So you want to grow your email list to land new coaching clients — but you’re unsure how to convince people to opt-in?

Hint — you need a lead magnet!

But not just any old lead magnet… If you want to get clients, you need to create a lead magnet that helps your future dream clients solve their problems, fast.

In this post, we’ll cover how to approach lead magnets for coaches, including:

• What is a lead magnet for coaches?
• 10 effective lead magnet ideas for coaches
• How to launch your coaching lead magnet

What is a Lead Magnet for Coaches?

A lead magnet is a free resource that coaches can offer to people in exchange for opting into their email list. 

They can also be called “freebies”.

While there are hundreds of ways to approach lead magnets, they’re particularly helpful for coaches who want to help potential clients achieve a quick win! When your freebie helps subscribers overcome a problem, it shows them your approach can get results.

Once people consume your lead magnet and join your list, you can continue emailing them to:

• Build a relationship
• Nurture know, like, and trust
• Send them offers to work with you

As such, lead magnets are an effective way to get coaching clients fast.

10 Effective Lead Magnet Ideas for Coaches

Let’s look at some of the most effective types of lead magnets you can leverage as a coach!

1. Checklist

Do you have a checklist of helpful steps, tools, affirmations, or other resources as part of your coaching process? Why not turn that into a free checklist?

Checklists are great for coaches because you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. If you already have a signature coaching process, you can extrapolate from it to help potential clients achieve their goals.

For example, the coaches at Entrepreneurs HQ help course creators create virtual workshops. As such, their checklist shows you each step that’s involved in making that happen.

2. Helpful list

The helpful list is different from the checklist in one way:

While checklists are a list of steps someone should go through, a helpful list doesn’t necessarily have to be “checked off.”

For example, advertising coach Luke Charlton offers a list of 9 email offers as his lead magnet:

To make the best possible helpful list, make sure you’re solving a problem your dream clients are dealing with right now. You should also prioritize list items that help your dream clients take action ASAP.

For example, if Luke had instead shared a list called 9 Email Strategies For Coaches, it may have been valuable — but implementing an entire strategy takes time. On the other hand, his email offers can be tweaked and sent in an hour or less!

Solving big problems seems like a good idea, but many of your potential clients will get overwhelmed. Give them a quick win to help them see your process works!

3. Script or template

A script or template is a word-for-word document that helps your potential clients achieve a specific outcome.

For example, a sales coach could share a winning sales script. Or a productivity coach could share a daily schedule template to get more organized.

Here’s another example: email pro Liz Wilcox shares her free email templates in exchange for joining her list:

4. Free discovery session

As a coach, already offer a complimentary discovery session to help potential clients see what it’s like to work with you.

For example, recovery coach Stephanie Hamby uses Paperbell to offer a free discovery session from her website:

With Paperbell, anyone can easily create a landing page to let prospective clients book themselves straight into your calendar! You can also automate the confirmation and reminder emails to reduce no-shows.

5. Quiz

Quizzes are ideal not only for growing your email list, but also for segmenting that list. Because each subscriber will get their own quiz results, you can send them more relevant email newsletters depending on those results!

Quizzes, when done right, also help your subscribers feel understood. This helps you nurture trust with them.

For example, the parenting coaching site The Baby Sleep Site offers a Baby Temperament Quiz. 

Based on your results, they automatically email you the most relevant resources from their blog.

6. eBooks

eBooks are self-explanatory — they’re also a great lead magnet type for coaches who have a longer process to explain or break down.

But even short eBooks can be effective in attracting coaching clients!

While eBooks can be effective, they’re also not the best to start with if you’re still establishing yourself as a coach. That’s because they take longer to consume and don’t solve an immediate problem quickly like a helpful list does.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t create an eBook. But if you do, create it with the intention of solving one specific challenge your dream clients deal with. 

7. Videos, workshops, and webinars

Text-only resources are great, but videos are a highly popular lead magnet style for coaches, too. Subscribers get to see your face and hear you explain your stuff directly.

Video lead magnets come in a variety of sub-types, including but not limited to:

• Workshops
• Webinars
• Free courses
• Video sales letters (a short webinar)
• Video series

For example, Julie and Cathy from Funnel Gorgeous hosted a meta workshop on… how to teach your first online workshop:

8. Private podcast

Unlike regular podcast, private podcasts are only available to people you want to share it with. For example, you can turn your group coaching sessions into a private podcast. Or, you can share a helpful private podcast with anyone who joins your email list!

Private podcasts are helpful for subscribers who don’t have time to sit in front of a video — but who would love to listen to an audio training while they’re driving or cleaning.

And there’s no better example of this type of lead magnet than the very meta audio training on how to create an intentional podcast:

To share a private podcast, you can use a tool like Hello Audio.

9. Free challenge

Do you have a process which subscribers can follow along over the course of a few days? If so, consider hosting a free challenge!

Shorter challenges are typically better than longer ones since subscribers won’t get discouraged or drop off as much.5-day and 3-day challenges are quite popular in the coaching world.

For example, LinkedIn coach Adrienne Weimer hosted a 3-day challenge to showcase her LinkedIn client-getting techniques:

For best results, don’t make your challenge overwhelming. Stick to easily achievable tasks that your subscribers can do in under 30 minutes per day.

10. Free community

If you want to grow a community of dream clients on Slack, a Facebook group, or another platform, consider offering access to that community as a lead magnet.

For example, Jason Linett advertises his Facebook group in which business owners can learn about sales persuasion:

The best part about growing a community? You’ll have more touchpoints with your audience apart from your email list!

How to Launch Your Coaching Lead Magnet

Once you have your lead magnet idea in mind, follow these steps to launch it and start growling your email list!

1. Build your lead magnet

Before collecting leads for your email list, you’ll need to build the lead magnet you want to offer.

This step will look different depending on what type of freebie you want to create. Here are some helpful resources to help you build different lead magnet types:

• Canva or Google Docs for PDF or text resources
• CapCut to edit video resources
• HelloAudio to host private podcasts
• Interact to create interactive quizzes
• Paperbell to automate free discovery calls (and much more!)
• Slack to host challenges or free communities outside of Facebook groups

For this step, keep it simple. Start with a minimum viable lead magnet before you spend tons of time (or money) perfecting it. 

Why?

Unless you’ve proven people absolutely want your lead magnet, you shouldn’t sink too many resources into it! But once you see people opting in, feel free to improve your lead magnet now that it’s proven to convert.

2. Create your lead magnet landing page

For people to claim your lead magnet, you’ll need to set up an opt-in form with a dedicated landing page.

You’ll need to connect the opt-in form of your lead magnet with your email marketing platform so that anyone who joins instantly gets added to your list and receives their freebie. Alternatively, you can create your freebie directly inside your email platform, like Convertkit.

Here are some best practices when writing the copy for your freebie landing page:

• Keep it short and sweet
• Avoid distractions, such as unrelated menu items or buttons
• Call out the pain points or positive outcomes your lead magnet helps with directly in the main headline
• Specify who the lead magnet is for (your ideal audience) to repel anyone who doesn’t fit that description

If you’re using a free discovery call as a freebie, try Paperbell for free to create it quickly and effectively!

3. Write an automated welcome sequence

As soon as your subscribers opt into your list, they should receive an automated confirmation email with their lead magnet inside.

Unless you’re using Paperbell to offer free discovery calls, you’ll need to set up that welcome email yourself inside your email marketing platform. 

But you don’t have to stop at one email! You can create an entire welcome sequence to nurture new subscribers and properly welcome them into your world.

Here’s an example of a welcome sequence you can send after your lead magnet to start nurturing new subscribers:

• Send immediately: A quick welcome + a link to access their lead magnet
• Day 1: Introduce yourself and let them know what to expect from your email list — you can also remind them to access their lead magnet
• Day 2: Your backstory & how you help people now
• Day 3: Talking about a common problem + invitation to book a free discovery session with you if they need help with this
• Day 4: A client case study (or another personal story if you’re a new coach) + invitation to book a free discovery coaching session

Once subscribers complete the welcome sequence, you can add them to the list of people who receive your regular email newsletter.

4. Drive traffic to your lead magnet

People won’t magically find your lead magnet landing page. That means you’ll need to drive traffic to it.

There are two main ways you can drive traffic to your lead magnet: organic and paid.

The organic way is best if you have no budget but lots of time. Conversely, paid traffic is best if you have a budget (even a small one) but little to no time.

You can also try a blend of both!

Here are some examples of ways you can drive traffic in organic or paid ways:

• Be a guest on someone’s podcast or blog – free
• Start social media marketing – free
• Run Facebook ads – paid 
• Ask another coach to promote you – can be free or paid
• Start a blog or a podcast and optimize it for SEO – free
• Use Pinterest to promote your blog or podcast – can be free or paid

Keep in mind that organic traffic generation methods can take more time to generate leads than paid methods. On the other hand, leads that come from organic methods are more likely to know more about who you are since they’ll have consumed at least some of your content before landing on your freebie page.

Create a Client-Getting Lead Magnet to Grow Your Coaching Business

Now you have everything you need to launch your own lead magnet and grow your coaching business.

Whether you’re using a free discovery call as a lead magnet or have chosen another type, you can’t go wrong using Paperbell to sell your coaching online! Grab your free account today to start building beautiful life coaching packages and more.