Lead magnets have one job in email marketing: attract new subscribers by offering something valuable in exchange for their email address and other contact information. When they agree, subscribers will be added to your email list and are sent the freebie.
Lead magnets have been part of digital marketing from the beginning, and they haven’t changed a whole lot. One thing that quickly fizzled out in the early days was giving away physical products (such as company swag like mousepads or t-shirts). It wasn’t cost effective and freebie hunters didn’t make the most qualified leads. Digital products were the natural pivot and they’ve been working ever since. As offering digital products became easier, more companies jumped in because they work so well.
Creating an effective lead magnet couldn’t be simpler now. There are design platforms and automated delivery options for any kind of digital reward you care to offer.
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The Best Lead Magnets to Grow Your Email List
I’ve tried most types of lead magnets over the course of 25 years in digital marketing. For us and our clients, the following types have generated the most qualified leads (defined as subscribers who stayed on the list and engaged with the emails we sent thereafter).
Should you go with online learning products, interactive content, or give away something else? Finding out what resonates with your specific target audience requires testing, but you’ll be off to a roaring start with the following ideas.
1. Online Learning Products, such as courses or guides, are some of the most effective lead generators with a high conversion rate. The value is clear, whether they’re trying to solve a current problem or they’re just in it for the learning.
The trick to using learning products as lead magnets is to make it directly related to your business and highly appealing to your ideal customers. They’re also perfect for funnels and upselling.
2. Interactive Tools, such as quizzes, AI, discount games, checklists, or calculators, can be facilitated by your email marketing software or ecommerce platform.
“This is a category we’ve been experimenting with, and we have recently released an email scratch card generator, that anyone can use to add fun scratch cards to their emails,” says MailerLite.
3. Information Products, such as ebooks, guides, reports, whitepapers, or collections of curated resources, have been a popular lead magnets for years and they continue to work exceptionally well. For example, we give away Canadian reports to Online Business Canada newsletter subscribers.
4. Webinars & Videos can be highly effective lead magnets.
“64% of businesses are now moving towards webinars for lead generation over traditional ones for its engaging and informative format,” says GudSho. “It is like a new secret weapon for brands to connect with their target audience in an interactive way to gain quality and ready-to-convert leads. And unlike static ads or cold emails, webinars allow you to engage with your audience live, build trust, and position your brand as an expert. They mix content marketing, interactive engagement and smart follow ups to create a lead generation machine.”
It’s important to provide video replays for those who don’t attend the live event. While it may sound counterintuitive when you’re trying to get people to attend the live webinar, in my experience many more will sign up for access to a replay. Include incentives for the live event to encourage attendance, the most common being live giveaways throughout the webinar.
5. For B2B, Templates and ‘Swipe File’ lead magnets work well because they can easily be tied to your niche. They provide the instant help and gratification that so many of today’s online consumers demand, especially in the business community.
Templates may include a document, newsletter, post, or other templates likely to appeal to your target audience. Swipe files are exceptional examples that others can use as a guide. I’ve gained the most subscribers from headlines, email pitch scripts, and ad copy swipe files.
6. Deals can work really well or not at all, depending on how you use them. If you catch shoppers when they’re ready to order, signing up for an email list to receive 10% off or free shipping might be tempting to your visitors.
The Top 5 Types of Email Coupons for Website Traffic & Sales are:
- Standard coupon
- Subscription coupon
- BOGO (Buy One, Get One Free) Coupon
- Free gift with purchase coupon
- Free shipping coupon
While producing lead magnets takes time and often some investment, if you use ‘evergreen’ content you can repurpose and republish the content over and over again. Even if you hire people to do it for you, chances are you’ll quickly profit from the investment. If you require affordable premium content written by professional Canadian writers (not AI), you can’t beat Canadian Digital Media.
If you’re offering lead magnets, robust email marketing platforms like Constant Contact or Kit are designed to make it much easier and more efficient. However, you can make virtually any email platform work with most types of lead magnets if you’re economizing. For example, we use Brevo for most of our newsletters and simply send a link to .pdf reports, or use a third party platform to design & host a download (such as Canadian platform Thinkific). If you’d prefer an email marketing platform based in Canada, we list them in Top Canadian Email Marketing Platforms with Data Sovereignty.
Have you ever tried using a lead magnet to grow your email list? Which kinds had spectacular results and which ones failed? Please share your experience or questions in the comments below, or join us in the Online Business Canada Facebook group.
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Last Updated on June 18, 2026 by Melody McKinnon, Online Business & Marketing Manager
