Pibworth Blog
1. Have Good (working towards great) Content
The old adage of ‘speakers speak – get out there’ can only work if you first have something to say. Am I saying your talk has to be polished and perfect, of course not (and between you and I, the day you think your talk is completely perfect is the day you have stopped growing and your career may be in jeopardy), but you do have to have something to talk about? You need to be an expert at something. You need to have a ‘wheelhouse’ or a list of topics that work together. You may be able to ‘talk about anything’, but as soon as that “just hire me, I will do anything you want” message gets out there your credibility is gone. There is no way you are a master of every topic, so you are now seen as a jack of all trades, and most know that a general handyman is very different from an architect. My colleague Jane Atkinson hosts an amazing podcast for Wealthy Speakers, and I love this episode with Elayne Frose in particular when it comes to understanding your wheelhouse.2. Be Good at what you do
It’s not rocket science. You may be hired once if you are an average speaker with good marketing, but you are not going to enjoy the massive income booster that is a repeat and referral business. If you want to get hired more, be a better speaker. Invest in presentation style coaching, learn to incorporate humour in your talks by taking some improv classes, find your own way of commanding a room. Do what feels right to your brand and do not let a presentation coach turn you into a “carbon cut out” of themselves. Never lose your authenticity on stage, it is more valuable than you may understand.3. Make Yourself Easy to Hire
Common website mistakes like having no contact information (or burying it on a contact us page and forcing decision-makers to go find it) will kill you. If you want to get hired more, make sure your phone number, email address, LinkedIn whatever you use to communicate with your buyers is prominently displayed on every single page. You can have it in your navigation bar, or use a stationary widget as I use on the side of my website. I like to repeat it in the footer as well, just in case someone missed it the first time. #Speakers - If you want to get hired more, make it easy! Featuring your contact info on every page of your website is a simple step that is too often forgotten. Click To Tweet4. Have a Web Presence
Should this even be here? Logic tells me, no, but experience tells me yes. I have been contacted by aspiring speakers who want help getting booked and have no website, and are still using name@hotmail.com as their email address. If a high-end speaker site is out of your reach at the moment – then at least have a LinkedIn profile and a Facebook business page that showcases your talent and topics, and I mean at least. If you want to get hired more, you have got to start treating speaking like a business, not a hobby. Businesses get invested in. Invest in yourself and your speaking business.
If the investment is an issue, consider the Emerging Speaker Website package for a budget-friendly but supercharged option to get your business going.5. Build a Killer Biography
Your bio is not a boring list of all the things you have done. It is not your resume. I like to have 2 versions of my bio – a short version (100 words or less) and the ‘regular’ version. The short version will be used by promoters and will often be required when you are a featured speaker in a program. The longer version can be featured on your website for those that love to do research and need all the information before they make their decision, but understand a long bio will not often be read. Your bio, along with everything you write in your marketing, should encourage people to lean in, and want to get to know you better. Your bio is not only about what you’ve accomplished, but it should also be about who you are and what you value. Your biography is NOT your introduction by the way – read my blog post here to understand the difference. Not having a video on your speaker website is bad, but having a bad video is worse. Click To Tweet6. Incorporate Good Video into your Marketing
Usually, this tip would read “use video” – but I had to insert the word good. I decided it was necessary when I was shown a speaker’s sizzle reel that included shots of the audience yawning and the speaker walking out of the frame. Your video is a tool that decision-makers will use to help them decide if you make it to the shortlist – and how much further you will go after that. Not having a video is bad, but having a bad video is worse.7. Use Social Media Effectively
Too often I will check out a potential client (yes, of course, I do research on you to see if we are a good fit before I work with a client, and so do decision-makers) and I will see a LinkedIn profile that has not had a post or article in months or a Twitter account that still shows ‘the egg’ and was obviously abandoned a year ago. Or I will check out their personal Facebook page and read their political views posted in a very judgmental way, or even worse, see nothing of ‘them’ on the page and it is a litany of “my latest program” and “buy now” calls to action. There is a reason we call it SOCIAL media – it means you are deciding how much of your personal information you are allowing the world to see. If all we see is a ‘hunter’ out there prowling for gigs, it does not make us prone to choose you. Desperation has a very unique scent and it is not pleasant.8. Have a Stellar Website
I could talk for days on how to build a speaker website that sells (wait, I do just that) so I can’t not mention it here. There are so many things to take into consideration when you build your website, but first and foremost remember you are building it to appeal to the people hiring you – not necessarily to your audience. The difference, the audience members are the ones receiving the message, and yes – they need to be thrilled, but the person who hired you. The company that paid you to get a specific result is the person you absolutely must deliver for and they are the ones you need to speak to in your marketing. I have written quite a few blogs about the elements that are necessary for a good speaker’s site. Feel free to check them out.9. Don’t forget your One Sheet
There is a lot of debate going on about the relevancy of your Speaker One Sheet. Are meeting planners using it? Do I need it for bureaus, and what about corporations? The bottom line, some decision-makers will find it immaterial and will never look at it. Some will print it out and throw it in a file, and some will use it to present you as a prospective speaker to their organization. If those people can’t find it, or you simply do not have one, you are not going to make that shortlist. Never make it hard for people to hire you! Give them every tool, every opportunity to say yes, and your One Sheet just might be the tool you have that the #2 candidate did not.10. Be Seen
What do I mean by ‘be seen’? I mean remain on your target client’s radar. Produce great content through blogs, videos, podcasts or articles. Write for magazines and newspapers. Get as much publicity as you can by being interviewed on other professionals podcasts or TV shows. Try inviting your favourite clients to be on YOUR podcast to showcase something cool they have implemented. Leverage your publicity.And one bonus point to get hired more…
11. Don’t forget your Why
Remain alive and vibrant and excited about what you do and the people you serve. Never forget, your purpose is to serve brilliantly. If you are speaking to hear yourself talk, you are in the wrong business. Every successful speaker I have ever met speaks because they have a passion for something burning a hole in their soul, and they have to let it out. They want to serve with passion and excellence, and they want to be paid for their service. So go ahead, be excited without going over the top. Look for ways to add value to the lives of anyone you meet – even if that value is a simple smile or a #PibworthHug. You never know whom you are talking to at a party or networking function. You never know who will catch your enthusiasm and want to join you in your mission. Read More...
Recently, we published a series of blogs all about generating leads and building your list using lead magnets. For your convenience, the series is summed up in this single post below.
A lead magnet, opt-in or irresistible free offer (IFO) What is it? Why do I need it? How do I get one? Your client won’t give you permission to email them without receiving something they want in return. Chances are, neither would you, this is where a lead magnet comes in. It’s one of the best ways to grow your list. And before you say, ‘but I’m a speaker – I don’t need a list”, let me tell you that you do. If you are wondering what makes a strong IFO, and how this will benefit your business, read on!
What makes a great lead magnet?
I hate to say it, but the majority of your prospects (meaning, the people who do not yet know and love you) do not want your newsletter. Why would they? You have not proven yourself to them yet. They do not know if you have the ability to solve their problems yet.
So – how do you entice them? What do they really want? Read more about that here.
So now that you have figured out what they want – what next?
In a series of blog posts, I came up with over 50 ideas to entice your customers to opt-in, broken down into 5 major types. I know you will find the one (or a few) that will work for your business.
Useful
Useful opt-in bribes help to save your user time, energy, money, and more. This type of lead magnet is the most irresistible of all the types because it’s a “silver bullet” one specific, actionable solution to a problem.
It’s human nature to want the greatest outcome for the least amount of work, so make sure your lead magnet gives your users easy answers to their problems AND that you prompt them on ‘what to do next’ so they continue down your sales funnel. Here are some useful lead magnet examples…
Educational
Educational lead magnets teach users about a specific topic that is highly relevant to your offerings. These lead magnets help users to understand why they need your product or service, so they’ll be more likely to purchase.
The best part about educational lead magnets is that they position you as the expert or authority in your industry. Let’s take a look at some educational lead magnet examples…
Entertaining
Entertaining lead magnets “bring the fun in” while they educate and solve a customer’s problem. Perhaps they uncover a hidden problem, or highlight a personality trait… Let’s take a look at some entertaining lead magnet examples…
Community-Building
Businesses like to create communities in order to have a dialogue between their brand and their prospects. Communities are also a place where users can interact with each other, and that’s a really valuable thing that many people are willing to pay good money for (let alone trade their email address for). Here are some great examples…
Bottom of Funnel
Ordinarily, when you think of opt-ins, the bottom of your sales funnel isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Usually, the goal of a lead magnet is to move top of funnel prospects into the middle of your funnel, or the evaluation phase. When your lead magnet links to your funnel – you win!
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Entertaining Lead Magnet Ideas
Some lead magnets don’t need to be particularly useful or educational– they can simply entertain.
Let’s take a look at some entertaining lead magnet examples…
Quiz
A quiz is quite possibly the most entertaining lead magnet on this list, and that’s why it converts so well!
A quiz has the user answer a series of questions and then spits out a result. But in order to get the result, you’ll have to enter your email address. People want the results and so they trade their email address for them.
Here’s a great example: Rachel Ray had a quiz on what type of clutterer you are.
Survey
A survey is mainly for your own benefit or market research. However, even a survey can be used as a lead magnet with a compelling call to action.
For example, you could ask users who’ve been browsing around your site for a while to give you feedback on their experience and help you improve your website. You’d be surprised how many people actually enjoy taking the time to give you their feedback!
Giveaway
One of the most effective lead magnets is the giveaway. Who doesn’t love free stuff?
If you really want your giveaway to be effective, however, make sure it does two things:
- Qualify your leads by offering a relevant prize (something that only your ideal customer would want– not something like an iPad or a laptop that anyone and their brother would want)
- Incentivize participants to share (you can do this by offering additional entries for each social share)
Manifesto
A manifesto is a simple declaration of your values. It makes a great lead magnet because your ideal audience will naturally be drawn to it.
Jeff Goins wrote The Writer’s Manifesto: Stop Writing to Be Read & Adored, which really resonated with his audience and turned out to be a very effective lead magnet.
A manifesto is a simple declaration of your values. It makes a great lead magnet because your ideal audience will naturally be drawn to it.
Jeff Goins wrote The Writer’s Manifesto: Stop Writing to Be Read & Adored, which really resonated with his audience and turned out to be a very effective lead magnet.
Comic Strip
A Comic Strip as a lead magnet? Who would have thought?
Well, when CopyMonk released theirf first comic strip, it went viral in the copywriting community…
Quotes
People love quotes from influential people or quotes that inspire and they love to use them in their own social media efforts.
In fact, Mastin Kipp created an entire business around delivering daily inspirational quotes via his “daily love” email newsletter.
Another online personality wrote a book called 365 Inspirational Quotes for YOUR social Media. It converted well because they were actually giving content away that people could use in their own social media. Win-Win.
Community-Building Lead Magnet Ideas
Businesses like to create communities in order to have a dialog between their brand and their prospects. Communities are also a place where users can interact with each other, and that’s a really valuable thing that many people are willing to pay good money for (let alone trade their email address for).
Here are some great examples:
Challenge
One of my absolute favorite lead magnet examples is this 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge from Simple Green Smoothies.
There are several reasons why this lead magnet is so genius, and why you should think about doing a challenge as a lead magnet too…
- Anyone who takes them up on this offer is going to be a highly qualified lead. They are basically raising their hands and saying, “I want green smoothies!”.
- Challenges with a start and an end date have urgency. This makes the offer that much more compelling.
- Challenges build brand awareness by fostering a sense of community– everyone is doing the challenge together, at the same time.
- Challenges make it much easier to elicit desired behavior through peer pressure. Most people wouldn’t have the discipline to drink one green smoothie a day for 30 days, but they are much more likely to jump on the bandwagon when challenged to do so.
Membership Site
Thinking about creating your own membership site? You might want to consider offering free registration.
My Copyblogger Membership is a great example of using a membership site as a lead magnet.
I especially love their use of social proof and FOMO (fear of missing out). This community contains “over 334,000 smart online marketers”, and all those people “have a head start” on you. Better sign up now so you don’t get left behind!
Facebook Group
People really do value communities and Facebook Group memberships convert really well for that reason.
Slack Group
If you’ve never heard of it before, Slack is an app that allows you to send instant messages to groups of people. This can be a really fun–and powerful–way to build a community around your brand.
Depending on your target market and where they hangout online, A FB group might not be a good option so a Slack group might be a great alternative.
Bottom of Funnel Lead Magnet Ideas
Ordinarily, when you think of lead magnets, the bottom of your sales funnel isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Usually, the goal of a lead magnet is to move top of funnel prospects into the middle of your funnel, or the evaluation phase.
However, not all customer journeys are that linear. Sometimes a prospect hasn’t given you their email address yet, but they are already thinking about buying your product. Maybe they were referred to you by someone, or they’ve read reviews about you on another site.
You need to be prepared for these hot prospects by building lead magnets at the bottom of your funnel.
Let’s look at some bottom of funnel lead magnet examples…
Free Trial
If you’ve ever shopped around for an app or a software tool, you’ve probably seen a ton of these lead magnets without even realizing it.
Most software companies will have a large call to action to sign up for a free trial or demo right on their homepage. Why? Because that’s how they get your email address.
But you don’t have to be a software company to benefit from a free trial lead magnet.
SnackNation offers a free sample box of their product. They just ask for your work email address (no credit card required). Now that’s a pretty irresistible offer!
Coupon
A coupon works really well at the bottom of your funnel because most people who make online purchases like to shop around for deals. Your brand should be there to give those people what they are looking for (in exchange for their email address, of course).
Case Studies
Prospects at the bottom of the funnel love to read case studies. This type of lead magnet could give them that one last push they need to buy your product.
Back when Upwork was still oDesk, they had a lead magnet called Make It Work: Smart Advice From Real-Life Clients Who Found Success Using Online Work. This is simply a compilation of case studies from people who used their service, packaged in PDF format.
Waiting List
Do you have an upcoming product launch? You can use a waitlist to collect the emails of prospects at the bottom of your funnel.
For example, an online course called “B-School” is only available once per year. If you are looking to buy it right now, well, you can’t! Instead of a “buy” button on the product page, what you’ll find is a “tell me more” button next to an email optin form.
This way they can successfully collect email addresses ALL YEAR while building up anticipation for the program.
Early Bird Discount
To sweeten the deal of getting on your waitlist, you might want to offer an early bird discount. This is a great way to reward your most enthusiastic prospects at the bottom of your funnel.
Free Shipping
Free shipping is one of those things that everyone wants when it comes to shopping online. So if someone is really close to making a purchase, free shipping just might be the offer that seals the deal.
Free Consultation
This could be a great bottom of funnel offer is you offer a service.
The best thing about a free consult is that it gives you a very natural excuse to ask for the email address, and even a phone number and other relevant information. You also get the opportunity to speak with the potential customer on the phone giving you a chance to close the sale.
Free Quote
Instead of a free consultation, you could offer a free quote. Here’s how Liberty Mutual does it.
First, you’ll be asked to enter your zip code and click on the “Get a Quote” button.
Then, you’ll be directed to another page where you’ll be asked to enter the rest of your information.
With most lead magnets, you would never be able to ask for this much information upfront. However, because a free quote is at the bottom of your funnel, these prospects are more willing to give out their detailed information.
Catalogue
Finally, if you have a product catalog, don’t forget to offer it as a lead magnet at the bottom of your funnel! Just remember to ask for their email address on the order form.
That’s it. Now it’s your turn.
Go ahead and pick one of these high-converting lead magnet ideas, and then tweak it to create your own. We’d love to see what you come up with, so please share your lead magnet creations in the comments below.
If you need help choosing the most effective lead magnet for your particular business, please contact us at Pibworth Professional Services and we’d be happy to help you.
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Educational Lead Magnet Ideas
Educational lead magnets teach users about a specific topic that is highly relevant to your offerings. These lead magnets help users to understand why they need your product or service, so they’ll be more likely to purchase.
The best part about educational lead magnets is that they position you as the expert or authority in your industry.
Let’s take a look at some educational lead magnet examples…
Gated Content
Gated content is simply a blog post or part of a blog post, that is hidden behind your lightbox popup. This is one of the easiest lead magnets to create because it uses your existing content!
Tutorial
A tutorial is any piece of content that teaches how to do one specific thing. It could be a video, or simply a PDF with a numbered list of steps.
David Siteman Garland’s 7 Proven Steps to Creating, Promoting & Profiting from Online Courses is a great example – he’s been using it for quite some time now, although it likely didn’t take him a lot of time and effort to create.
Quick Tip: Whether your tutorial takes the form of a video, a PDF download, or a piece of content on your site, use a list-style headline (“X Steps to XYZ”). so that people know exactly how many steps your tutorial is going to take, so this headline style helps it to convert much better.
eBook
I don’t generally recommend using eBooks as a lead magnet. eBooks don’t convert as well as checklists or cheat sheets since they tend to be lengthy and difficult to consume.
However, sometimes an eBook can work. For it to work, what you need is a really strong benefit. Why should someone take the time to read your eBook?
Derek Halpern’s eBook Get 5,000 Subscribers features a benefit that is irresistible to his target market.
Still, if someone can achieve the same result from a simple checklist, then, by all means, give them a checklist instead. It’s really not worth spending weeks to write an entire eBook when you can get better conversions from a PDF that took you 20 minutes to put together.
Guide
Similar to the e-book, a guide is also a lengthier lead magnet to create. However, guides can work really well when you use them as content in your sales funnel to educate prospects on why they should buy from you.
Here’s an example of a guide from HubSpot: The Definitive Blueprint for Lead Management. This works because it educates their users on why they need a lead management product like HubSpot.
Report
Reports are particularly good lead magnets for B2B businesses, but they can also work in any industry that relies on data, statistics or research.
You can either do the research and collect the data yourself, or you can pull together data from various sources into one, comprehensive report.
Here are a couple of examples of report lead magnets…
2016 Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Lead Management– the great thing about this report is that it has been updated, to keep it fresh and new.
The YouTube Traffic Report– this report pulls together the statistics on YouTube traffic, so it didn’t require any in-house data collection to create.
Infographic
Infographics are usually the type of content you’d think to use for driving traffic to your site since they do so well on social media. However, they also work very well as educational lead magnets.
Many people need to visualize a concept before they can fully understand it. So instead of giving users a bunch of boring text to sift through, why not illustrate your point with an infographic? This extra level of detail will make your lead magnet stand out so much more.
Here’s an example of an infographic that explains the habits of successful people vs. unsuccessful people.
This infographic makes the concept that much more memorable and easy to digest than a plain text PDF would.
Educational Video or Mini Course
Creating a Video can take something like an infographic one step further.
Videos encompass a visual component while adding an audio component for even more impact.
What’s great about videos is they have a higher perceived value making them that much more irresistible.
Educational Audio
A downloadable audio can make a great lead magnet for the right audience. If your ideal customer doesn’t typically have time to read or watch a video, they might prefer to have an audio to listen to in their car or while they exercise.
TIP: You can repurpose a video by stripping out the audio to use on its own.
Webinar
Like video and audio lead magnets, webinars also have high perceived value. In fact, they are even more irresistible because they have another component: urgency.
Since live webinars only occur at specific times and may have only a limited run, they play on the “fear of missing out”.
Webinars work so well for lead generation that some people turned their entire homepage into a webinar registration page!
Event Tickets
Often people are willing to share their email address in exchange for tickets to a Live Event!
The best way to do this is to use social media ads to push targeted traffic to your opt-in form. Your target audience would be local to you and have interests related to your offer.
Facebook ads are highly recommended for this type of lead magnet as they have very powerful targetting features.
Email Course
Email courses are simply a series of email autoresponders that teaches customers how to accomplish something specific. The best part is that they can turn prospects into actual paying customers.
Here’s a great example of an email course called 4 Facebook Ad Mistakes that are Losing You Money.
FREE Book + Shipping
Physical books have a very high perceived value…higher than ebooks.
If you have physical books that you’ve written available, offer them as a lead magnet and just charge for the shipping. This makes the lead a high quality lead b/c they’re actually willing to part with some money to acquire it.
Sample Chapter
If you don’t want to give away the whole book, consider giving away a sample chapter to give customers a taste of what you have to offer.
Make sure the chapter is digital and instantly downloadable so they can get the instant gratification that they want.
Sample Video/Clip
If your product takes the form of a video or videos, pull out a sample video or a sample clip and exchange that for an email address.
Sample Audio Clip
A sample audio clip works well as a lead magnet too (even if your product is actually a video).
Free Coaching Session
If you are a coach or you offer a service, you could offer a free coaching session in exchange for an email address.
The great thing about coaching sessions is that they get your prospects on the phone with you, and those people are usually expecting to hear your pitch at the end. This can be a really effective way of acquiring high-end clients.
PDF Version
This is one of those lead magnets that is so underutilized, and yet it is really easy to create.
All you have to do is find your most popular blog posts, save a PDF version of the blog post, and then offer it as a content upgrade.
You’d be surprised how many people will opt-in to receive the exact same thing they just read in PDF form! The value-add here is that they get to own your blog post.
Transcript
While we’re on the subject of repurposing content, why not repurpose a video by offering a transcript?
Although many people prefer video for learning, many other people prefer to read. Making sure you have both learners covered is a great way to provide more value with the content you’ve already created.
Audio Version
Similarly, you could offer an audio version of a written piece of content.
Summary/”Cliff Notes” Version
Do you have a really long, in-depth guide that your users love? Package a summarized version of that into a lead magnet.
You can also share what you’re learning from other influencers in your industry by offering your “cliff notes” version of their presentation, or their book.
Predictions
If you want to be regarded as a leader in your industry, make some predictions about your industry and publish them as a downloadable lead magnet.
People absolutely love to hear predictions about what to expect so they can get a jump on upcoming trends.
Mind Map
Mind maps explain a complex subject in a very digestible way. And because they don’t require too much detail (they’re essentially an outline), these types of lead magnets are really quick to put together.
When creating mind maps, I like to use a free tool called MindMeister. Their drag-and-drop builder makes mind maps super easy to create, and they always come out looking clean and professional.
Recording/Replay
Are you presenting any live webinars? You can repurpose those webinars by saving the recording and using that as a lead magnet.
Audio Book
Have an eBook that your audience loves? Repurpose it by recording an audio book.
Turn your eBook into a traffic generating mega guide by transferring it to one, big long page on your site. Then, generate leads by adding a call to action to download your audio book version.
Newsletter
Sometimes your email newsletter itself is so irresistible that it is the lead magnet.
The best part about this lead magnet is that the subscriber is already expecting the emails.
Vault/Library
Do you have lots of different educational lead magnets? Give your users the option to access them all at once by putting them together into a “vault”, or a virtual library on your site.
All you need is one big page on your site with the links to download each of your lead magnets and put that page behind an optin form. It’s a simple way to give more value to your users with the lead magnets that you’ve already created.
Read More... Opt-in forms or lead magnets are one of the best ways to grow your email list. And before you say, ‘but I’m a speaker – I don’t need a list”, let me tell you that you do. Among the multitude of things that a post COVID world has taught us, it is that marketing (and delivering) your products and services online is an essential part of any business.
If you want to generate leads online, then your business needs a strong opt-in. Period.
If you are wondering what makes a strong opt-in, visit our post here.
Your client won’t give you permission to email them without receiving something they want in return. Chances are, neither would you.
Irresistible Lead Magnet Ideas
I’ve put together over 50 lead magnet ideas in this series of posts, broken down into 5 major types.
- Useful Lead Magnets
- Educational Lead Magnets
- Entertaining Lead Magnets
- Community-Building Lead Magnets
- Bottom of Funnel Lead Magnets
Ready to create your lead magnet? I’m confident that you’ll find some ideas here that will work for your target market. Let’s review these highly effective lead magnet ideas to increase your subscribers.
Useful Lead Magnet Ideas
Useful opt-in bribes help to save your user time, energy, money, and more. This type of lead magnet is the most irresistible of all the types because it’s a “silver bullet”: one specific, actionable solution to a problem.
It’s human nature to want the greatest outcome for the least amount of work, so make sure your lead magnet gives your users easy answers to their problems AND that you prompt them on ‘what to do next’ so they continue down your sales funnel.
Here are some very useful lead magnet examples…
Checklist
Checklists convert the best out of all the lead magnets, probably because they are so easily consumed. They take everything that the user needs to know and transform it into one, actionable list.
They’re also very quick to create. For example, you can summarize your popular blog posts as a checklist, and turn it into a content upgrade. Then combine that content upgrade with a 2-step opt-in form. This will give you big boost in your conversions.
Cheatsheet
Cheatsheets are essentially the same thing as checklists, but they provide a list of guidelines or a process that the user can follow again and again to achieve a specific benefit.
They’re very valuable to people because they take away the need for them to think.
Here’s an example of a cheat sheet created for bloggers: 52 Headline Hacks: A Cheat Sheet for Writing Blog Posts That Go Viral.
Bloggers want their blog posts to go viral, so this is a very goal-driven lead magnet for them. It also removes the need to think: no more racking your brain about how to get your blog posts to go viral when you have this cheat sheet!
Template
A template can be anything that provides an outline, or some sort of starting point, so all the user has to do is fill in the blanks.
The Magic Email Template is a great example– it’s something that small business owners can simply copy and paste, customize a few words, and then send off to instantly connect with influencers and VIPs in their industry.
To go one step further, you can create an entire collection of templates, like Digital Marketer’s Ultimate Facebook Ad Template Library.
Examples
Examples work really well as lead magnets because they are in high demand. People are often searching for examples.
In fact, you could turn one of your popular posts into a lead generating machine by optimizing it for “[your keyword] + examples”, and then adding an example lead magnet as a content upgrade.
Toolkit
A really popular type of lead magnet is the toolkit because everyone wants to know what tools the pros use! Toolkits make life easier for the user.
Syed’s Toolkit for Growing Your Online Business is a great example!
The best part about toolkits is that you can often become an affiliate for those products. So not only does the toolkit provide a really useful resource to your visitors, but it can also generate additional revenue for your business.
Web App
A web app is a free tool that lives on your site, and which requires a login to use. Of course, users have to sign up by email to get the login.
For example, Bryan Harris created this web app called ListGoal, which is completely free to use. However, you trade your contact information for it and he gets your permission to email you.
Resource List
Lists of resources are really valuable because they are huge time savers. Whenever you pull all of the best stuff together, you’re saving your users a ton of research time.
Calendar
Calendars can also be extremely useful in a variety of industries.
For example, if you’re in the fitness industry like Blogilates, you could offer a workout calendar. That way, your users have a schedule of exercises to do every day; they don’t even need to think about it.
Plan/Planner
Similar to a calendar is a plan that you’ve mapped out for someone on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
Your lead magnet could even be a blank planner that the user fills in with their own plan. People love planners because it helps to keep them organized.
Worksheet/Workbook
A worksheet (or workbook) is similar to a planner, except that it usually helps people to complete a specific exercise or figure something out.
A perfect medium for this is an editable workbook that someone can simply download and fill out right on their computer. Teachable has a really great, in-depth tutorial on using Adobe InDesign to create a workbook lead magnet.
Printable
A printable is especially great if you are in a creative field and your users want something attractive that they can print out.
Or, perhaps your user needs to print something out so that it is handy when they need it, such as a shopping list or a grocery list, like this one from Rustic Redhead.
A printable is also great for people with children. Colouring pages and diagrams are big hits.
Inspiration File
Does your user need inspiration? People search the internet for inspiration all the time, so why not give it to them as a neatly packaged lead magnet!
An ebook full of customizable memes is great idea for people needed social media content or this Logo Design Inspiration eBook, for example, is perfect for a designer seeking inspiration for their next logo.
Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets can be used to create all kinds of useful resources. They’re basically a programming tool, right at your fingertips!
DebtHelper uses a free budget spreadsheet to collect email subscribers. They even include a bonus video guide on how to use the spreadsheet.
Educational Lead Magnet Ideas
Did you enjoy this article? Check out our posts on Educational, Entertaining, Community Building and Funnel lead magnets.
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I almost missed it this year. The 13th anniversary of the conception and opening of Pibworth Professional Solutions.
I thought it might be fun to share with you a little bit of the history of those 13 years.
How PibworthPS came to be
Some of you know this story, but many do not. I had been married to my wonderful husband Mike for 4 years and we were 3 years into our very first mortgage when ‘it’ happened. Mike came home with all of his belongings in a box. When you have worked in IT for as long as Mike has, we knew it will happen a few times in your career. When you are a “non-revenue generating department”, yours is often the first one hit when a recession comes.
But I looked at him naively and said, “Don’t worry Honey, I have just been nominated for employee of the year at my job – we are safe.” Then, a week later I came home with all of MY belongings in a box. It’s a long story, and I go into it more in the video, but we were faced with a new mortgage, and no jobs.
Oh, and we were in the process of applying to adopt a child. It was my lifelong dream to be a mom. I wanted it more than anything. All of a sudden, we went from a financially secure family, in good shape to bring a new child into our home – to two unemployed people with a mortgage.
Stressed and overwhelmed does not begin to explain the way we felt – at first.
But we knew that God does not leave us there for long, so we moved forward. I was determined to be an even better candidate for motherhood, so I decided my days of commuting were over. I was going to find a local job. In small-town Barrie, Ontario. I was – optimistic, shall we say?
I was able to find a few small projects here and there, and soon my husband walked into my office and said “Do you realize you are working about 20 hours a week? Do you know that you are running a business?” I vehemently denied it. I wasn’t a business owner! That was WAY over my head…
But reality sunk in and Pibworth PS was born.
I built this business 13 years ago as a small side business that I could manage from home so I could become a mom to someone who needed me. The child that sparked Pibworth PS never came to be. We tried to adopt several times but it was not in His plan, but that deep-seated need to nurture and to love never went away. So now, instead of a child’s mouth to feed, I have 12 team members and counting. I have also helped birth and grow hundreds of speaking businesses over the years, and the impact that my clients make on the world is staggering when I sit back and think about it.
There are several more details and stories about the journey in the video above, but if you want the “Coles Notes” version – you just read it.
Thank you for celebrating my 13th work-versary with me.
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A lead magnet or Irresistible Free Offer (IFO) or “opt-in” is something that you give to your ideal customers/clients in exchange for their contact information. Typically, people are very protective of their contact information so your lead magnet must be strong enough to entice them to hand over that information.
There are several things that your opt-in should do if you want it to be irresistible:
- Solves a Problem. Your ideal clients have problems. That’s why they are likely on your website or reading your article. Ideally, you don’t want to solve their biggest problems with a lead magnet, or they won’t need to hire you, however, your magnet must solve one of their problems or it won’t work.
- Lead Magnet for the Win! People equate wins with successes, and you want to help your ideal customers find success. Your lead magnet should provide them with a quick win so that they can easily achieve something.
- Be Specific. Your opt-in should not address something general but rather focus on something specific; the more specific your lead magnet, the better it will convert leads.
- Quick Fix. Your IFO must offer a quick and painless solution. PDF checklists are great because they are quick and easy while e-books or lengthy reports could leave your ideal customer completely overwhelmed.
- High Value. Your lead magnet needs to have a high value that the potential customer recognizes as high value. Remember they are trading their valuable contact information for it.
- Instant Gratification. Your lead magnet must be something that can be delivered to your lead immediately. When someone receives their ‘prize’ right away, they can feel good about giving away their contact information.
- Positions You as an Expert. When someone runs through your lead magnet, they should immediately recognize you as an expert in that field. If your offering demonstrates your unique value proposition (UVP) it will likely convert your visitor into a customer/client later.
Here at Pibworth Professional Solutions, one of our most successful lead magnets is “Top Tips for Creating a Speaker Website that CONVERTS”
This lead magnet does well converting visitors to clients for a variety of reasons:
- Solves a Problem: Visitors abandoning the site without taking action
- Lead Magnet for the win: Promises to convert visitors into leads – that’s always a WIN!
- Specific: Specifically Getting website visitors to take action
- Quick and Easy: It’s a single page PDF list. Easy Peasy
- High Value: Following these 8 tips can increase the productivity of the website
- Instantly Available: Signup, download.
- Positions us as Experts in our Field: We really know how to convert visitors and this lead magnet proves that!
And THAT is how to create a great lead magnet!
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In today’s reality, in any reality, leaving money on the table is a poor business decision. As business owners, we have to be fiscally responsible in how we use our money (what we spend vs. what we keep, follow up procedures etc.) but we also need to be responsible for how we leverage our time and our skills and knowledge. This is where content repurposing comes into play.
Our expertise is a valuable commodity, that is why we are EXPERTS who Speak. Our expertise is as valuable, if not more valuable than our delivery.
When you get a great idea and decide to write a blog post or an article, or record a Facebook live, and it sits on your website or your timeline, and gets shared on social a couple times, you are not leveraging your expertise to the maximum benefit.
We need to start creating less and promoting more. Not to say we need to stop writing and sharing our expertise – but we need to focus on getting more eyes on what we already have.
So, if content repurposing is the goal, how do we know what content to choose?
Not everything should be repurposed. For instance, the multitude of articles we are all writing right now on ‘thriving in COVID environment’ will never be used after the next 6-18 months (we hope). Neither will my 2018 posts on the introduction of https and site security and explaining why you can no longer schedule content to your personal fb page. That is old news now.
Choose content to repurpose that is:
- high value
- has elicited responses (shares, likes, etc.)
- is not time or data or event-specific.
This is prime evergreen content.
We need to start creating less and promoting more. Not to say we need to stop writing and sharing our expertise – but we need to focus on getting more eyes on what we already have. Click To Tweet
Before you start to implement any of the ideas below, I strongly suggest you go through your existing blog posts, videos, lives, audios, workshops and take an inventory of what you have, then group your content by topic or audience.
For most of you I bet that you will come out of that exercise with more pieces than you ever dreamed you had.
Now that you know what to re purpose – let’s talk about the how and the cost.
Weigh Your Options when Content Repurposing
As you go through the ideas below, it is important to remember that this is an option list – not a ‘do everything’ list. After you have done your inventory, it is important that you choose 1 or 2 things that will work with what you already have and with your budget or skill set.
I have broken them down into three categories.
No Cost / Very Little Work
- Go back in your blog 2+ years and see what ideas resonated with your readers (or that you feel are still very relevant today and update or rewrite them with your current spin.
- Do the same with your videos or FB posts
- If you have great blogs, record them as a video and post them on your YouTube and LinkedIn accounts. Do a Facebook live where you review your top 3 performing posts and invite others to chime in.
- Record them as an audio file and create a podcast or audiobook.
- Re-read your newsletters – are there any tips in there that you could ‘recirculate’ and create a new blog series on your top tech tips, or recognition tips – or whatever is appropriate?
- Repurpose those great posts as LinkedIn articles.
- Turn a blog topic series into an email series.
- Pull out quotes from your blogs and create images or memes highlighting the quotes – link them back to your post
Skills and Resources
- https://www.canva.com/ *graphic design, quotes and memes
- https://analytics.google.com/analytics/web * to see how your posts are performing and to choose what content to repurpose
- YouTube ‘how-to’ videos *just ‘Google it’ – you will find what you need on content repurposing
- https://www.rev.com/ *transcription software
Low Cost /Some Work
- Again, go back to your blog and see if you have any ‘top 10 lists’ or steps etc. Expand on each idea in the list and create a blog or video about each.
- Reuse your post and create an infographic in Canva.
- Transcribe your podcasts and create an Expert Series e-book (or book for that matter)
- Set up a social scheduling platform. (free or paid versions) Hootsuite, Buffer, Social Bee, etc.
- Get in touch with your speaker colleagues or those who do something ‘similar but different’ and offer to write a guest blog on their website or record a video together and feature each other.
- Promote your content with multiple titles. For instance -you have a ‘top 5’ list. You could create 10 different twitter/FB images that promote one tip, hinting at several more.
Some Cost / More Work / Longer Term
- Do you have a blog series? 5 or 6 blogs on a specific topic? Hop on Zoom and create a video presentation. Now repurpose that video on your blog, YouTube channel, LinkedIn, and Facebook. If you have video editing software on your computer, you can even break down the video into 140 seconds sound bits and post it to twitter.
- Put together a quiz as a lead magnet
- Repurpose that blog series again and create an eBook or a full book.
- Create an online course
- Create a membership site
Online courses, membership sites and speaking portals are a long-term solution, that (when done right) are so much more than ‘simply’ content repositories. They can become revenue generation for years to come and they can see you through these upcoming rougher years.
PS – Watch in the next month or so as I unveil a new approach to speaking in the post-COVID environment. I have some ideas that my clients are currently implementing and they have the possibility to be revolutionary in our industry…
There is so much talk right now around “What will happen to the speaking business?”
The truth is, we do not know. Not for sure. We know that what ‘was’ will likely never be again – and we know that what ‘is’ is temporary. What ‘will be’ is yet to be determined. What ‘will be’ will be born out of our collective creative and innovative ideas, mixed with a new hunger for technology to make our ideas work.
Just like there were many different but successful styles of speaking and delivery before – there will be many different and successful innovations. I see many of us scrambling to adapt and pivot, and looking to ‘copy’ each other and I think it is a mistake.
There has never been ONE way to do anything, and remote speaking is no different. We all need to find our own new and innovative ways to engage and teach. A new hybrid speaker talk format and delivery for a new hybrid audience. Click To TweetCurrently, the most widely accepted vision of remote speaking is the creation of a hybrid model of speaking. We will see live meetings and conferences that are set up to maintain social distancing. That likely means 2 seats between each attendee and double spacing in the rows. So, in essence, conference organizers will only be able to accept one third to one-half of the people they hope will attend, resulting in MUCH smaller live events.
However, we expect to see the addition of a live stream component. Speakers will now be ‘teams’ where one will deliver to the audience as ‘normal’ – remembering they have a secondary unseen audience who will be having a different learning experience – and one (or two) handling the live stream, keeping engagement up, and handling all the tech.
“But how will I feed off an unseen audience” is the cry of so many remote speakers right now, and Kristin Arnold had a great answer – ask that the audience reactions be live-streamed back to you. If they are on Zoom, that screen could be projected to the back of the room. If there are too many or you find it too distracting, your tech person could have monitors to watch and an earbud to whisper “that doesn’t land” with the virtual audience. Or (insert next innovative idea here)
There has never been ONE way to do anything, and remote speaking is no different. And ultimately, the example above is just ONE way that it will change. our imaginations and our new demand for technology is just beginning to form and stretch here. Below are some ideas I am playing with – and I encourage you to add your own ideas. Don’t limit yourself to what you have in your home office right now. don’t limit yourself to the technology you own, or even what you know about. If it seems a bit ‘out there’ that is fine. after all, when the wheel was invented it didn’t make a lot of sense at the time either.
- Several years ago, one CAPS member had a life-sized cardboard cut out of himself walked out on stage and (and camera) delivered an absolutely hilarious talk using just his voice.
- I have seen speakers using holograms (albeit – that would be super-pricey right now)
- At our last CAPS conference, Lorne Kelton offered a brilliant hybrid model where he delivered a live talk while interacting with a video of himself.
Some additional remote speaking ideas include:
- More of a ‘movie’ experience – where talks are pre-recorded but live in a membership portal and the live elements are more consulting, coaching, webinars, Q&A, masterminds etc. (in my mind- this is a brilliant option as it could create ongoing revenue for years after the talk)
- A resurgence and reinvention of the idea of a group summit. Multiple virtual events and remote speaking taking place over several hours with live audience interaction
- Facilitation as a new revenue source
One thing to remember is that there have been people delivering hybrid events and innovating in the speaking industry for years. We are not ‘inventing’ the wheel, we are looking at things others have been doing and adapting it for our own businesses.
What will you change? What ideas do you have? Share and comment below.
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Today’s world is changing fast enough to make our head spin. A tiny virus has brought the world to a virtual standstill and the need to decide our best options for survival when the stakes are high means critical decision making has become even more imperative. How do you know if you are doing the right thing? I have watched as so many of us as solopreneurs either make ‘knee jerk ‘decisions or stand paralyzed and make no decision at all.
We are facing some of the toughest market conditions ever. We need to make wise choices if we and our businesses are going to survive – and we need solid tools to help us through it.
What if the choices we are making right now are going to come back to haunt us in the future? There is no crystal ball that can eliminate the risk of making poor decisions but there are some tools that can help!
Friend and CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) colleague, Ruth Sirman and I were talking about critical decision making last week and I found the discussion SO valuable, I invited her to share her insights with us concerning ‘Critical Decision Making in Uncertain Times’.
This is an expert-led, interactive discussion exploring some of the tools Ruth uses to help organizations address their challenges and that may be able to help you make good decisions for the short, medium and longer-term.
We all make decisions all the time – some will be on point, and some will cause us grief. When we’re in crisis mode we need to recognize the risk of being reactive rather than strategic in how we navigate that crisis. There are many businesses that will navigate this pandemic and come out stronger, wiser and better equipped to serve their customers. The capacity to develop business strategies that build a level of robust flexibility and resilience into our business will help to position us for long term success. Businesses that struggle to adapt and change in this ever-changing world will struggle to survive.
Enjoy the video, and share your thoughts in the comments section.
About Ruth:
Ruth Sirman is an Internationally Certified Mediator (International Mediation Institute), who specializes in helping organizations, and businesses create healthy thriving workplaces through effective organizational development strategies. She has run 3 successful businesses since 1982. She has a background in environmental biology, chemistry and wildlife toxicology along with being a retired turkey farmer and Mom to 4 amazing young adults and Grandma to 4 incredible grand-kids! For more information, contact her at info@canmediate.com and check out her consulting website www.canmediate.com
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Top Tips for creating a speaker website that converts
Is YOUR website doing all it can to grow your speaking business? Are you sure??
Which Are You?
Take the next steps to building your speaking business by choosing which of the speaker types below fits you!
Lauren truly is service oriented. A positive voice of calm, a strategic marketing visionary, a dedicated provider of value, Lauren is committed to her clients' success 100% of the time.
Sarah McVanel, MSc, CSP, PCC, CHRL, CSODP
Keynote Speaker, Coach
client since 2016
The PibworthPS team built my new custom website (which I am happy to say has been instrumental in producing increased bookings). I have received several positive comments on the design, and I was impressed by how responsive they were to my ideas and needs.
Beverly Beuermann-King, CSP
Professional Speaker,
client since 2017
I was looking for a marketing-savvy team to help create a new website around my rebrand. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of working with her designer, Caley. Even though we never met in person, communication was fluid and seemed effortless. Lauren and her team not only made it happen but made it better.
Clare Kumar
Productivity Catalyst, Speaker and Consultant
client since 2017
Lauren Pibworth is a consummate professional who knows the art and craft of website design and marketing. She is an exceptionally good listener and “translator” of my thoughts and ideas, which allows me to then benefit from her expertise and end up with a professional website that looks and sounds like me.
Susan Luke Evans, CSP
Global Speaking Fellow
client since 2017
Lauren and her team jumped in immediately when we had issues with our previous providers. They ‘fixed’ a broken membership site and sales funnel – and built a second membership site which we now sell as an addon in our keynotes.
We have found them to be responsive, and easy to work with.
