How To Grow Your Email List: 20 Effective Lead Magnet Ideas for Your Creative Business
This post is for my small creative businesses who are looking to really ramp up & grow their email list, this year and beyond.
I’m talking about lead magnet ideas that creative entrepreneurs (that would be you!) can create to grow your business.
I’ve heard in many Facebook groups and online communities from creative entrepreneurs, such as web designers, graphic designers, interior designers, and artists, who feel like a lead magnet or opt-in freebie just doesn't make sense for their industry/niche, simply because they are in the creative field.
Well, I’m here to clear the air and prove to you that these 20 lead magnet ideas & content marketing upgrades can work for your business as a creative entrepreneur and help grow your email list, which ultimately helps you build a passive income online on auto-pilot.
Lead Magnet vs. Content Marketing Upgrade
There are many people who are out there thinking, “what the heck is a lead magnet, content upgrade and what are the differences?”
Yeah friend, I know, I was once there too.
When I started my entrepreneurial journey, I would hear these terms and, quite frankly, end up so confused as to what they were, and stressed if I really needed them in my business in order to grow.
I would read all the blog posts about what lead magnets you should have to grow your email list and online business, and which ones converted the most. So, off I would go and log in to Canva (my favourite app for creating all things graphic in my business), & create all the lead magnets I could because that's what I felt like I should do as a new business owner since I really wanted an email list!
Now, even if you’re an established business owner, it’s easy to feel like you’re falling short if your email list isn’t growing as fast or your services aren’t booked out months in advance because you do not have a big & thriving email list.
Whatever category you resonate with here, I want you to know that building an email list of committed & engaged audience members takes time and is not something you want to rush, simply to say that you have an email list of thousands of subscribers.
Remember, we are building a thriving community & online business - one that is sustained over the long term.
Now, before I get off track, I want to describe to you what the differences are between a lead magnet and a content upgrade.
Lead Magnet
A lead magnet is generally a free piece of content that you create to attract your ideal audience into handing over their email address to you.
I find at times a lead magnet is not necessarily linked or tied to any blog posts you have on your website or any services you have offered.
Simply put: your lead magnet acts as the enticing piece of content that you promote to “hook” in or lead someone to visit your site and ultimately, turn into a subscriber or an inquiry into your services.
Content Upgrade
A content upgrade is the opposite of a lead magnet. Content marketing upgrades are bonus download upgrades that are mainly linked to your blog post or service you provide.
Simply put, your content upgrade acts as an extra dose of valuable content you know your audience cannot do without.
Keep in mind that the business marketing tips, tools, and resources I share in this blog post are general guidelines that can be adapted to suit your business and business goals.
If you find that one of my suggestions is going to really help meet a need for your ideal audience, then I encourage you to look at how you can create your unique lead magnet or content upgrade.
The other thing I want you to take into consideration is that creating tons of lead magnets and content marketing upgrades may not always be the best use of your time, nor will creating more lead magnets bring in qualified subscribers to your email list & sales funnel. If your audience is used to you giving away tons of free opt-ins, then you may start to create an email list of what some people call “freebie seekers”.
You want to make sure that whatever content upgrade or free opt-in you create can lead your ideal audience into your sales marketing funnel. As much as we are creative entrepreneurs who want to provide valuable content, we also want to attract valuable customers who are willing to buy our products & services too.
I’m a big believer in giving your audience tons of valuable information that can help them in their creative journey, but this is definitely something that you should keep in mind. If you stick to a small handful of free lead magnet ideas and/or content upgrades, I’m guaranteed that your email list will grow exponentially!
Why You Should Consider Creating a Lead Magnet
When you are new to business, or you have been in business for a while, creating lead magnets are a great way to build your email list.
Contrary to popular belief, email marketing is not dead! In fact, a recent study has projected email marketing to skyrocket to over 347 billion daily emails by 2023 and with that, you can expect to receive a solid return on investment of $42 dollars return for every dollar spent. This is because when you have an email marketing funnel that is executed like a well-oiled machine, it can actually make you money.
When businesses were asked what strategic marketing channel was of most importance to their business, 91 percent reported that email marketing was where they saw the most customer engagement.
Something that a lot of people do not know is that email marketing is one of the best ways to strengthen a business’ visibility and conversions. This is because you provide targeted solutions to a niche audience where you can measure your audience engagement.
Another really important fact to know is the more things you can own (i.e. your email list), the better it is as you are in more control of your investments and are not at the mercy of any third-party application or service.
Now, that you have some background information, let us get into the 20 lead magnets you can create to grow your email list as a coach, freelancer & creative entrepreneur!
20 Lead Magnet Ideas for Creative Entrepreneurs
1 | Checklist
Pinterest users LOVE checklists, and I’m one of those people who loves a great checklist, as well! Checklists are quick and easy to create and can give your audience a quick win in a short time with valuable information.
2 | Calendars & Planners
Calendars & planners help people organize their thoughts, life, and business in effective ways. I have a Seasonal Content Calendar that helps a lot of bloggers and content creators plan their yearly social media calendars and also a Goal Planner Workbook.
3 | Challenges
I think challenges are a great way to bring together a community of like-minded people. If you have an idea that you know will motivate your audience into action, a challenge is a perfect option to try out. I find the best time frame for a challenge is 5 days, but many challenges can range from as little as 3 days all the way to 90 days.
4 | eBooks
eBooks are one of my favourite things to read from a creator. I feel like an eBook is a quick & intimate way to connect with your favourite small business owner, support them with their small paid (and most importantly valuable) offer, on a topic they know will be beneficial to their audience. It’s almost like you’re getting a mini-training, masterclass, or important information instead of waiting for their course to come out or paying big dollars for a consultation.
If you are in the beginning stages of building your business, source out an eBook from one of your favourite authors and creators. eBooks are best for people who love reading!
5 | Cheatsheets
If you have a special & unique way around a very complicated or advanced topic that you know your audience needs help with, offer them a cheat sheet!
Break down the process in smart, efficient snippets or have swipe files accessible your audience can always refer to. I love a good swipe file and this is something that I know other creative entrepreneurs will definitely love you for if you can quickly produce them a win :)
6 | Roadmaps
A roadmap is a quick step-by-step process to achieving an end result. For example, if you do step A, then step B will follow easily.
I offer a Pinterest Account Audit Roadmap that follows this simple step & rules that many have downloaded and enjoyed while seeking success in DIYing their own Pinterest account Audit.
Sign up here to download it for yourself!
7 | Coupon code
If you have a digital product or online course, have you offered your audience a discount/coupon code? Not only are coupon codes great for service providers, but are also amazing if you own an online shop!
You can drive massive traffic to your website from Pinterest by simply creating a few Pinterest graphic Pins specifically for your audience with the coupon code clearly stated in your Pin Title and Pin description.
Coupon codes are great ways to make your offers more accessible to your customers and might even help entice your customers to finally make a purchase of your offer - something that they may have been holding off on because of financial reasons.
This is a win-win situation for everyone! You gain new customers & your customers are happy to receive high-quality products or services for an amazing price!
8 | Gift card
Very similar to offering a coupon code, you can also think about offering a gift card to your audience for purchase, especially around seasonal times when people are thinking about improving their services, wanting to buy products or looking for personal development gifts for their family or friends.
Check out my shop if you need a gift card for the creative entrepreneur in your life!
9 | Email course
I love email courses, in fact, I have one that you can sign up for here: 5-Day Pinterest Email Course.
If you have big topics and want to drip out the information to your audience over a course of a few days, then an email course would work best for you. Just make sure the information is easy to digest and doesn’t go longer than 5 days (I find this day range the best, personally).
10 | How-To Guide
Who doesn’t love complex topics broken down into tangible steps that you can implement right away? That’s the beauty of a how-to-guide. When you are looking for a specific solution to a problem or an inquiry you want to find out information about in a simplistic way, how-to-guides are what your audience will love.
11 | Printables
I am mad crazy for a rock-solid printable. You can create printables about anything for your business & offer them to your customers if it suits their needs. From planners to DIY art, printables can transform your offerings where you offer items that are specific and unique to your business.
12 | Quiz
Not a lot of people consider a quiz as something you can offer your customers or audience, but quizzes are amazing for engagement and conversions!
When you offer a quiz, you get specific data & insights as to what your audience wants and needs, but offering a quiz also showcases your expertise and boosts your credibility when you can solve your audience's problem right away and speaks to their pain point.
13 | Free Resource Library
If you are a business owner who offers various free downloads, webinars, masterclass sessions or video content, how about housing them all as a free resource library?
This option is great if you discuss or blog about various topics that may not fit within your normal content marketing strategy but you know it will still offer amazing value.
If you are a Squarespace user like me, you can create a separate landing page, email workflow, and set up a secure password for those who sign up.
Once they are added to your list, they will get immediate access to all your site-protected content!
Not only will your audience feel super special that they are getting exclusive content no one else has access to, but this also leaves the lasting impression that you are the sought-out expert in your field for your niche & you have amazing content to share with those who want to opt-in.
14 | Templates
Templates will make your work so much easier, trust me! I love templates and if I could use a template for everything in my business (which, I’m pretty sure there are templates for everything!), I would.
I used to feel as if I was not being authentic & original if I was using a template for my business such as email marketing or my Lifestyle Pinterest Templates for Canva.
I quickly discovered that there is no shame in using templates! Templates allow you to free up so much valuable time that we, as creative entrepreneurs, need. If you know of a small business owner who offers done-for-you templates, I say go for it!
15 | Webinar
A webinar is a deep-dive into a topic that generally leads to a course or some form of offering. If you have a live webinar, this will bring so much engagement to your brand & business because of the intimate nature of connection with your audience.
If one of your business goals is to gain more connections with your audience, then try out a webinar with a topic of choice you know your audience will be interested in.
16 | Podcast episode
If you have podcast episodes that didn’t make the cut, how about repurposing those missed podcasts as a sign-up to grow your email list? Because once again, people a) love exclusivity, and b) this provides you with opportunities to showcase your talents in different ways to committed visitors who are eager to be a part of your inner community.
17 | Resources & tools
If you are using a tool or resource in your business that helps you to manage your day-to-day tasks or client projects, how about sharing it with your audience? You can share this in so many ways such as a PDF, a landing page or a blog post.
I use many tools & resources in my creative business that make my work that much easier. Every day there seems to be a new tool that comes out, but here, I share with you some Business Tools & Resources that I love and cannot do without.
18 | Stock photography
A huge portion of my creative business cannot live without stock photography! I use stock photography in any way I can such as on my website, in my email newsletter, my Pinterest Templates for Canva, and anywhere else I need to create a mood and aesthetic feel for my brand & business.
Some of my favourite stock photography (for free!) are:
For my fellow creative entrepreneurs, if you sign up to their email list, Moyo Studio will gift you 50 Free
Stock Photography images (they are amazing!)
If you are needing more diversity in your photography collection to include women/persons of colour, then this stock photography is what you should jump on. When you diversify your marketing strategy to include persons of colour in your stock photos, you open up a new world of clientele that makes your brand stand apart for its inclusivity.
When you sign up for ColorStock Photography, you get 10 Free Stock Photography images you can use right away.
19 | Worksheets
Worksheets are great tools that allow you to reflect & work through some commonly formed questions and allows you to dive deeper and explore your learning on a topic further.
If you’re a more reflective learner than a worksheet might be best for you to use.
20 | Spreadsheets/scripts
I love a lot of things in my business, but I really love spreadsheets… **heart eyes**
Spreadsheets are powerful tools that when done right, can be successful in tracking your key performance indicators (KPIs). I offer a range of spreadsheet data in my Pinterest Strategy service that helps creative entrepreneurs with their keyword tracking, keyword collection, and other key Pinterest metrics.
Coming soon to my online shop, I will be releasing a Keyword Planner for Creative Entrepreneurs spreadsheet resource that will help creatives with their keyword planning.
This is suited for creative entrepreneurs such as web, graphic, and interior designers & other creative entrepreneurs who want proven, time-tested, high ranking Pinterest keywords that will boost their efforts on Pinterest and increase their SEO ranking.
If you’re interested in this, I highly encourage you to hop on the waitlist and you’ll be notified when this drops for purchase!
In closing, I hope this list of lead magnets and content upgrades provided you with some creative ideas to connect with your audience, grow your email list, and make further connections to strengthen your brand.
I’d love to know what lead magnets or content upgrades you have tried for your creative business!
Please share your insights as to what works best for you & what you found helped you achieve your goals.
