Wouldn’t it be cool if your lead magnet didn’t just grow your email list… But actually did the heavy lifting of warming up your audience (essentially pre-selling your course for you)?

In this blog post, I’m sharing 5 high-converting lead magnet tips for course creators who want to build a list of engaged, ready-to-buy subscribers—without having to do a ton of extra work to make it happen.

These tips will help any digital product creator take their lead magnet from something that’s “pretty alright” at getting you new email subscribers… To a powerful revenue-generating tool that can bring in new course sales all on its own. 

Wait, What Is A Lead Magnet, Anyway?

A lead magnet or freebie (sometimes also called “opt-in”) is a valuable (!) free resource you can offer your audience in exchange for their email address. 

💡It usually contains a quick win or valuable insight that helps your new subscriber solve a problem while allowing you to demonstrate your unique teaching style.

Gone are the days when any old PDF would bring in a flood of engaged subscribers. Customers are getting choosier about the types of content they allow inside their inboxes–and for good reason.

(Psst: Looking for lead magnet ideas that still work in 2025? Check out this blog post.)

So when someone does say “yes” to your lead magnet? You need to make the most out of this opportunity.

And these five lead magnet tips for course creators should help.

5 High-Converting Lead Magnet Tips For Course Creators

Tip #1: Keep it TINY (+ actionable)

You may think you’re being generous by giving your potential customer access to your ENTIRE template library for free… But the truth is, you are actually doing them (and yourself!) a disservice.

The more resources you give away at once, the less likely your subscribers are to use any of them.*

Information overload is real.

This means you won’t get a chance to show off your teaching style or give them the transformation they came for. Not great for the whole “let’s get them to fall in love with your work & buy your course” thing. 

🌟 The solution? Keep your lead magnet tiny & actionable. No, smaller. Even smaller. Yes, that’s good.

For example, instead of offering them an entire sales email sequence template… Give them a template for ONE powerful email they can write & schedule within 30 minutes.

Instead of sharing a meal plan for an entire month… Give them 3 recipes they can make this weekend (that all use similar ingredients, so they don’t have to make multiple trips to the grocery store). 

*Yes, exceptions to the rule apply. Not sure if this would work for your business? Let’s talk it through in a 1:1 strategy session.

Tip #2: Remind them to use it

So you made your lead magnet tiny, actionable, and super valuable… But it still got buried in the Downloads folder of your ideal customer?

It’s okay. We’ve all been there.

One way to avoid this is to use one of your welcome sequence emails to remind folks exactly what they downloaded & and how to use it.

A reminder like this a week or so after your first virtual “meeting” can make all the difference–enough to turn someone from a cold subscriber into an engaged buyer.

📧 If you are looking for a quicker solution, simply include a P.S. like this in one of your existing welcome sequence emails:

“P.S. Have you had a chance to (use/make/check out) the [RESOURCE NAME] I sent over last week? It’s a real game changer for [YOUR IDEAL CLIENT]. And feel free to hit “Reply” and let me know (how you’re getting on with it/if you’re having any trouble). I’d love to help!”

Make sure to include a direct link to the freebie in question in the P.S. section.

Here’s an example:

“P.S. Have you had a chance to make the 5-Minute Miracle Smoothie I sent over last week? It’s a real game changer for busy moms like us. Feel free to hit “Reply” and let me know if you’re having any trouble with it. I’d love to help!”

And voilà! You’ve just reminded someone about the awesome resource they just downloaded, increasing the chance they will use it (and fall more in love with your work). 

Tip #3: Offer a way to go deeper

When it comes to lead magnet optimization, getting people to keep engaging with MORE of your content should be one of your main goals.

❓ Where can someone go to learn more about the topic discussed in your freebie?

Do you have any relevant blog posts you can link to in your freebie–or perhaps an Instagram post that discusses your personal journey related to what you teach? 

Use a part of your freebie (e.g. the Next Steps section in a PDF) or your welcome sequence to provide your new subscriber with more related content.

It’s an easy way to (like my mentor Elizabeth Goddard likes to say) “swirl people deeper into your ecosystem”–all while making sure they don’t get distracted by your competitor’s shiny new blog post.

Tip #4: Don’t be afraid to ask for $$$

Many course creators are afraid to mention their paid offers “too quickly”, thinking they might scare away potential customers by doing so.

Nothing could be further from the truth. (Unless you plan to do it in a sleazy, scammy “BUY MY THING OR REGRET IT FOREVER” sort of way. Which I’m sure you wouldn’t do.)

The person who just downloaded your free lead magnet is in the best possible “mind space” to hear about your paid offers.

After all, they are actively thinking about their problems and exploring potential solutions–solutions you already provide via your paid offers.

That doesn’t mean you will have an easy time selling a $15,000 service through your freebie (although you might).

💸 But a $29 mini-course that helps them solve another part of their problem? Well, that’s an easy yes. 

The bottom line? 

When you’re sharing those links to related content for your new subscriber to explore (e.g. your old blog posts), make sure to include a low-cost paid resource as well. Extra cash, here we come!

Tip #5: Sprinkle in mentions of your signature offer

Research suggests that someone has to see your offer 7+ times before making a purchasing decision. 

So if I were you? I’d start laying the groundwork by sprinkling in a couple of mentions of The Main Thing You Want To Sell (e.g. your signature course) in your freebie.

❕ Make sure to deliver the value you promised though (no “so actually I only teach this in my course even though I told you you’d get it here”). Yuck.

But a casual mention of “if you’d like to learn more about *this specific thing*, we’ve got a lesson in [YOUR COURSE NAME] where we explore exactly that”?

Is definitely something to try as a part of your lead magnet optimization strategy. 

Don’t make a big deal out of it, don’t go for a hard sell–unless you feel confident enough to do so. Simply mentioning it will help you out in the long run. 

For example, if your lead magnet is that Miracle Smoothie Recipe we talked about before, you could add a note in your freebie that says: 

“Psst! If you like the idea of a Miracle Smoothie but don’t loooove all the ingredients I’ve added to mine… There’s a lesson in Meal Prep Mastery where I teach you how to create your own unique smoothie recipes (that help you meet your protein goals without breaking the bank).”

This approach keeps the focus on delivering value while introducing your signature course as the natural next step. 

Your Next Steps

So there you have it! 5 lead magnet tips for course creators who want their freebie to do more than just collect emails.

If that’s you… Look at the lead magnets you have on your site right now. 

• Are they bite-sized & actionable? 
• Does your welcome sequence include a reminder about The Thing They Downloaded? 
• Have you given people a way to keep interacting with your work after they’re done with your freebie?

If you’d like me to take a look at what you’ve got (and help you brainstorm ideas for how to optimize it), a 1:1 strategy session might just be the thing you need.

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👋🏻 Oh, hello there! Have we met yet? (Zoom meetings count, although I will always prefer a good brunch + coffee outing myself.) 

I’m Ieva–a launch strategist & copywriter for course + digital product creators.

If you’ve found my content helpful/relatable/mildly entertaining, here are some things you can do to keep the good vibes going:

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