Lead magnets and landing pages – two very different things that both start with “L” are used together and, thus, are often confused with each other. So let me explain the difference between a lead magnet and landing page and when you’d use each.
Before we get there, however, a few general principles to understand. If you’re in online business, your goal is to sell to people – well, online. In order to do that, you need to have their email address. Lead magnets and landing pages are the way online businesses collect those email addresses.
This whole process is called a lead generation funnel, and you can read more about it here.
What is a Lead Magnet?
People don’t like to give up their email addresses, so online businesses use lead magnets as a way to entice them to do so. You’ve probably signed up to receive a free lead magnet yourself. Maybe it was a checklist, a meal template, a coupon code or some other free online gift.
The key is, it’s free and you have to share your email address to receive it.
Lead magnets are also often called freebies, free offers, or freemiums if people are feeling fancy. For an online business it’s usually something that new subscribers can download.
The idea is to make the lead magnet something really cool that you give away. In fact, you want it to be so valuable that people would be willing to pay for it.
How to Create a Lead Magnet
Lead magnets can be created in a variety of ways and how you do it really depends on what you’re offering. First you need to think about what would be really valuable to your ideal client. You don’t want to overwhelm them, so think simple. Where do they need help right now, at the beginning of their journey? What would give them a quick win and make them think, “Wow, this person really knows their stuff!”?
If you’re creating a checklist, report, chart, or guide, typically they are created in something like Canva (a free graphic editing platform) and then saved as a pdf, ready to be downloaded by the people who ask to receive it.
Audio and visual files are often created using your computer or a phone, and then the files are saved and available for download. With audio and video lead magnets you have to be careful you don’t get so caught up in the creating and editing process that it becomes difficult to create.
You can opt in here to see my free launch checklist as an example of a lead magnet
What is a Landing Page?
Once you have created a freebie, you need a landing page (also called a squeeze page) where people can find out a little bit about your free offer (your lead magnet) and then give you their name and email address so they can receive it.
At its core, a landing or squeeze page is an email capture form, but before you can capture their email, you have to convince them that what you’re offering will give them the win they’re looking for and that it’s worth giving up their email address. People get more and more protective of their email addresses every day, so make sure your landing page explains how getting your lead magnet will positively impact their life.
Here’s an example of a simple landing page for my launch checklist. In this case, it’s actually a landing page with email sign up right on the page. Some landing pages have a button people click to go to a pop up where they’ll enter their email address. It’s all a matter of personal preference and is definitely something you’ll want to test.
How to Create a Landing Page
Landing pages are created using special software or platforms. There are various WordPress plug ins or subscription based services that allow you to create landing pages fairly quickly and easily. I love Leadpages.
Even though landing pages look very straightforward to create, they do require a certain amount of technical knowledge if you try to create them on your own. You need to know how to do some coding and some backend tech integrations. For that reason, I recommend using a service.
Interestingly enough, oftentimes people will look at a landing page and think it’s too basic, it’s too short, or it’s not the aesthetic they’re going for. When creating a landing page it’s very important to remember that your main goal is to get a conversion. You want someone to give you their email address. For that reason, you should be sure to use a landing page template that you know converts well. After all, if your landing page doesn’t convert, you’ll never know if your offer is any good.
How does a Landing Page Lead to a Lead Magnet?
Once someone gives you their email address on the landing page, their name and email address will be sent to your email service. Sometimes your landing page and email service might be on the same service, but often they will be two different services. I, for example, use ActiveCampaign for my email service and Leadpages for my landing pages.
In order to connect the landing page and the lead magnet, you will need to set up an integration between the two services. As long as you’re using mainstream, popular services, this shouldn’t be an issue. Either the two services will connect directly or you can use a third party service to make the connection.
After the email service receives notification that someone new has been added to your list, it will automatically send them a link to download the lead magnet and then follow up with an email to welcome them and give them more information about you, your services, and the lead magnet they just received.
Using the combination of a lead magnet and landing page is a great way to grow an email list full of people who want to hear about what it is you have to offer. Whether you call a lead magnet a freebie, and a landing page a squeeze page, setting them up together is the first step in creating a successful online business.
