I had it all wrong
😳 And you probably did too...
🪜 Welcome to Profit Ladder!
What words come to mind when you think of a lead magnet?
If you asked me a year ago, my words would be:
Hack
Scam
Gross
Cringe
These days, I see lead magnets WAY differently.
If any of the words above (or similar) surfaced for you, I hope to change your mind by the end of the post.
And be sure to read till the end for the punchline… 🥁
A few years ago, a marketer I worked with suggested that we build a lead magnet to capture emails of prospective customers.
Before he could finish, I had thrown up in my mouth a little. 🤮
But that's because I was thinking about it all wrong. In my head, a lead magnet was a vehicle for tricking people into giving you their contact info in exchange for some crappy ebook or cheatsheet.
Don't get me wrong. MANY lead magnets are exactly that. I see you AI "gurus."
You'll get the person's email. But you fail to get the only thing that ACTUALLY matters... The person's trust. In fact, you've most likely spoiled the chance to earn their trust again.
See, the old marketer's playbook from the 90s and 00s was to gate your best content behind an email paywall. Today, the opposite is true.
Today, what works best (and what your customers expect, quite frankly) is for you to give your best stuff away. If that makes you itchy, hear me out.
I'm not suggesting that you put your entire work experience and IP out for anyone on the internet to use.
Instead, I’m suggesting that you:
Pick one problem your customer struggles with
Create a COMPLETE resource to help them solve it
Give them free, instant, lifetime access for their email
Offer one free coaching session to answer their questions
Continue sending them related tips, tools, guides, and resources
And the linchpin that makes all the difference in the world? Don't ask for anything.
If you really solved an important problem for your customers...
99% will now see you as a trusted expert
(there's always that 1% you can never please... the hell with them)20% will recommend you to friends
10% will reach out to learn more about you and your work
2% will hire you
I made these numbers up, but you get the point.
Even when you give it ALL away, that “2%” hires you because they (now) feel you’ll do the job better than they could. Or, because they’re simply too busy.
And guess what? It will be the easiest sale you've ever made because they trust you and respect your work.
So… give away your best work. It's the most powerful marketing & sales tool in your toolkit.
🥁 And finally, the punchline I mentioned earlier?…
I created a lead magnet!
It’s a guide that will help you do one thing, simply and effectively: Figure out the RIGHT product for YOU to build.
Want it?
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