Looking for high-converting lead magnet ideas for course creators–that still work (a.k.a. bring in the cash) in 2025? You’ve come to the right place. 

The online course landscape has changed dramatically over the past five-ish years. Gone are the days when you could simply put together an eBook titled “10 Tips For XYZ” and see the sign-ups roll in.

Your customers are looking for more targeted, actionable solutions to their problems–and getting someone to trust you with their (non-spam) email address is more difficult than ever. 

So what’s working now in the lead magnet space? And what can you do to give your opt-in library a little refresh for 2025? Keep reading to find out. 

Psst: Why Your Lead Magnet Matters For Your Course Sales

Your lead magnet isn’t just another thing to check off your to-do list as a course creator.

🌹 It’s essentially a preview of your teaching style & a chance for your potential customers to experience a taste of your unique magic.

If your new subscriber loves it, they might become more open to exploring more of what you offer–including your paid products and courses. Ka-ching!

And if they don’t? Well, they will probably move on–until they find someone whose work captures their interest enough to stick around. *sad bank account noises*

Keep reading to discover 5 lead magnet ideas for course creators (that still work in 2025).

5 High-Converting Lead Magnet Ideas For Course Creators

Lead Magnet Idea #1: The Private Podcast

Private podcasts became all the rage in 2024–and are still going strong as we cross the threshold into 2025.

With our attention spans dwindling (and the amount of information we are expected to pay attention to increasing), the ability to consume content “on the go” is becoming more appealing than ever.

If your audience consists of busy individuals–or fellow entrepreneurs who have downloaded too many free PDFs to count–a private podcast could be just the thing you need to capture the interest of your target audience & generate more course sales.

How to execute it: Plan to create 3-5 “episodes” of 5-10 minutes each. 

💡 Think about the main problem your potential customer is facing. 

What keeps them up at night? And how could you alleviate some of their stresses–or provide a burst of inspiration–through a series of short, actionable audio messages?

Examples:

• 5 Self-Love Notes To Listen To On Hard Days
• 3 EFT Scripts To Use On The Go
• How To Romanticize Your Mornings As A Small Business Owner

Tech you’ll need: HelloAudio will take care of all your private podcasting needs–at an affordable price.

Lead Magnet Idea #2: The Behind-The-Scenes Insight 

Humans are nosy creatures.

We like to know what’s going on in other people’s lives–and yes, that includes the lives of our favorite online personalities/course creators (that’s you!).

If there’s anything that working with course creators has taught me over, it’s that people love to take a peek behind-the-scenes: how you structure your day, the tools you use, and the lessons you’ve learned along the way.

So why not base your next lead magnet around this concept?

How to execute it: 

Let your humanity shine through while showcasing your expertise and authority.

➡️ Pull back the curtain on your revenue numbers. Share your biggest business mistakes from last year. Tell people how your marathon training is going–including exactly how many runs you missed last month.

Just make sure to deliver on what you promised. No clickbait allowed.

Examples:

• I Made $4,375 Last Month–Here’s The Breakdown
• A Week In The Life Of A Course Creator
• The Marathon Diaries: Runs Missed, Lessons Learned & Go-To Recovery Snacks

Tech you’ll need: A simple Google Doc or Canva PDF will do–but you can also turn this into a private podcast using HelloAudio.

Lead Magnet Idea #3: The Quiz

Remember when Buzzfeed quizzes were all the rage? Yeah, I could never resist finding out which Gilmore Girls character I was, either. (Any guesses?)

Quizzes are brilliant at tapping into people’s curiosity. They also have a tendency to make people feel SEEN–which is an excellent way to build your “know, like, trust” factor. 

👋🏻 Plus, they are highly sharable, which can do wonders for your audience growth. 

How to execute it: This one takes a bit (okay, a lot) more work than other types of lead magnets so make sure you’ve got the time and resources to execute it.

(Hiring me to flesh out your quiz concept + write the copy would be an excellent idea, btw.)

How to execute it:

The easiest way to come up with a quiz concept is to think about the “categories” your customers problems fall into. 

If someone is struggling to make their revenue goals, why is that? Is it their systems? Their work ethic? Their relationship with money?

Alternatively, consider the “superpowers” or natural gifts you see in your clients. What makes them unique and special?

Examples:

• What’s Your Money Attachment Style?
• What’s Your Small Business Supowerpower?
• What’s Your Productivity Persona?

Tech you’ll need: While definitely on the pricier side, Interact continues to be my pick for quiz creation. 

Their ease-of-use is hard to beat–and the integrations have you covered no matter what email service provider you use.

Lead Magnet Idea #4: The Checklist (Yes, Really!)

This one’s an oldie but a goodie.

In essence, a checklist is a curated list of action items, tasks, or steps your audience needs to follow in order to reach a specific goal, such as writing their first blog post or going for their first run. 

✅ And yes, people will still download them in this day and age–as long as the content is relevant to the task they are trying to accomplish. 

(I downloaded one myself just last week–and, after 6 years in the online course space, I’m notoriously difficult to impress.)

How to execute it: Think about a list of steps someone should take before they try to DIY the thing you help them with (i.e. SEO optimization, writing their own sales page, training for a 5K).

Try to keep it to one page if you can. Digestibility is key when it comes to lead magnets. 

Then, put that list in Google Doc. Voila! You’ve got yourself an easy, effective lead magnet.

Example:

• SEO checklist to use before you publish your first blog
• Christmas shopping checklist for busy moms
• A digital decluttering checklist for ADHD brains

Tech you’ll need: Google Docs or Canva

P.S. If you want to make your new lead magnet feel a bit more professional, I highly recommend this $9 training on creating super cool, fillable workbooks in Google Docs. 

Lead Magnet Idea #5: The One Template

This type of lead magnet is all about getting your audience to accomplish ONE specific task (e.g. send out a sales email) quickly–and with minimal friction.

It should be a complete, bite-sized solution to one part of their problem–something to give them a taste of your magic AND let them feel good about tackling something on their to-do list.

How to execute it: Think about the resources you use multiple times a day/week/month. Would any of them be useful to your potential customers, too? 

📝 If so, turn one of them into a template they can use again and again.

And seriously, keep it to ONE template.

While giving away an entire template pack of All The Things may seem generous, the reality is, most people won’t actually get around to using these–and your course sales will suffer as a result.

Examples:

• A Google Doc email template for a delightful client onboarding experience
• A Canva template for making the perfect carousel post
• A daily habit tracker template for Notion

Tech you will need: Usually a Google Doc will do (especially if you’re sharing an email template or something similar)–although I myself love building templates in Notion.

Your next steps

If you are a course creator, these 5 lead magnet ideas should serve you well this year.

But don’t just read this post–take action! Pick one lead magnet from this list and brainstorm some ideas for how YOU could incorporate it into your business. Your course sales will thank you!

👋🏻 And if you could use a little help with the whole brainstorming thing? My 60-minute Sounding Board Sessions might be just the thing you need.