Lead Magnet

Lead Magnet Skill

Ideate and design lead magnets that attract ideal customers and make them more likely to buy the client's core offering. Supports both click-based campaigns (landing pages, downloads) and reply-based campaigns (free trials, guarantees, done-for-you).

Core Philosophy

"Give Away The Secrets, Sell The Implementation"

The marketplace judges everything you offer - free or not. You can never provide too much value, but you can provide too little. The lead magnet should provide so much value that people feel obligated to pay. The goal is to provide more value than the cost of the core offer before they've bought it.

Two Campaign Types

Every lead magnet must be designed for one of these funnel types:

Click-Based (Landing Page Funnel)

• Flow: Cold email -> Click link -> Landing page -> Download/signup -> Nurture sequence
• Best for: SaaS products, digital tools, content-driven offers
• Lead magnets: Calculators, guides, scorecards, free tools, AI apps, templates
• Email goal: Clicks
• End goal: Sign-ups, downloads, free trial activations

Reply-Based (Conversation Funnel)

• Flow: Cold email -> Reply with interest -> Sales conversation -> Close
• Best for: Services, agencies, high-touch B2B, done-for-you offers
• Lead magnets: Free trials with guarantee, done-for-you samples, audits, strategy sessions
• Email goal: Positive replies
• End goal: Meetings booked, demos, pilot projects

Key insight: Reply-based lead magnets are the offer itself embedded in the email. No landing page needed - the value proposition IS the lead magnet.

Five Qualities Scoring Framework

Score every lead magnet concept 1-5 on each quality. Minimum average score of 3 to recommend.

Lead Magnet Types by Tier

Tier 1: Problem Revealers

Diagnose issues the prospect doesn't fully realize. Best for problems that worsen over time.

• Audits, assessments, benchmarking tools
• Scorecards, maturity assessments
• AI-powered competitive analysis
• Custom report generators

Tier 2: One-Step Solutions

Solve one piece of a multi-step process. Perfect for complex B2B workflows.

• Templates, calculators, single-feature tools
• Lovable apps (beautiful, single-purpose tools)
• Chrome extensions, Slack/Teams bots
• Workflow automation templates (Zapier/Make)

Tier 3: Samples & Trials

Limited access to the core offering. Ideal for recurring solutions to recurring problems.

• Free trials (14/30-day, usage-based)
• Freemium plans
• "Done For You" samples (process one file/task free)
• Done-for-you setup (free implementation of one feature)
• AI prototype access (early access to experimental features)

Performance Ratings Summary

From tested lead magnet performance data:

Rule of thumb: Aim for 4-star or above. 3-star is acceptable if the client's constraints demand it. Below 3-star requires strong justification.

See references/lead-magnet-guide.md for the full 36-idea table with descriptions.

Advanced Strategies

Trojan Horse Method

Create tools that work standalone but work 10x better with the client's product.

• Example: A project template that's good alone but amazing with their project management tool
• The free tool creates natural desire for the full platform

Habit Builder

Design daily-use tools that create habits leading to the client's product.

• Example: A daily standup bot that eventually needs the full collaboration platform
• Frequency of use drives conversion

Predictive Power Play

Use AI/ML to predict future problems before they happen.

• Examples: Churn prediction model, revenue forecasting tool, technical debt calculator
• Analyze current state -> Predict future issues -> Position product as solution

AI Employee Preview

Offer an AI agent that does real work for them.

• Examples: AI SDR that books meetings, AI Analyst that generates reports
• Upgrade path: More agents, more capabilities, full platform

Network Effect Play

Build lead magnets that become more valuable as more people use them.

• Example: Benchmark tools where users contribute anonymous data
• Each new user makes it better for everyone

Hook Formulas

Use these patterns to create urgency in the email promoting the lead magnet:

1. The Shocking Stat: "[X]% of [target] lose $[Y] annually due to [problem]"
2. The Comparison: "Companies using [old way] are 73% less efficient than those using [new way]"
3. The Hidden Cost: "The average [persona] doesn't realize they're wasting [time/money] on [problem]"
4. The Competitive Intelligence: "Your competitors are already [doing X] - here's how to catch up in 5 minutes"
5. The Compliance Urgency: "New [regulation] means you need to [action] by [date] or face [consequence]"

Reply-Based Design Principles

For service/agency offers where the lead magnet is embedded in the cold email itself:

Done-For-You Samples

• Offer to do a small piece of work for free as proof of capability
• Must be specific enough to show expertise, small enough to be scalable
• Example (Ken AI): "We'll send personalized emails to 5,000 of your ideal clients - if you don't get 20+ meetings in 90 days, you don't pay"

Guarantee Structures

• Performance guarantee: "X results or you don't pay"
• Time-limited guarantee: "Results in Y days or money back"
• Risk reversal: "We cover setup costs, you only pay for results"
• The guarantee IS the lead magnet - it removes the objection

Free Trial Frameworks

• Pilot project: Do a small scope for free, full engagement if they like it
• Limited access: Give access to one feature/module for free
• Time-boxed: Full access for limited period

Risk Reversal Patterns

• Move ALL risk from buyer to seller
• Make the "worst case scenario" clearly defined and acceptable
• Stack guarantees when possible (performance + timeline + satisfaction)

Workflow

Step 1: Understand Client

Load all available client data:

• Read {workspace}/research.md - ICP, value prop, current offers, detailed research, pain points ({workspace} = the client campaign workspace folder (the orchestrator passes this path))
• Read past plan folders in {workspace}/ - Past campaigns and what offers were tested
• Read supporting files in {workspace}/ - Existing lead magnets, case studies

Step 2: Load Reference Material

• Read references/lead-magnet-guide.md for full performance rankings and idea bank

Step 3: Assess Existing Lead Magnets

• What does the client already have? (case studies, tools, PDFs, free trials)
• What has been tested in past campaigns? What worked?
• What gaps exist?

Step 4: Generate Concepts

Generate 3-5 lead magnet concepts. For each:

• Include both click-based AND reply-based options (minimum 1 of each)
• Score against the Five Qualities framework
• Match to the client's resources and capabilities
• Consider implementation effort vs. expected impact

Step 5: Get CSM Input

Present concepts to the CSM with scores and rationale. Ask:

• Which concepts align with the client's capabilities?
• Does the client have resources to build/deliver this?
• Any client preferences or constraints?

Step 6: Detail Selected Concepts

For selected concepts, produce the full output format (see below).

Output Format

For each recommended lead magnet, output:

## Lead Magnet [N]: [Title]

**Type**: [Problem Revealer / One-Step Solution / Sample & Trial]
**Campaign Type**: [Click-based / Reply-based / Both]
**Rating Tier**: [5-star / 4-star / 3-star]

### Hook
[One powerful sentence using specific data/problem that creates urgency]

### Problem Solved
[The narrow, specific problem this solves AND how it reveals the need for the broader solution]

### Quality Scores
| Quality | Score | Rationale |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Solves Narrow Problem | X/5 | [Why] |
| Scalable | X/5 | [Why] |
| Quick to Consume | X/5 | [Why] |
| Reveals Bigger Problem | X/5 | [Why] |
| Data-Driven | X/5 | [Why] |
| **Average** | **X/5** | |

### Implementation Plan
- **Format**: [Software tool / PDF / Landing page / Email offer / etc.]
- **Build effort**: [Low / Medium / High]
- **Delivery mechanism**: [Link in email / Attached / Reply to get / Auto-delivered]
- **Steps**: [Numbered list of what needs to happen to create this]

### Email Integration
- **How it fits in the email sequence**: [Where in the sequence does this appear?]
- **CTA style**: [Click link / Reply to request / Book a call]
- **Example email hook**: [1-2 sentence example of how to reference this in the cold email]

Integration with Other Skills

This skill feeds into the campaign workflow:

client-research -> lead-magnet -> campaign-planning -> campaign-strategy -> email-copywriting

Feeding into campaign-planning

• The output Lead Magnet/Offer field in plan.md comes from this skill's recommendations
• If multiple lead magnets are recommended, campaign-planning can test them across campaigns

Feeding into campaign-strategy

• The selected lead magnet informs the funnel type (click-based vs reply-based)
• Campaign strategy email sequence blueprint references the lead magnet in CTAs

Feeding into email-copywriting

• The hook formula and email integration notes guide how the copy references the offer
• Click-based: Email drives to landing page with lead magnet
• Reply-based: Lead magnet value proposition is embedded in email body

Output Handling

After generating lead magnet concepts:

If a client workspace is specified (workflow mode):

1. Write lead-magnets.md: Save to {workspace}/lead-magnets.md
2. Confirm: Tell the CSM which concepts are recommended and why

If standalone mode:

1. Return inline: Present the output inline to the user