Lead Magnet Ideas for Coaches: What to Give Away First

You've been told to build an email list. You've also been told you need something to give away. So you sit down to write the big guide, and three weeks later it's still a draft.

These lead magnet ideas for coaches are all small on purpose. You can make any one of them in an evening.

What is a lead magnet?

A lead magnet is a small free thing you give someone in return for their email address. That's all it is.

Nobody gives their email for nothing, and a follower on an app isn't someone you can reach whenever you want. The free thing is how they step off the app and onto a list you own.

Six lead magnet ideas for coaches

Each of these is one of the simple formats. The coach examples are only ideas to get you going. The last column shows what we've made in that format.

Idea	A coach could give away	One of ours
Checklist	"Before your first client call"	10 tasks to automate first
Template	A session notes page to copy	A leads table to copy
Short guide	"The 3 questions to ask before you hire a coach"	7 tools, one job each
Words to copy	5 messages to send a client who's gone quiet	5 follow-ups for quiet leads
A quick check	6 questions and a score, like "How ready are you to change careers?"	The Lead leak check
A kit	One folder that grows as you add to it	The 0 to 100 Kit

A checklist or a template is the easiest place to start. A quick check takes longer to build, so we wouldn't start there.

How to pick your first one

Skip the list of 35 ideas. Look at your own messages instead.

1. Write down the last 5 questions people asked you. DMs, comments, emails, calls.
2. Circle the one you've answered most. That's your topic. You already know it's real.
3. Shrink it to one problem. "How to get more clients" is a course. "What to say when someone asks your price" is a page.
4. Choose the smallest format that fixes it. If a checklist does the task, don't write a guide.
5. Make sure it points at what you sell. Someone who uses it should be the kind of person you'd want to work with.

Try this: tonight, scroll back through your DMs and write down the last 5 questions. Don't make anything yet. Just see which one keeps coming up.

How to make it and share it

Write it in a Google Doc, in the words you'd use across a table. Save it as a PDF and put it in Google Drive with a link anyone can open.

Give it a short name. The name is what people will ask for, so make it easy to say.

Keep the design plain. Your logo, a clear title and short lines are enough. People want the fix, so don't spend a week on how it looks.

What has to happen after someone asks

This is the part that gets missed. The free thing only helps you if the person ends up on your list and hears from you again.

• Send it straight away. We showed how in website forms to Airtable with Make.
• Save them in one place. Every sign-up should land in the same list. Here's how to get every sign-up into one list.
• Ask before you add them to your emails. A tick box does it. We only add people who ticked yes, using MailerLite.
• Follow up. Someone who took your free thing has shown interest, so they're worth a short follow-up.

How to tell if it's working

Count how many people ask for it, and how many of those reply or book a call. Our own list is only just starting, so we can't tell you which of ours gets the most sign-ups yet. That's why we track which post each person came from.

If nobody asks after a few weeks of mentioning it, change the topic before you change the design. Then try the next question from your list.

Not sure your free thing is where people are slipping away? Take the free Lead leak check. It's 6 quick questions, and you get a score out of 100, your 3 biggest leaks, and the first fix for each.