Everyone offers something to entice people to their business. Every commercial offers advice, discounts, free products—and more.

Did you consider that when you need work around the house and want to hire someone you often pick the person who offers a “free quote”? That is their way of introducing their company to you.

And your lead magnet is your way to meet new people who may be interested in what your product or service is.

But a really good lead magnet does more than the introduction.

Job 1: The first job of a lead magnet is to build your email list.  You exchange something of value to visitors in order to get their email address. To determine the value, consider to the visitor. What problems will your optin solve for them? Does it help them do something faster? Does it solve a problem? Does it show them how to do something?

Job 2: The second job is to build trust and authority with your new subscriber. .

Once you get an audience member on your list it’s now your job to give them such good information, such wanted information, that they will open each email that you send to them. When they do open them and read them they’re happy that they did because the value you provide is top notch and laser targeted toward your ideal audience.

Most successful email list owners set up at least a email series designed to help your audience get to know you, get to understand their problems and to start promoting your solutions to those problems. One way to do this is to have a welcome sequence for each optin or product that you have. 

A welcome sequence can be as simple or detailed as you like. I have 4 emails in my sequence over an 11 day period. The first email is to welcome, remind subscribers of who I am and which product they signed up for, talk a little about me. We will talk about welcome sequences late this week and I will share my script.  

if you focus on making the sale, that can be too aggressive for some people. It would be like going on a first date with a stranger and having them plan your wedding as you sit down to dinner. By dessert, the number of children have been discussed, where you will live and retirement plans are solidified.  

Have I committed this error?  YES, but I now know better. 

Job 3: As you get to know your audience more you’ll start understanding what they need. You’ll get to know their problems and understand what they need to be solved. Then you’ll also understand what’s within your power to help them solve according to your expertise or niche. The biggest trick to doing this is to give your audience what they want.

As you get to know them better through your interactions via your list, and by cross-promoting information about your social networks and so forth you’ll be able to do even better about giving them what they want through the products and services that you promote improving your return on investment exponentially.

When you understand the three main jobs of a lead magnet from your perspective and then match that with your audience’s perspective of needing problems solved you’ll create a winning lead magnet that gets results for both you and your audience.

Action Step #1: Go through your optins and see what problem it solves and what solution it offers. See if there is overlap and are you offering the same solution to the same problem?  

Action Step #2: Make a list of other problems and solutions that you could offer. 

Action Step # 3: What format do you offer? Printed?  Audio? Video?  Do you offer checklists?  Revisit your list of Optins and see what format you are using and if you can also offer the same material in a different format for people who have a different learning preference.