A lead magnet (a.k.a. an optin bribe) is something awesome that you give away for free in exchange for an email address. It doesn’t have to cost you anything to create; most lead magnets are digital materials like PDFs, MP3 audio files, or videos that you can create yourself at minimal or no cost.

 It can be absolutely anything you want, so long as it provides value to your visitors for free.

 For even more lead magnet ideas, check out our list of lead magnet ideas to grow your email list.

 You already know that a lead magnet needs to provide value for free. But if you want your lead magnet to be highly effective, here are 5 criteria for you to consider:

 Easily consumed: Lead magnets are only effective when the audience uses them, so if you deliver a 300-page manifesto, you won’t gain traction.

 Actionable: Lead magnets need to provide an actionable tool, skillset, or useful information that your audience can apply.

 Creates noticeable improvement: People continue to buy products and services if they work well. Your lead magnet will become successful if it’s as valuable as your products and services.

 Relevant: If you’ve done your homework about your prospects, you’ll have no trouble coming up with a lead magnet subject that solves problems.

  Immediately available: People love instant gratification, so give it to them right then and there. Check out 4 Ways to Deliver a Lead Magnet to see how easy it is to get your lead magnet out there using OptinMonster.

 Let’s take a look at a few of the best email marketing lead magnet examples from real-life campaigns.

 At OptinMonster, we share a list of 12 proven strategies for converting abandoning visitors into subscribers.

 Here’s another example of a lead magnet we used as a content upgrade to a specific blog post.

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 Now that you know what a lead magnet is and know how to create a highly-effective one, you’ll need to create your optin form.

 The purpose of your optin form is to convey the big benefit of your lead magnet, so your website visitors subscribe to your email newsletters in exchange for getting the lead magnet.

 To create an optin form that converts, it needs to have the following components:

 Enticing headline: Make sure your headline clearly describes the big benefit of your lead magnet

 Helpful description: Is your description brief, clear and to the point? Use bullet points to help the reader’s eye quickly scan what they will get.

 Attractive visuals: Include an image of the lead magnet if you can (like a mockup of your eBook). A photo of a person looking towards the optin form is also a great way to boost conversions. We’ve got a great list of visual content creation tools that can help you create amazing visuals.

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  Simple form: Don’t try to ask for more than a first name and email address. Asking for too much information too soon will kill your conversions.

  Compelling subscribe button: Make sure to use a contrasting color for your subscribe button, so that it really pops out on the page. Also, use non-generic email copy that compels people to click right away (“Send me the 7 steps!“).

 For even more tips on creating a high-converting optin form, check out our checklist for creating the ultimate optin form.

 Once you’ve created your optin form, you’ll need to install it on your site. There are 14 high-converting places to put your optin form:

 One of these is absolutely mandatory if you want to get as many subscribers as possible. That’s the exit-intent® popup.

 An exit-intent® popup shows up at the precise moment the user is about to leave your website. This popup doesn’t interrupt the reading experience and only triggers when the user is leaving. This is the perfect time for asking them to subscribe because likely they’ve read your content and found your site helpful.

 Using an exit popup works amazingly well, and in fact, our customers consistently see significant results using exit-intent. For example, Neil Strauss was able to increase conversions 125% with exit intent!

 To learn more about exit-intent® popups, read our post on 40 Exit Popup Hacks That Will Grow Your Subscribers and Revenue.

 If you started with an optin, you got that permission, so hooray! If you didn’t use an optin, we don’t recommend sending marketing emails to them unless you have their permission.

 You risk them flagging your emails as spam. So not only will they not buy from you, but you can also face negative consequences.

 Instead, you can use a tool like OptinMonster to create smarter optin forms. You can collect leads and subscribers who want to get your marketing emails.

 Then, you need to select an email service provider. These providers give you the right infrastructure to send broadcasts and bulk business emails.

 If you send bulk emails without this, it will be flagged as spam. Your subscribers won’t receive your emails, and what’s worse is that your regular emails to your team and clients will also be affected.

 That means you won’t be able to email clients as consistently as you should be to get the highest conversions/sales as possible.

 Email service providers handle all the formalities and expensive technicalities involved. All you need to do is sign up and use their service.

 Constant Contact is one of the largest and best email marketing platforms in the world. They allow you to manage your subscribers and create professional email designs with templates and drag-and-drop editing tools.