Tag: lead magnets

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Marketing Sense

3 Effective Lead Magnet Titles & Their Strategies

Marketing sense

Lead Magnets, those 3-10-page PDF files offering readers a simple yet profound change for free, are perhaps my favorite marketing tool.  

They’re short. Nimble. Easy to create. And audiences LOVE them…once they’ve experienced a great one from us.

Here’s what we often miss: our Lead Magnet’s title is more important than our content because readers decide to sign up for it–or not–based on the title. They’ll never see your life-changing content if your Lead Magnet’s title doesn’t attract them in the first place.

Information alone doesn’t cut it. Insightful information is what our audiences want. Help to move beyond where they are now to (at least) the next step. With a title that is obviously applicable to them and (bonus points!) promises a specific result.

First, you must know your audience and their needs. Generalizations aren’t good enough. Lead Magnets, like any type of content, should address your unique audience, not “everyone.”

So…which questions is your audience asking? Choose one of their most pressing questions and answer it in a Lead Magnet.

Or what problems are they experiencing? Choose one of their most painful problems and offer a solution in a Lead Magnet.

Share wisdom from your God-given message that helps your audience get “unstuck.”

Let your title drive your content, not the other way round.

To create your Lead Magnet’s title, choose ONE topic within your overall message. Then choose a single question or problem within that topic that often surfaces when chatting with your audience.

Next, put on your thinking cap and choose a specific question or problem they’re grappling with, and you’ve got a great start on a Lead Magnet that will attract your audience’s attention and inspire them to sign up for it, thus helping them move one step closer to their goal while growing your email list. See how it works?

Enjoy the 3 fictitious examples below.

Example #1

Writer or Speaker: MaryAnn, whose audience is Christian women over 40 and pregnant with their first child, but not in perfect health.

Audience’s Problem or Question: With my health problems, will I be able to carry my baby full term?

Weak Lead Magnet Title: Take Care of Your Health During Pregnancy

Strong Lead Magnet Title: Pregnant and Over 40: 3 Warning Signs You Should Go to the Hospital NOW!

See why it’s imperative to know your audience and their needs? Imagine if MaryAnn served teens pregnant out of wedlock. That single difference would completely change her content. The title, Take Care of Your Health During Pregnancy fits any pregnant woman. While Pregnant and Over 40: 3 Warning Signs You Should Go to the Hospital NOW! is perfect for her specific audience, because this issue is top of mind for them.

This Lead Magnet title may attract other pregnant women outside of MaryAnn’s core audience. What to do? Focus on the audience Christ has already identified and serve them with excellence while inviting other pregnant women to become readers, too.

Leave it to Him to inspire others to sign up or not. But MaryAnn shouldn’t veer from her core audience to accommodate other pregnant women unless the Holy Spirit leads her to do so.

Example #2

Writer or Speaker: John, whose audience is Christian men ready to give up on their marriage.

Audience’s Problem or Question: How much longer does God want me to keep trying?

Weak Lead Magnet Title: Don’t Give Up on Your Marriage Yet!

Strong Lead Magnet Title: 5 Questions to Ask God Before Calling a Divorce Lawyer

Each of John’s audience members is married, so he serves two people per couple: one directly and one indirectly. Both need his message but only one may be open to it. He can’t change that but he’s wise to be aware of it.

Don’t Give Up on Your Marriage Yet! is more specific than generic, but is it specific enough to get his audience’s attention as they scroll through social media or visit his website?

The title sits on the page like a dead fish, doesn’t it? It’s not particularly engaging or intriguing. Worse, readers may interpret it a thin chastisement just when they’re seeking encouragement to stay the course.

The title, 5 Questions to Ask God Before Calling a Divorce Lawyer subtly invites John’s reader to push the pause button before contacting an attorney. It’s not judgmental in any way. It reveals John will share Christian content. And he won’t preach at them. Whew! His readers need all that information to feel safe enough to sign up for his Lead Magnet.

But shouldn’t the title be vague so if the reader’s spouse sees it, it won’t create strife? Perhaps. Then again, if the title doesn’t clearly identify the Lead Magnet’s content, it won’t get his ideal reader’s attention, so his content–fantastic as it may be–won’t help anyone.

Example #3

Writer or Speaker: Frances, whose audience is recently widowed Christian women of any age.

Audience’s Problem or Question: Will I ever be happy again?

Weak Lead Magnet Title: Be Happy in Jesus Today!

Strong Lead Magnet Title: 3 Surprising Ways God Will Fulfill the Role of  Your Husband

The Lead Magnet title, Be Happy in Jesus Today! is so vague it’s useless as it could apply to any human being. Even though Frances’ audience members span age groups, they still want specificity to know her message is uniquely designed for them.

The title, 3 Surprising Ways God Will Fulfill the Role of Your Husband is specific (3 ways) and includes a promise (God will fulfill the role of your husband). It’s important to note that Frances is not making that promise. God makes it, in His Word. Frances knows her audience longs for this reassurance, making this a strong Lead Magnet title. It will surely attract new subscribers.

It’s worth the effort to develop a title that identifies or implies your audience AND promises a result. Your audience will thank you and your email list will grow. 🙂

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: marketersonamission.com
Facebook: MarketersOnAMission

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Marketing Sense

Welcome Email Series Example: Part 1

Marketing sense

When a new subscriber signs up for a Lead Magnet (those 3–10-page free resources we offer in exchange for a subscriber’s first name and email address), we’re wise to send them a Welcome email series.

Why?

To connect with them person-to-person instead of digitally “tossing” them the promised resource and then returning to whatever we were doing.

Below you’ll see the first of the four actual emails I sent when delivering–in this case–a free resource titled Titles That Fit. It coordinates with a workshop I delivered by that same name at a  conference.

Watch for the remaining three Welcome emails over the next three months.

(Notice the red asterisks and their coordinating, strategic comments after the email content.)

***

Email #1 Title: Do You Write Titles or Craft Them?

Content: Hi, [first name]! Good to (digitally) meet you at (insert conference title here ’23)!

I enjoyed serving you via my workshop, Titles That Fit.

Thanks very much for requesting my workshop’s Slide Deck. It will arrive *tomorrow. I pray you find it a valuable reference.

** For now, let’s chat about you, shall we? 🙂

What’s the difference between writing a title and crafting one?

The first seems simple. We begin our project with a working title then invest hours, months, or years writing our content. We know it well. Tweaking our title’s final version should be a cinch, yes?

Strangely, that familiarity can keep us from writing our best title. Why?

Because when we’re so close to our content, we often come up with a title that’s generic without realizing it. Trying to capture the overall concept, we may go too broad.

Imagine attending a party when a new acquaintance asks why you do / did love your spouse. How can you choose The Perfect Answer in only 30 seconds?

In such situations, we go wide instead of deep, weakening our answer at the very moment we want to be precise.

It’s like that with our titles sometimes.

On the other hand, great titles are crafted. Let’s talk about that next time.

Watch for my email ***tomorrow (unless today’s Sunday–then it will be sent out Monday).

It will include the link to my Slide Deck for Titles That Fit.

Till next time,

Patricia

**** P.S. I usually attend (insert name of conference here) but could not this year, so be sure to give me a hug at next year’s conference. Deal? 🙂

————————————–

Strategies for Email #1

In the Strategy List below, you’ll find a duplicate of every sentence above shown with an asterisk, then my strategy, so you don’t have to scroll up and down the page constantly. You’re welcome. 🙂

#1: It will arrive in your Inbox *tomorrow.

(Why not just send the Lead Magnet’s link with this first email or attach it to the email? Because I want a valid reason to connect with them again very soon after my initial contact.)

#2: **For now, let’s chat about you, shall we? 🙂

(The first three sentences in this paragraph contain our “business.”

In this fourth sentence in my first Welcome email, I turn the conversation fully upon the reader by sharing an awkward story describing a situation we’ve all suffered through. Writing in a conversational manner, I hope my choice of words creates a sense of “you and I are in this together” mindset for my reader.

If they’ve been in an awkward situation–even if it’s not the one I shared–we have an additional point of connection. That’s a good thing. 🙂

#3: Watch for my email ***tomorrow (unless today’s Sunday–then it will be sent out Monday).

(This is a casual, non-aggressive reminder that I fully intend to deliver the promised free resource, but not today. It’s bolded so it will draw their eye–they’re more likely to read it. And it’s above my signature instead of randomly placed in a paragraph “somewhere” on the page.

The italicized text lets my reader know I don’t send emails on Sundays.

This is a personal choice and not a typical one, so it needs to be mentioned. No need to explain how or why I made that decision; that’s not the point.

The point is if they subscribe on a Sunday, they can expect the promised information on Monday.

#4: **** P.S. I usually attend (insert name of conference here) but could not this year, so be sure to give me a hug at next year’s conference. Deal? 🙂

(This is a subtle way to let my subscriber know I’m familiar with the conference mentioned. I’m a member of the same group, so I’m part of their world, not just “the world at large.”

I’m inviting them to connect with me in person without using those words.

See how it can work? 🙂

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: marketersonamission.com
Facebook: MarketersOnAMission

Categories
Marketing Sense

What’s the Big Deal About Lead Magnets?

Marketing sense

A Lead Magnet is a marketing tool. “Lead Magnet” is marketing speak for what is typically a 3-10 page PDF. It should answer a single question or solve a single problem 1) your audience is experiencing that 2) ties into your message.

No need to give away a fantastic resource that has nothing in common with your topic. Sharing the first 10 questions for readers to ask when booking a ski lodge won’t attract your ideal target market if your message focuses on homeschooling. Can I get a witness? 🙂

You’ve seen scads of Lead Magnets throughout your years online. A 5-day challenge. A 3-part video training. A webinar. Some other type of event (the sky’s the limit) that your ideal target market will find useful. Plus, the basic standard mentioned above (a 3-10 page PDF).

By default, Lead Magnets are free.

Why go to all that work only to give it away to strangers?

Because our goal is to attract people who do not yet know they’re in our target market!

Marketers give away valuable resource(s) to draw the attention of new readers. We want them to sign up to our email list so we can stay in touch with them consistently (not constantly!). The long-term goal is to develop a relationship via email.

As we serve our subscribers regularly, offering practical, actionable information to make their life easier (related to our message), they get to know us, and vice-versa. We serve them. Serve them. Then serve them some more.

And occasionally, we share our latest or greatest CD, book, product, or course. Whatever we’re offering for sale at that time.

It’s much easier to share such info with a friend you’ve helped every week for years, isn’t it?

Pitching our products to people we don’t know and who don’t know us is an expensive, uphill battle.

Make it easier for yourself and your reader by giving them a taste of your knowledge, personality, wisdom, and so on, in only 3-10 short pages filled with content that HELPS THEM.

This could be the start of a beautiful relationship. 🙂

Including a free Lead Magnet offer on your website’s Home page “above the fold” is wise. More visitors look at that section of your website than any area other. If they like what they see there, they’ll explore further. (See last month’s article to discover what to include in your Home page’s “above the fold” area.)

Creating a Lead Magnet isn’t rocket science, though it can seem to be when first starting out.

A few examples I’m offering right now listed below. Each is a short PDF.

Title: Platform Audit

Subtitle: Discover your platforms assets and liabilities in 6 key areas.

Title: Write Emails That Get Opened!

Subtitle: 35 Content Prompts to Write Great Emails Every Time

Title: Podcast Prep 101

Subtitle: 20 Questions to Nail Your Interview!

Title: Your First (Product or Program) Launch

Subtitle: Steps 1-5

There are more. That’s enough to give you an idea of the free resource’s content and your interest level in it.

That’s what we want to do with all our Lead Magnets.

Great title and subtitle. Helpful content that matters to your audience and is directly tied to your message, and an invitation to sign up for it using one of those itty-bitty boxes called an “opt-in” box. You’ve filled out 100s of them.

“But what if my Lead Magnet turns out to be a flop?” I’m often asked. It happens!

Get up off the floor, dust yourself off, and try again.

Keep creating new, fresh Lead Magnets until readers respond to first this one and then that one. Their response–or lack of it–shows you what they’re interested in. Make more like that.

And watch your email list (and your platform) grow!

Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.

Website: marketersonamission.com
Facebook: MarketersOnAMission

Categories
The Intentional Writer

Tap into the Power of Collaborations

The intentional writer

Experts continue to tell writers that their email list is one of the best ways to turn followers into book buyers. Therefore, growing your email list is great strategy for promoting your writing. Here’s a simple way to expand your reach and potentially gain new email subscribers—Author collaborations.

Collaborating with other writers enables you to leverage off each other’s followers, so you can quickly reach a whole new audience. Here are some tips to make collaborations work for you.

  • Look for someone who writes for a similar target audience. Your audiences don’t need to be identical, but they need to overlap. For example, a writer who targets young moms overlaps with a writer who targets healthy family relationships.
  • Look for someone who writes about similar topics or themes. Your book topics, lead magnets, or blog themes need to be something the other writer’s audience will find interesting and useful.
  • Avoid a collaboration where both writers are promoting almost identical products, such as two authors who both wrote books about gluten-free diets. The idea is to overlap so the audience wants both products rather than competing for the same purchase slot.  

Don’t forget the goal

If your goal is to build your email list, you need to have a lead magnet to promote. Without an incentive to join your list and a clear call to action, the other writer’s audience isn’t likely to visit your blog or sign up for your newsletter.

If your goal is only to promote your book, being featured by your collaboration partner may be sufficient. Again, don’t forget an enticing call to action that includes links to purchase your book

Types of collaborations

  • Guest post swap. If both writers have blogs, you can agree to exchange guest posts. Don’t forget to mention your lead magnet in your guest post!
  • Newsletter lead magnet swap. Both writers can agree to share each other’s lead magnets in their newsletters.
  • Newsletter (or blog) book review swap. The collaboration partners can agree to review each other’s books for their newsletter. Don’t forget to disclose that you have agreed to swap books. NOTE: Amazon does not approve of authors trading reviews, so if you swap book reviews, don’t post them on Amazon. (It’s probably best to skip other review sites as well.)
  • Interview swap. Bloggers, podcasters, or YouTubers can choose a pertinent topic and take turns interviewing the other on their blog/show.  
  • Gift Guides. Two or more authors can create a book gift guide on a particular theme. The guide includes one or more of each author’s books plus other excellent books that fit the theme. For example: Great Action Books for Middle Schoolers or Powerful Books to Help You Overcome Negative Thinking.

Always keep the audience in mind

Whatever collaboration you try, always remember your first goal is to serve your partner’s audience. (Not to promote yourself or sell something.)

The better you meet the needs of the audience, the more those people will be interested in your work, and the more likely the other writer will want to work with you in the future. Collaborations can be the beginning of a fruitful and long-lasting partnership.

You can be a collaborator

Even if you are not yet published, you can still begin to collaborate with other writers through swapping guest posts or lead magnets. It’s a small, doable step even beginning writers can try.

Who will you reach out to this week to discuss a possible collaboration?

Lisa E Betz

Lisa E. Betz is an engineer-turned-mystery-writer, entertaining speaker, and unconventional soul. She inspires others to become their best selves, living with authenticity, and purpose, and she infuses her novels with unconventional characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her Livia Aemilia Mysteries, set in first-century Rome, have won several awards, including the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021).

She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in her novels. Lisa directs church dramas, hikes the beautiful Pennsylvania woods, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes. Visit lisaebetz.com.