Haiden Hibbert
If you’re running a membership site and want more people to join, a solid lead magnet can do some serious heavy lifting. It’s your way of saying, “Hey, here’s something helpful — no strings attached (except maybe your email).”
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to change up your current strategy, here are a bunch of lead magnet ideas that actually work to grow your membership and provide real value your audience will appreciate.
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Table of Contents
1. Getting Started Guide
This is great if your audience is new to the topic you cover. It’s a simple PDF or webpage that walks them through the basics — just enough to help them take that first step. It doesn’t need to cover everything, just enough to help them get moving in the right direction.
2. Top Tips List
People love quick wins. A “top tips” list is perfect for giving them a few practical takeaways – or 100, if you’re feeling generous like Biz Birthday Bash.
3. Training Video
If you teach anything in your membership, consider giving away a short training video. It’s a great way to build trust and show your teaching style.
4. Audio Files
Some people prefer to listen. If that fits your audience, offer a short audio lesson, tip, or walkthrough. Nothing too long — just enough to give someone value while they’re out walking the dog or commuting.
5. Challenges
A 5-day or 7-day challenge can help people get small results fast. It’s also a great way to build momentum and lead naturally into a membership pitch.
6. Quizzes
Quizzes are fun and they’re also a smart way to segment your audience. Ask a few simple questions, give them a personalized result, and then follow up with content that makes sense based on their answer.
7. Printables
Think posters, planners, trackers, worksheets — whatever fits your niche. Printables are easy to create and even easier for your audience to use. If your membership includes resources like these, offering one as a freebie is a good way to show what’s inside.
8. Free Trial
Letting people poke around inside your membership for a few days can be all it takes to convince them. Just make sure they land on your best stuff first, so they get what makes it valuable.
9. Audio Training
This is like a mini podcast episode or deep dive into a topic your audience cares about.
10. Course Academy
Bundle a few lessons together into a mini academy. It’s a bigger offer than just one freebie and can really help people see what your content is all about.
11. Free Tool
If you’ve built a tool that would be useful for your target audience — like Neil Patel’s SEO Analyzer — let people access it for free in exchange for their email address.
12. Checklist
Everyone loves a good checklist. It helps people feel organized and makes things feel doable. This kind of lead magnet works especially well when your audience is trying to complete a process or stay on track with something.
13. Step-by-Step Guide
This is kind of like a checklist, but with more explanation. Instead of just listing what to do, a step-by-step guide walks people through how to do it. Think of it like a mini tutorial in written form.
It’s a great option if you’re helping someone with a process that has a few moving parts — something that might feel confusing if they just had a simple list. You can use it to teach things like how to prep for a product launch, set up a basic website, or create a content plan. Each step gives a little context so people understand what they’re doing and why it matters.
14. State of the Industry Report
This works especially well if you’re in a niche where things change often. Pull together some trends, stats, and insights into a short report. It helps position you as someone who’s paying attention — and worth following.
15. Email Course
Break your content into bite-sized lessons and deliver them by email over a few days. This is a great way to stay in touch, build trust, and give your audience a little structure while they’re getting to know you.
16. Template Library
Give away a few templates (or access to a mini-library). People love anything that saves time or gives them a head start.
17. Listicle
This is one of the easiest lead magnets to create, and people love it. It’s basically a helpful list packaged up in a nicely designed PDF. Think something like Jenni Rawling’s “5 Magical Yoga Transitions” or “10 Email Subject Lines That Always Get Clicks.” It gives people quick, useful info they can actually do something with — and it’s a great way to show off your style and knowledge without making them commit to something long.
18. eBook
If you have a longer-form guide or collection of tips, package it as an eBook. It feels like a premium freebie and works great for list building.
19. Webinar (Pre-recorded or Live)
Webinars are great for educating and building trust—especially when they include Q&A or bonus content at the end. When people register for it, just make sure to collect their email and add them to your newsletter list to stay on their radar and promote your membership site to them.
20. Canva Templates
Give away a few editable Canva templates to help your audience create something fast, like The Creative Template Shop’s free social media templates.
21. Free Workshop
Workshops are a great way to teach something more hands-on. You can keep it casual and interactive, or just guide people through a process step by step.
22. Marketing Plans
If your audience is building something — a brand, a business, a product—a free marketing plan can be super valuable. It gives them structure and shows that you know your stuff.
23. Podcast Episodes
If you host a podcast, share a standout episode as a lead magnet—or create a bonus one just for email subscribers. It’s an easy way to repurpose content and deepen the relationship.
24. Free Info Sessions
Invite people to a casual, no-pressure info session where you answer questions and share what’s inside your membership.
25. Free Reports
If your membership involves research or data, share a sample of that. A few stock picks, trend predictions, or research highlights can go a long way in proving your value.
26. Free Generator
People love tools that give them instant results, like HubSpot’s Email Signature Template Generator. It’s fun, useful, and very shareable.
27. Free Resource Library
Curate a small library of freebies — videos, downloads, templates, etc.—and gate it behind an email signup, like Little Owls Resources does with their free teaching materials. This is also a great opportunity to upsell your paid membership to free members!
28. Launch Plan
Help people launch something specific with a step-by-step plan. Whether it’s a course, a product, or a new habit, people love structure. And this gives you a natural segue into your paid content.
29. Waitlist
If you’re not open for signups right now, use a waitlist page to collect emails — and tease what’s coming. Add a bonus for people who join early to boost signups.
30. Community Access
If you have a community of any kind, whether it lives on Facebook Groups, Slack, or another platform, allowing people to join in exchange for their email address can be a great way to gather leads from your ideal target audience.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to lead magnets. Just think about what your ideal member needs help with right now — and give them a quick win that points back to the kind of value your membership offers.
Start small, keep it simple, and test what works. You can always tweak things later.
And if you want more ideas like this—plus real strategies that are working right now for membership businesses — sign up for our Membership Blast newsletter. Every other week, you’ll get quick, actionable tips to help you grow your audience, increase conversions, and build a stronger membership.
