Lead magnets are powerful tools with huge potential.
When used correctly they can help you attract customers, build email lists, and convert your leads into actual sales and loyal clients.
But a solid lead magnet has to offer something valuable to your audience in exchange for their contact information. If it doesn’t, then it’s unlikely you’ll be able to nurture them through your sales funnel.
Key benefits of fixing common lead magnet problems
If this sounds worryingly familiar because your lead magnets aren’t performing as you’d hoped or expected, you’re not alone.
Not to worry, though! Because we’re going to discuss five common problems with lead magnets and dish out some simple solutions to help you fix them.
Let’s get straight to it!
1. Your lead magnets are boring
We all love a freebie, right? But even freebies have to be exciting.
A boring or pointless lead magnet won’t entice people – even if it won’t cost them a penny.
If a lead magnet lacks excitement, users just won’t feel compelled to hand over their personal information in exchange.
Generic, irrelevant, or dull is simply not worth their time.
For example, a PDF guide titled ‘How to Improve Your Business’ is vague and doesn’t offer any specific incentive to a potential lead. It isn’t going to cut it.
How to overcome this problem
To avoid putting off potential customers, you need lead magnets that are specific, actionable, and actually relevant to your audience.
You want to pique their curiosity, then show them how your content offers real value that matches their needs.
Here’s how to make your lead magnets more engaging:
- Solve a specific problem – Instead of providing generic content, drill down into specific pain points. Instead of that dry and uninspiring ‘How to Improve Your Business’, try ‘The Ultimate 5-Step Guide to Doubling Your Sales in 60 Days’. This gives far more detail, so potential leads will know what to expect.
- Get interactive – PDF downloads are all well and good, but consider creating more dynamic lead magnets, such as quizzes, calculators, or assessments. These provide instant, personalised feedback, making the whole process far more exciting.
- Offer exclusive insights – If you’re offering something like a report or a guide, include original data or unique insights.
When your lead magnets are distinct, engaging, and targeted, users will feel they’re getting something valuable in exchange for their email address.
To make this as easy as possible, we have dozens of ready-to-go templates you can download and tailor to your brand within minutes.
2. You aren’t collecting user information
The primary purpose of a lead magnet is to capture user information (such as email addresses) for future marketing campaigns.
But some companies fail at this first hurdle, as they don’t collect the relevant data. Weird, we know, but we swear we see it happen.
Don’t be one of those businesses that offers excellent content but misses out on valuable leads because your users can access your materials without providing information in return.
How to overcome this problem
Make sure your lead magnet is gated behind a form that requires people to submit their information before accessing the content. Here’s how:
- Optimise your form length – Don’t ask for too much information upfront. Name and email fields are generally enough. If your form’s too long, users may abandon it. As a general rule, the fewer fields you ask for, the higher your conversion rate is likely to be.
- Make it obvious what they’re getting – Your landing page and call to action (CTA) should clearly state what users will receive in exchange for their information. Highlight the value of your lead magnet and how it benefits them.
- Use pop-ups or slide-ins strategically – If your lead magnet is hosted on a page (like a blog post), you can use timed pop-ups or slide-ins to ask for the reader’s email address in exchange for your download. These prompts need to be polite and well timed – you don’t want to annoy your audience.
ScoreApp can automatically collect those emails and names (and other information), so you’ll never miss out on precious leads!
3. Your lead magnet isn’t useful
We’ve already mentioned that lead magnets should be enticing – but to really separate your offers from your competitors’, they also have to be of genuine use to your audience.
If people feel your lead magnet doesn’t deliver on its promise, you’ll risk losing their trust.
Ineffective lead magnets also damage your hard-won credibility and reduce the likelihood of converting future leads into customers.
How to overcome this problem
How do you make sure your lead magnet offers real value, then? There are a few things you can do:
- Be specific and actionable – If you’re offering a guide, make sure it walks users through clear steps they can take immediately after reading.
- Deliver on your promise – If your lead magnet promises ‘10 Tips for Boosting Your Productivity’, those 10 tips (yes, the full 10 … maybe with a cheeky bonus 11th) should be helpful and not just the same basic, rehashed advice they can find elsewhere. Readers should always feel like they’ve gained new insights after consuming your content.
- Update outdated content – If your lead magnets are out of date or don’t reflect current trends or technologies, you’ll lose credibility. Take the time to regularly refresh your lead magnets so they’re still relevant.
- Gather feedback – Ask users for feedback on your lead magnet’s content. You could send a follow-up email asking for their thoughts (perhaps offering further incentives), or track engagement metrics.
When your lead magnets are practical and helpful, users will be much more likely to trust your brand, return for more, and eventually convert into paying customers.
To help meet your customers’ needs, set your lead magnets up using our ready-to-go templates – such as quizzes – which direct them to specific products or services you offer.
4. Your landing page doesn’t sell the value
OK, by now you should have a useful and interesting lead magnet or two ready to go – but does your landing page really make this clear? Does it sell the full value of what you’re offering?
Even with the best lead magnet imaginable, a poorly designed landing page can derail your efforts. If it doesn’t clearly convey the value of the lead magnet or effectively communicate what the user will gain from it, they just won’t bother signing up. Why would they?
How to overcome this problem
How can your landing page match up to your lead magnet and really showcase its potential? Like this:
- Use clear, concise headlines – Explain what the lead magnet is and why it’s valuable. Make it benefit-driven, such as ‘Get Our Free Checklist to Master Email Marketing in 30 Days’.
- Add a compelling call to action – Your CTA should stand out and clearly instruct the user on what to do next. We’re talking action-oriented language, like ‘Download Now’ or ‘Get My Free Guide’.
- Include bullet points or visuals – Bullet points, icons and emojis spell out the value at a glance and make your content more digestible.
- Showcase social proof – Include testimonials, case studies, and feedback from users who found your lead magnet valuable. Statistics about how many people have already downloaded your lead magnet will also build trust.
- Make it visually appealing – It’s not just the words you use, how you make them look improves sign-up rates too. Use professional, clean design elements that make your page easy to navigate. Avoid clutter, and make sure the CTA button is prominent!
When you optimise your landing page, you can effectively convey the value of your lead magnet, encourage more users to opt in, and ultimately boost conversions.
To make stunning landing pages of your own, use these proven templates in ScoreApp, which are set up and ready to be adapted.
5. Your lead magnet isn’t available straight away
We live in a digital world. One where we demand instant access and results. So neglecting to offer an immediate payoff is going to hold you back.
People want their content now, and you have to be able to offer it to them.
If your lead magnet is delayed, even by just a few minutes, it can frustrate potential leads and damage their trust in your brand.
This often happens when there’s a manual process involved in delivering the lead magnet, or the automation system is inefficient. Don’t let that happen!
How to overcome this problem
Your lead magnet should be available for immediate download. Here’s how to ensure a seamless process:
- Use automated processes – As soon as somebody submits their information, send them an automated email with a direct link to download the lead magnet.
- Provide an instant download option – Instead of just sending the lead magnet via email, offer a download link on your thank you page after users submit their form.
- Test the process often – Test your sign-up process regularly to identify and fix any bottlenecks that could cause delays in delivery of your product.
- Reassure users in case of delays – Look, delays happen. The key is to be on top of things if and when they do. Make sure your thank you page lets users know when and how they’ll receive your lead magnet. ‘Your guide will be sent to your inbox in the next five minutes’ will set the right expectations.
Instant access to your lead magnet will create a smooth user experience and increase the likelihood of retaining leads.
ScoreApp has got you covered. If your leads have taken a quiz, they’ll see their scores straight away. And if you’re promoting a video mini-course, they’ll be able to watch the videos immediately.
Say goodbye to common lead magnet mistakes and turn leads into customers with ScoreApp
Want a simple way to create fun and interactive ways to generate leads that participants will actually enjoy taking? Of course you do!
We’ve got dozens of templates to fit your brand message and aesthetic, and it’s all super fast and incredibly easy.
Why waste your time doing it from scratch when it’s all done for you?
Try ScoreApp for free today to put your lead magnets ahead of the chasing pack.
