-$10k/mo), a great strategy is getting them in a small commitment offer first. One way to do that is to offer a service-based lead magnet in your cold email. A typical lead magnet just gives a document or video to the prospect to work on their own. Whereas, a service-based lead magnet requires labor and offers a service that someone needs and would otherwise pay for. "I'll script and edit 1 free YouTube video for you. If you like it, we can talk about how we can make more for you." "Let me make you one ad creative, and if it beats your CPA, you pay me $500." "I guarantee I can show you 3-4 things in your Klaviyo account that will immediately increase your revenue 10-20%. If it doesn't work in 7 days, I'll buy your next steak dinner." Unlike normal lead magnets, a service-based lead magnet requires an actual investment from the prospect: Their time. It's designed to get them on a call. Then you use the call to transition into probing if they have interest in a more extensive offer.

Most entrepreneurs are thinking about lead magnets - or case study PDFs - the wrong way. Here is how I was able to increase sales by 26% through asking the right questions. And how you can too: You probably think that with the right lead magnet, your prospects will read the material, fall in love with what you hear, email you back (or click over) and buy right away. So rare it's not worth thinking about. If any sales do come from a lead magnet, it is because they read more emails in the future and finally pull the trigger. Here is where you're going wrong: You're letting a hot lead off the hook by removing any urgency from the process. Your leads have put their hands up as interested, don't sidetrack them with a lead magnet to read. Here is how we use lead magnets differently. 1 - Create a valuable lead magnet. Make sure it showcases every step and detail. 2 - Add 'pre-framing' questions before your lead magnet. Questions like: How much time do you have set aside to complete x? Do you have a place to store the (expensive equipment needed) to complete x? The goal is to frame the thinking of the lead in order to maintain the urgency of the sale. Example (works for any business): Here is what I would do if I were a pest control company in Maryland: Lead magnet on top 10 way to reduce infestations in Maryland this Summer. Then pre-framing questions: Do you have the equipment needed to spray the chemicals? Do you have the PPE required to ensure your safety while using dangerous chemicals? Do you have access to a ladder or the crawl space for under house and attic treatment? NOW they thought they're getting a DIY answer, but realize it's not so simple. If they are the right type of buyer, they are thinking "Screw doing this myself, I'm just going to hire these guys now" So stop thinking your lead magnet is enough on its own. If you have one already, add some pre-framing questions and test the response. If done right, you WILL increase sales.

Almost every "guru" will say you need high-friction lead magnets like: - "Send us your Klaviyo logins for a free audit" - "Let me review your sales call recordings" - "Give me access to your Google Analytics" After testing many lead magnets with our agency clients, I can tell you with absolute certainty: These high-friction lead magnets are KILLING your conversion rates. No prospect in their right mind is giving you their login details or sales calls when they just met you in a cold email. Here's what we've found works consistently: The best lead magnets for cold email are what I call "Immediate Value Assets" - things that: 1) Require ZERO work from the prospect 2) Deliver value the MOMENT they receive it 3) Naturally lead to your paid service Let me break down the 3 lead magnets that are converting well right now: LEAD MAGNET #1: "THE PRE-BUILT SAMPLE" Instead of asking for something FROM them, offer something specifically built FOR them. Examples: - "I built you sample leads from companies that match your ideal customer profile" - "I created a sample TikTok ad for your brand - want to see it?" - "I designed a landing page mockup for your product launch" You've already done work specifically for THEM (not a generic template). They're curious to see what you've created, and it demonstrates your capabilities immediately. LEAD MAGNET #2: "THE COMPETITOR INSIGHT" People are obsessed with what their competitors are doing. Examples: -"I analyzed your top competitors' ad strategies and found a major gap in their approach" -"I reviewed the email sequences your competitors are using and noticed something interesting" -"I tracked how your competitors rank for these keywords compared to you" It triggers both curiosity and fear of missing out. They want to know what their competitors are doing that they're not. LEAD MAGNET #3: "THE SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITY" Point out a specific, immediate opportunity they're missing. Examples: - "I found keywords you could rank for within 30 days based on your current domain authority" - "I identified a leak in your checkout process that's costing you revenue" - "There's a Facebook audience segment you're not targeting that your competitors are ignoring too" Why it works: It's specific, actionable, and promises immediate ROI. Even if they don't hire you, they get something valuable they can implement.. After the prospects receive the lead magnet and see its value, conversion to sales calls improves significantly compared to traditional high-friction lead magnets. Try this approach with your next cold email campaign and watch your response rates improve.

I had to deliver some brutal news to a client last week: "This screams 'please ignore me”" I was talking about her lead magnet. Generic title that could've been written by AI. Promise so vague it meant nothing. Content so basic it could be Googled in 30 seconds. Here's what we did to fix it: 𝟏. 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 FROM: "5 Sleep Tips for New Parents" TO: "The 48-Hour Sleep Reset for Exhausted First-Time Moms" 𝟐. 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 FROM: Generic tips anyone could Google TO: A practical 2 day action plan 𝟑. 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 FROM: One-size-fits-all advice TO: Laser-focused on their exact avatar The difference? The first version disappears into the void of "helpful content." The second version makes someone think, "Holy crap, this is exactly what I need." Your lead magnet isn't competing with other freebies. It's competing with sleep. With scrolling. With their never ending to-do list. Make it so specific, so tailored, so immediately useful that ignoring it feels impossible. Stop creating for everyone. Start creating for someone. P.S. If your lead magnet feels too generic, DM me "SPECIFIC" and I'll help you turn it into something people actually want.