10 quick & easy knowledge commerce lead magnets

Whether you teach an online course, run a membership site, or sell other types of digital products, using lead magnets to build your email list is always your number one priority.

This is the first step you take in creating a relationship with your soon-to-be customer.

Offering something of value for free or at a low entry-level price is a quick way to not only build your tribe but also to demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about and can actually help them.

Watch our video where we break down the process to make a lead magnet using free tools:
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In our landscape of digital distractions and constant information overwhelm, the key to producing an effective lead magnet comes down to one thing:

Solving your prospect's problem in the simplest way possible.

So you may have heard the term “lead magnet” before, and, depending on the context, you may even be aware that lead magnets are a critical element of building your Knowledge Commerce business...but what exactly does that mean?

What Is A Lead Magnet?

In simplest terms, a lead magnet is exactly what it sounds like: it’s a lure that’s used to capture the contact information of people who are interested in your business.

Lead magnets can also be described as digital products which are typically shared with site visitors free of charge in exchange for the visitors’ email addresses.

You’ve probably even seen dozens of lead magnets in your own online experiences.

For instance, let’s say you’re visiting a company’s website and a form pops up asking if you’d like to receive the company’s weekly newsletter. That’s probably the most basic lead magnet used today.

Inside Kajabi you can create the landing page, the opt-in forms, newsletter material, and host the media within a few simple clicks.

How Are Lead Magnets Used?

Let’s continue with our example.

On the email opt-in form, you’ll likely see some fine print that describes the type of content you’re signing up to receive.  So, while the newsletter serves as a lead magnet, the company is letting you know that after you receive the newsletter, they’ll continue to contact you at the email address you’re providing.

Assuming that the company in question is one that interests you, the lead magnet creates a win-win situation: you get to receive a free newsletter, and in exchange, the company gets to reach out to you to alert you about their various products or services.

Lead Magnet Examples

Now that you know what a lead magnet is and how to use it to grow your email list, let’s talk about different lead magnet options.

We already discussed using newsletters as lead magnets, and while this may be a common practice among companies who are new to email marketing, newsletters are actually not the best lead magnet for growing an email list.

Remember: The key to creating a successful, effective lead magnet is to design a valuable resource which solves a prospective customer’s problem.

As you can guess, simply offering customers a generic newsletter doesn’t provide much incentive for them to join your list; you haven’t specified what type of information the newsletter contains or how it could solve your customers’ problems.

Instead, create a digital product that’s specifically tailored to help your customers, and you’ll be amazed by how quickly your email list starts to grow!

10 Ways To Create Quick & Easy Lead Magnets For Your Knowledge Commerce Business

For these examples, let’s pretend that your business recently launched a new online course for people interested in learning guitar, and your goal is to promote the class through email marketing.

1. PDF Reports

Considering the market you’re targeting, your customers may be interested in learning about different gear they should buy for their new hobby.  You can create a downloadable PDF report with information about the best guitars, guitar picks, electric amplifiers, etc. and use this as a lead magnet to reach more adults interested in playing guitar.

The report could also be a simple 1-2 page summary of one of their biggest or most common problems related to playing the guitar. The content you select should be of high priority to the prospects you’re wanting to attract.

Using Kajabi, once the prospect opts into your form and says they want the PDF, you could then have a custom, automated email campaign which both delivers the PDF and begins to nurture that lead for future purchases.

2. eBooks

Another option is to create a free eBook. Similar to a PDF, yet to to create an even more compelling offer, you could include sheet music for license-free music or songs that you’ve written.

Calling something an eBook or PDF report depends upon whatever you think your specific audience will resonate best with.

If you have a blog or some other form of written content, you can aggregate that into one eBook which you then use as a lead magnet.

3. Free Trials Of Online Courses Or Programs

Free trials are quite possibly one of the most effective types of lead magnets to market an online course. People can see if they like your teaching style without the risk of paying full price for a course.

You can give site visitors the opportunity to view a portion of your online course for free in hopes they’ll enjoy it enough to pay for the rest of your trainings.

In our online guitar class example, this type of lead magnet would provide your free trial students the opportunity to give you useful feedback which you can apply to improve the quality of your course.

4. Mini Courses

Alternatively, if you would prefer not to provide access to your course for free, you can instead create a shorter, “bite-sized” course which can serve as a precursor to the class you’re selling.

For example, you may decide to create a short course teaching people how to tune their guitars and use this as a lead magnet to promote your larger business.

In your Kajabi account under the “Products” tab, you’ll see a “Mini-Course Product Blueprint”. This is a complete fill in the blank template allowing you to quickly create the content needed for such a product.

This shows you content ideas and how to set it all up, saving you time and mental energy.

5. Free Coaching Session

Another type of lead magnet that’s sure to attract attention is a free, personalized session with either yourself or one of your team members.  Unlike the other lead magnets we’ve discussed so far, this type of lead magnet does not involve a digital product, and will require you to make the time to respond to each inquiry you receive.

Using a video chat platform, you can connect one-on-one with prospective customers to provide a free guitar lesson and assess their current skill level.

This type of lead magnet can be especially helpful if you also offer guitar courses for intermediate and advanced guitarists, as you can use these coaching calls to recommend the most appropriate course for each customer.

6. Free Webinar

Webinars are similar to coaching sessions, in that you have the opportunity to create a personal connection with your prospective customers.  Rather than having a free-flowing conversation, however, you’ll need to structure the webinar around a strategic presentation which offers some helpful information to your audience.

Webinars also give you the opportunity to leverage your time instead of only coaching people 1-on-1.

For example, you can host a free webinar in which you show attendees how to tune a guitar and play a simple song.  At the end of the webinar, you can include information about your paid guitar course, and then engage your viewers with a Q&A session.

7. Video Training

Video trainings are another type of lead magnet that require minimal work on your end after the initial setup.

Thanks to platforms like YouTube and Vimeo, you can create a private video with basic information, such as how to string and tune a guitar, that can only be accessed by joining your email list.

Video trainings can be perceived as more valuable than other lead magnets as they can require a little more production time from the business owner.

8. Cheat Sheet

As an expert guitar player, you probably have some helpful tips and advice that you share with students in your course. Offering site visitors a free PDF “cheat sheet” with this information is another great way to grow your email list.

Be sure to create an attention-grabbing title for your cheat sheet that lets customers know what type of information they can expect to receive.

Remember, everyone wants to save time and cut the learning curve wherever they can. So your cheat sheet should highlight how that information will help them do just that.

9. List Of Tools Or Resources

Similar to cheat sheets, lists of relevant tools and resources tend to be quite effective for capturing the attention of buyers interested in information products.

To use this type of lead magnet, you can either create a PDF for users to download, or you can create a private page on your site that can only be accessed by joining your email list.  You may wish to include information such as your favorite online guitar shops, links to sites that offer free sheet music, or maybe even a link to your private Facebook group for people interested in learning guitar.

10. Quizzes and Surveys

Over the years, we’ve seen online behavior evolve quite a bit, as times have changed and new technologies have emerged.  One consistency that’s lasted throughout the years and will continue is people’s affinity towards taking online quizzes and surveys. We all love learning about ourselves.

You can use this to your advantage and offer site visitors access to your own quiz or survey in exchange for their email address information.

For our example, using Kajabi’s built-in “Assessment” tool, you can create a quiz which asks each user about his or her experience in playing the guitar, skill level, etc. Then you can provide some suggested next action or custom information based upon their responses.

Alternatively, you can create an online survey to gather feedback from your site visitors regarding the type of material they’d like to learn, and then use this information to create a new course.

Which Type of Lead Magnet Will You Use?

Now that you’ve learned what a lead magnet is and how you can use lead magnets to grow your own business, it’s time to determine which format makes the most sense for your own digital business!

Use Kajabi to Turn Your Knowledge And Content Into Products You Can Sell

We know that you have something to teach the world. We also know there are people out there who want to learn what you know.

That’s why we created Kajabi. It’s a full-featured platform that allows professionals like you to create their own businesses from home.
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Create online courses, establish membership sites, offer coaching programs, host a podcast, and sell other digital products. Plus, you'll get marketing tools like a website, CRM, email marketing, landing page templates, and helpful analytics to help you spread the word about your products and earn more revenue.

Of course, launching a business represents a huge commitment. We understand that.

To help ease you into the process of creating a Knowledge Commerce business of your own, we offer a free trial and a 30 day money back guarantee. Start your free 14-day trial of Kajabi today!

Get unfettered access to our tools, templates, and other assets so you can fully explore what Kajabi has to offer.

Are you ready to become your own boss? Now’s the time.

‍Still researching? Check out Kajabi’s free downloadable ebook guides on launching and growing a knowledge commerce online business!

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