A lead magnet is something that can attract your audience and potential customers, whether you're selling a product or providing services. Creating a lead magnet is an art in itself and requires some attention, which will pay off when customers start reaching out to you. This is the task of creating a lead magnet that I’d like to explore.
I'll share an example from recent practice. While discussing terms with one of the clients, after all the details were finalized and the budget approved, the client suddenly asked an interesting, but completely reasonable question: "Will I be able to see the result before making a down payment?" It's a perfectly understandable concern; even when someone sees a solid and professional portfolio, they still worry about receiving exactly what they want. It’s like choosing a slice of cake at a cafe. They promise it will look as beautiful as the neighboring slices, but you have doubts: "What if it's smaller, or what if there will ne no cherry there?"
In the case of ordering custom products, the client often relies on your portfolio. This works especially well if the client sees an exact match to the type of product they’re interested in. That's why there's so much talk about niches and narrowing down your specialization. The more guarantees a client receives, the more confidently they are willing to pay for a solution to their problem.
In the past few months, I started recording tutorials on working with vector graphics for beginner designers and illustrators, with the goal of using them as lead magnets to attract potential clients - those interested in purchasing the full vector graphics course in Adobe Illustrator, which I’m currently developing. Initially, I planned to create just one lead magnet, but now there are already two. The reason for this is that I made the same mistake twice. A lead magnet should be simple and easy to grasp, especially when targeting beginners. However, I ended up creating two full-fledged masterclasses that showcase the process of working on complex illustrations. The first recording turned out to be 3.5 hours, and the second one was 4 hours long. And that’s after compressing them as much as possible, manually cutting out every possible pause between my own comments. On the one hand, this makes the viewing experience more intense, but now I believe it feels too dense and rushed. Additionally, in some cases, viewers need to visually observe the actions the expert is taking, even without the author’s commentary, and I cut some of these parts, probably more than I should have.
In my case, this is understandable since I had no prior experience recording courses. And in the third lead magnet (yes, I’m already working on the third!), I will take these points into account, while the first two will simply be moved to the “behind-the-scenes” content section. The key point is that the potential buyer should not get tired of the content you provided for free. They should get a sample of the experience and the process they’ll gain if they purchase the full package. Ideally, after quickly enjoying the free gift, they should be eager to buy the continuation.
People have a very short window of focus during which their desire is active, and this desire needs to be guided. This might sound a bit unpleasant, as if you’re pushing or manipulating people with some dark techniques. But in reality, you're just showing them a shorter path to relief from their pain. After all, that’s the essence of any service or product you sell - you’re helping people get rid of a problem that’s bothering them at the moment. And the bigger the problem, the greater your compensation for solving it.A lead magnet is something that can serve as the starting point for your potential client's journey. In my case, I prepared a lesson that was too complex and lengthy, but that doesn’t mean it should be overly simple. It’s important to strike a balance between the amount of information and its complexity. Moreover, the complexity depends on the experience level of your potential buyer. In my case, I’m targeting beginner designers and illustrators who either have no experience at all or very little and are trying to figure out how to move forward. A lead magnet should clearly communicate what it’s about, how it can help, and who it’s for. No one wants to try a piece of pie just to guess what flavor it is.
Right now, there’s an abundance of information on the internet, and frankly, I can hardly name a topic that hasn’t already been explored or where there’s a shortage of content. In this context, the key feature of your lead magnet is your personal approach to solving the problem. Everyone’s approach is unique. Even if it seems similar, you are unique and can offer your own method that you consider correct, convenient, optimal, and so on.
The visual presentation of the lead magnet is crucial. Think of it as that sample bite. The quality of the presentation and packaging here is more important than in the full course. In the full course, it’s all about the work - it includes some boring technical details that require a different level of attention. But with the lead magnet, you don’t have this luxury. However, depending on your situation, you shouldn’t overdo it, as I did by creating a lengthy video. That said, I did put in good work on the packaging. I designed unique pages for each of the courses, and for one of them, I recorded a one-minute video briefly explaining what the course contains. I added visual prompts that appear in the video during the narration and included quick-key prompts at the moments they were pressed. I believe all these elements are appropriate and useful for this type of lead magnet.
It’s not necessary to make everything perfect or go all-out on the first iteration of your lead magnet. That’s exactly why I’m already on my third version of vector graphics lessons for beginners. You need to launch something, start promoting it, ask for feedback from those who used your magnet, and then make it better. The same recommendations that apply to the full course are also relevant for the lead magnet.
Think about creating a lead magnet that will remain relevant for a long time. It’s worth noting that there’s another approach, where you follow current trends and try to jump on the bandwagon of what’s popular right now. This works well for engaging your existing audience. However, when it comes to people who haven’t heard of you yet, it’s better to create a lead magnet that will have lasting value. You’ll be busy promoting it and focusing on other things. It shouldn’t require your constant attention.
In addition to acting as a tool to attract customers, a lead magnet can also become valuable material that you can reuse for its own promotion, but in smaller portions. You can redistribute it through individual social media posts, email newsletters, and so on.
A lead magnet doesn’t have to be just a mini-course. I considered the option of creating an electronic brochure that would explain the advantages of vector graphics and give a general overview of the areas it covers. E-books are considered a good option for a lead magnet, although I personally prefer video courses.
An alternative could be some kind of template that suits your audience. It could be a scheduling template in Notion, or a design in Figma or Framer. This depends on your niche.
A similar option would be a checklist. It may be less valuable, but it's hard to judge. For example, while working at a small printing company, we created a Client Inquiry Checklist for orders. And this turned out to be quite valuable information—seeing how others do it helps avoid the mistakes they’ve already made.
Another interesting form is webinars and training sessions. They are very effective, but they require your personal presence, either in person or via remote video. The effectiveness of such lead magnets is significantly higher than that of standalone ones. Here, people can ask you questions, spend some time interacting with you personally, and if you know your craft, their trust in you will soar.
Surveys and assessments are another interesting type of lead magnet. Honestly, this type deserves its own article as it is gaining traction. And, if I may give a little teaser, I would like to incorporate this into my work not only as a promotional tool, but more on that later.
Before you start creating a lead magnet, plan what it could be, describe your target audience, and offer them something they will appreciate. I hope this article was helpful. See you in the next one!
I'll share an example from recent practice. While discussing terms with one of the clients, after all the details were finalized and the budget approved, the client suddenly asked an interesting, but completely reasonable question: "Will I be able to see the result before making a down payment?" It's a perfectly understandable concern; even when someone sees a solid and professional portfolio, they still worry about receiving exactly what they want. It’s like choosing a slice of cake at a cafe. They promise it will look as beautiful as the neighboring slices, but you have doubts: "What if it's smaller, or what if there will ne no cherry there?"
In the case of ordering custom products, the client often relies on your portfolio. This works especially well if the client sees an exact match to the type of product they’re interested in. That's why there's so much talk about niches and narrowing down your specialization. The more guarantees a client receives, the more confidently they are willing to pay for a solution to their problem.
In the past few months, I started recording tutorials on working with vector graphics for beginner designers and illustrators, with the goal of using them as lead magnets to attract potential clients - those interested in purchasing the full vector graphics course in Adobe Illustrator, which I’m currently developing. Initially, I planned to create just one lead magnet, but now there are already two. The reason for this is that I made the same mistake twice. A lead magnet should be simple and easy to grasp, especially when targeting beginners. However, I ended up creating two full-fledged masterclasses that showcase the process of working on complex illustrations. The first recording turned out to be 3.5 hours, and the second one was 4 hours long. And that’s after compressing them as much as possible, manually cutting out every possible pause between my own comments. On the one hand, this makes the viewing experience more intense, but now I believe it feels too dense and rushed. Additionally, in some cases, viewers need to visually observe the actions the expert is taking, even without the author’s commentary, and I cut some of these parts, probably more than I should have.
In my case, this is understandable since I had no prior experience recording courses. And in the third lead magnet (yes, I’m already working on the third!), I will take these points into account, while the first two will simply be moved to the “behind-the-scenes” content section. The key point is that the potential buyer should not get tired of the content you provided for free. They should get a sample of the experience and the process they’ll gain if they purchase the full package. Ideally, after quickly enjoying the free gift, they should be eager to buy the continuation.
People have a very short window of focus during which their desire is active, and this desire needs to be guided. This might sound a bit unpleasant, as if you’re pushing or manipulating people with some dark techniques. But in reality, you're just showing them a shorter path to relief from their pain. After all, that’s the essence of any service or product you sell - you’re helping people get rid of a problem that’s bothering them at the moment. And the bigger the problem, the greater your compensation for solving it.A lead magnet is something that can serve as the starting point for your potential client's journey. In my case, I prepared a lesson that was too complex and lengthy, but that doesn’t mean it should be overly simple. It’s important to strike a balance between the amount of information and its complexity. Moreover, the complexity depends on the experience level of your potential buyer. In my case, I’m targeting beginner designers and illustrators who either have no experience at all or very little and are trying to figure out how to move forward. A lead magnet should clearly communicate what it’s about, how it can help, and who it’s for. No one wants to try a piece of pie just to guess what flavor it is.
Right now, there’s an abundance of information on the internet, and frankly, I can hardly name a topic that hasn’t already been explored or where there’s a shortage of content. In this context, the key feature of your lead magnet is your personal approach to solving the problem. Everyone’s approach is unique. Even if it seems similar, you are unique and can offer your own method that you consider correct, convenient, optimal, and so on.
The visual presentation of the lead magnet is crucial. Think of it as that sample bite. The quality of the presentation and packaging here is more important than in the full course. In the full course, it’s all about the work - it includes some boring technical details that require a different level of attention. But with the lead magnet, you don’t have this luxury. However, depending on your situation, you shouldn’t overdo it, as I did by creating a lengthy video. That said, I did put in good work on the packaging. I designed unique pages for each of the courses, and for one of them, I recorded a one-minute video briefly explaining what the course contains. I added visual prompts that appear in the video during the narration and included quick-key prompts at the moments they were pressed. I believe all these elements are appropriate and useful for this type of lead magnet.
It’s not necessary to make everything perfect or go all-out on the first iteration of your lead magnet. That’s exactly why I’m already on my third version of vector graphics lessons for beginners. You need to launch something, start promoting it, ask for feedback from those who used your magnet, and then make it better. The same recommendations that apply to the full course are also relevant for the lead magnet.
Think about creating a lead magnet that will remain relevant for a long time. It’s worth noting that there’s another approach, where you follow current trends and try to jump on the bandwagon of what’s popular right now. This works well for engaging your existing audience. However, when it comes to people who haven’t heard of you yet, it’s better to create a lead magnet that will have lasting value. You’ll be busy promoting it and focusing on other things. It shouldn’t require your constant attention.
In addition to acting as a tool to attract customers, a lead magnet can also become valuable material that you can reuse for its own promotion, but in smaller portions. You can redistribute it through individual social media posts, email newsletters, and so on.
A lead magnet doesn’t have to be just a mini-course. I considered the option of creating an electronic brochure that would explain the advantages of vector graphics and give a general overview of the areas it covers. E-books are considered a good option for a lead magnet, although I personally prefer video courses.
An alternative could be some kind of template that suits your audience. It could be a scheduling template in Notion, or a design in Figma or Framer. This depends on your niche.
A similar option would be a checklist. It may be less valuable, but it's hard to judge. For example, while working at a small printing company, we created a Client Inquiry Checklist for orders. And this turned out to be quite valuable information—seeing how others do it helps avoid the mistakes they’ve already made.
Another interesting form is webinars and training sessions. They are very effective, but they require your personal presence, either in person or via remote video. The effectiveness of such lead magnets is significantly higher than that of standalone ones. Here, people can ask you questions, spend some time interacting with you personally, and if you know your craft, their trust in you will soar.
Surveys and assessments are another interesting type of lead magnet. Honestly, this type deserves its own article as it is gaining traction. And, if I may give a little teaser, I would like to incorporate this into my work not only as a promotional tool, but more on that later.
Before you start creating a lead magnet, plan what it could be, describe your target audience, and offer them something they will appreciate. I hope this article was helpful. See you in the next one!
