19 Lead Magnet Ideas for Your Digital Marketing Agency

Scaling a marketing agency is never easy. And although word-of-mouth referrals are great, relying exclusively on your existing clients to grow your agency’s client base can limit how quickly your agency grows. 

We get it. You’re so focused on lead generation for your clients that you haven’t carved the time to do it for yourself. Or you have but aren’t getting the right clients, or fast enough. 

Lead generation for agencies can be one of the most difficult challenges to scaling. But master lead gen, and you’ll continually bring in revenue and grow your agency. 

This article will cover the best lead magnet ideas for agencies for you to attract the clients of your dreams.

• What Makes a Great Lead Magnet? 

• How To Create an Effective Lead Magnet

• What Should Your Lead Magnet Be About?

• Lead Magnet Formats

• Best Lead Magnet Ideas for Agencies (With Examples)

What Makes a Great Lead Magnet? 

Lead magnets help get your prospective client’s information in exchange for something valuable. The best lead magnets answer your target clients' pain points in the form of a free resource.

And that free resource can be created in a variety of different formats (surveys, webinars, contests, and more) depending on what best suits your agency’s needs. But how do you create a great lead magnet that will actually do its job of generating leads? 

To start, you should be offering expert insights, insider knowledge, a quicker way to get something done, or a unique solution that solves a problem of your potential customer.

After all, if you can solve a future client's basic problem, they are more likely to turn to your agency when they need help solving more complex problems.

A good lead magnet should be well-designed to quickly grab attention while speaking to your audience's struggles.

How To Create an Effective Lead Magnet

There are a few things to keep in mind when building your lead magnet.

1. Make It Relevant

First, create lead magnets that offer something valuable which your ideal clients can benefit from. For example, if your agency specializes in dental practice clients, try offering a guide on how they can increase patient loyalty. This offers them something valuable in exchange for their information and they may become your client down the line. 

If you’re trying to attract more dental practice clients, make that crystal clear in your lead magnet, whether in an ebook, newsletter subscription, or other free downloadable assets.

Specific is always better, which may mean creating multiple resources if your agency targets more than one niche.

Lead magnets should solve a problem that is relevant to your target market, so if you’ve put in the work figuring out who your ideal clients are, then your lead magnet should offer a resource or service that is compelling enough for them to provide you with their email addresses. 

2. Perfect Your Call-to-Action

Second, test different titles and CTAs to determine what works best for your lead magnet. It should be relevant, enticing, and specific. You may want to try something like ‘5 Ways to Turn Your Social Media Followers Into Customers,’ for example. Putting a number in the title tells them exactly what they’re going to get.

When it comes down to converting, lead magnets with CTAs that are short, clear, and actionable usually see the best results. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to personalize them if you can. Lead magnet CTAs should be tailored for each specific cause.  

Here are a few CTA concepts to test:

• Download Your Local Business Website Checklist Now.

• SEO For Lawyers: Everything You Need to Know.

• How To Create A Dental Practice Social Media Strategy: Get 10 Free Templates Now.

• Click Here for Free Instant Access to the Webinar.

• A Step-By-Step Guide to Growing Your Practice. Get It Now.

3. Highlight Your Unique Selling Proposition

Next, you’ll want to think about how you can visually communicate your agency’s value and differentiate yourself from other marketing agencies who are doing the same thing. What is your unique selling proposition (USP)? Incorporate your agency’s values, niche expertise, and other factors that make you different. Remember, not all lead magnets are created equally. They all deserve a tailored approach for maximum impact.

“If I could give myself advice when I started Distl, I would say build an offering that’s unique and offer real value to your clients. Make it clear what you provide, how it’s different from what competitors do, why it’s valuable, and why clients would want to work with you.” - David Metcalf, Director of Distl.

4. Make Your Brand Stand Out

If your lead magnet is visually appealing, you’ll increase the likelihood that your potential clients will download your resource, put in their information, etc. You don't necessarily have to be a brand management firm to make a strong impact. Just be sure to use your agency’s branding somewhere in the visual so they know who to call if they want to request more services.

For example, the Australian-based agency, Oh My Digital, wasn’t always crystal clear on their brand identity. 

“When we first started the agency, we felt sort of pressured to brand really neutral. Which is the biggest marketing mistake you could ever make, but when you just start out, you think you need to generate leads and work with anyone. We felt like we needed to make our agency feel really neutral and not too feminine to appeal to everyone.” - Katy Gillies, Co-Founder, Oh My Digital. 

When Oh My Digital honed in on their brand identity, they began to attract the clients they actually wanted to work with. Your agency’s branding and content should resonate with your target audience. 

“We love working with millennials who really want to be taken back to a time and place where everything was simpler, easier, fun, and everything made you happy. That’s what our branding is, essentially.” - Hayley Peters, Co-Founder, Oh My Digital.

What Should Your Lead Magnet Be About?

When you're trying to attract new leads, what topic should lead your agency's magnets cover? Think about what your ideal customer struggles with the most. For example, are they trying to get patients to open their email reminders for appointments? Your lead magnet could cover a range of insights, including how to write catchy subject lines or how to automate email appointment reminders.

The idea is to get into the minds of your prospective clients and show them the benefits your agency offers. This will also help qualify the leads coming in. You want prospects to be serious about their marketing efforts and actually have the potential of becoming your client one day.

A Few Lead Magnet Ideas To Consider

When it comes to lead generations for your agency, there are a few different formats you can test out. Here are a few general lead magnet ideas to attract potential customers:

• Webinars, online events, and demos

• An ongoing blog post series

• Ebooks, whitepapers & guides

• Bonus packs

• Resource libraries 

• Checklists, workbooks, cheatsheets, & templates

• Email courses

• Free trials & special offers

• Private groups or communities

• Behind-the-scenes & exclusive content

• Contests, quizzes, & surveys

• Live chats

Best Lead Magnet Examples and Ideas for Agencies

The best lead magnets can take a lot of time and energy to produce. We’ve compiled a list of lead magnet examples for each format to help determine which might work best for your agency. 

1. Webinars

Live or evergreen webinars (or podcasts if that’s your cup of tea) can be a great option for a lead magnet. 

You can get other experts involved to talk about a specific topic relevant to your target client while promoting your agency’s position on the subject at the same time. You’ll want to provide useful tips while showcasing the benefit of working with your agency. Plus, webinars position your agency as one that has the expertise your potential client needs. 

Think about the type of content you want to promote in your webinar (it could be a different topic every time), like repurposing a topic from your blog or maybe highlighting a success story from one of your current clients. Either way, just remember that it needs to deliver value to your prospective clients. 

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Why It Works: 

• Includes all the proper elements (heading, subheading, relevant image, CTA button) 

• It clearly tells you what you’re going to get 

• Countdown clock to create a sense of urgency

2. Templates

Templates are low-maintenance lead magnets to try. They’re the most popular option out there and it’s easy to see why: they can be created in a variety of ways, such as email templates, spreadsheet templates, social media templates, etc. 

Depending on your target market, create the template you think will save them the most amount of time from creating or designing something from scratch.

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Why It Works: 

• Clearly communicates the value with words like “professional” and “in minutes” 

• Uses buzzwords like “sneak peak” and “sample” so the user knows exactly what they’re getting in exchange for their email 

• Direct CTA “send it to me”

3. Checklists

If you already have instructional blog posts on your website, checklists are great lead magnets to create. Simply take the points listed in your post and put them into a list format that can be downloaded. 

Your prospective clients may need a resource like ‘How to Followup With an Old Client,’ and a list with items they can tick off could be extremely useful for them. Plus, they’ll always be reminded of your agency when they use the checklist.

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Why It Works:

• The title includes a number and clearly states what the user will receive

• Bullet points communicate value 

• Arrows pointing towards a clear and direct CTA

4. Ebooks

Ebooks can be a great place to start if you don’t have a lot of time to create multiple lead magnets. Especially if you already have a series of published blog posts relating to one topic. If you've got the budget to advertise, it's a good idea to create a dedicated landing page and generate more leads.

For example, if you have three or more blog posts dedicated to social media marketing, such as:

• How to Grow Your Social Media Following

• How to Turn Followers Into Dental Patients

• Social Media Content Guide For Dental Practices

Instead of having your prospective clients go digging for each of these topics on your blog, you can group them into a convenient ebook titled ‘Everything Dental Practices Need to Know About Social Media Management.’ In other words, create a lead magnet that shares exactly what potential customers are looking for, all in one place.

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Why It Works:

• Colors correspond with each other making it clear and easy to comprehend at a quick glance 

• Uses buzzwords to entice and create value: ‘free,’ ‘inspired,’ and ‘updates’ 

• Creates a sense of exclusivity by making users feel like they’re joining a club that so many other professionals are a part of

5. Bonus Packs

Think of this lead magnet format as additional content, or the same content in a different format. You want to reward your readers with some bonus information on the topic. 

For example, if you wrote a blog post on ‘How To Win More Realestate Clients Through Social Media Ads’, you could offer a bonus pack in the form of a PDF document that walks them through content ideas to create engaging social media videos. 

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Why It Works: 

• Uses buzzwords like ‘just scratching the surface’ to imply there is even more valuable content available 

• Tells the user why they should download the PDF (reference for later, keep a copy, more insights, etc.) 

• Short and direct CTA 

6. Resource Libraries 

Technically, resource libraries are not lead magnets on their own, but are a way to bring all of your lead magnets together in one place. It's a great way to create a list of tools, documents, and information that your future client would find useful. Would your potential clients trust a digital agency to give them the best list of email automation tools to try? Probably. 

Position your agency as the expert and present a list of resources that clients would find beneficial. This could be anything from ‘Social Media Management Tools: ‘The Complete List’ to ‘The Top 10 CRM Tools to Grow Your Practice.’

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Why It Works: 

• Looks like a digital library with different types of valuable content (visually appealing)

• Searchable for users to find exactly what they need 

• Promises value with language like “level-up” and convenience with “all in one place”

7. Guides

If your target client is in an industry that is already well-established and it feels like every topic has already been covered, creating a guide as a lead magnet could work for you. 

A guide tends to follow a less narrative structure than an eBook, for example, and has more concrete steps or best practices. Typically, guides also include links to other sources of information, such as relevant statistics. However, you don't want to create a list with just a bunch of links. You want to add as much value as possible and save your audience from having to do the research themselves. Provide a brief paragraph for each and explain why you’ve included it in your ultimate guide. Also, address common industry pain points to show that you truly understand the plight of your potential customers.

This option is a great opportunity to build backlink relationships as well. 

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Why It Works:

• Tells the user they will learn something valuable from an expert 

• Clear and direct with relevant imagery that looks like a physical guide 

• Well-written CTA that stands out

8. Workbooks

Using a workbook as a lead magnet allows your agency to share information in a teaching format with your ICP. Think about a particular subject you could help your clients understand more. For example, ‘The Ins and Outs of Google Advertising For Contractors.’ 

Your audience will learn a great deal about Google Ads and may even attempt doing it themselves. So you’ll want a strong call to action that shows them hiring your agency to manage the service is the beneficial route to choose.

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Why It Works: 

• Looks like a physical book with a link to a sample that shows fillable workbook pages 

• Shows the number of downloads to create urgency, exclusivity, and value 

• Clear, direct, minimal text, so users get the message quickly

9. Email Course

An email course is a series of emails sent to an address that covers a specific topic. This is a good lead magnet option compared to a “one-and-done” downloadable resource because it gives your agency the opportunity to nurture a lead. 

People are checking their emails constantly throughout the work day (and even outside of work sometimes), so it’s a great opportunity to guide a prospect down the buyer's journey. Plus, not everyone has time to commit to an entire ebook or lengthy webinar. Short snippets of information through an email course might be the perfect option for some. 

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Why It Works:

• Getting expert tips delivered to the user's inbox 

• Tells you exactly how many chapters and how many days of content you’ll receive

• Relevant CTA with direct language

10. Cheatsheets

A cheat sheet may be a good lead magnet to try if you’re writing a blog post that covers a complicated topic. It should be created with a few key terms that your clients can quickly glance at without having to dig through your in-depth blog post for the information they need. 

An example would be a list of hashtags they can use when they’re posting to social media in the moment.

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Why It Works: 

• Different-sized headings to highlight important info 

• Uses key buzzwords like ‘free' and 'instant access' to create urgency

• Clearly indicates value with relevant imagery that users can associate with your agency

11. Whitepapers

Position your agency as a credible source in the industry you’re trying to reach with whitepaper lead magnets. If you’ve sent out a survey on a specific topic or have access to insider information, you should try leveraging your knowledge and turning it into a downloadable resource. 

Take your blog posts to the next level and re-shape the content into a report format. If you have important information that could inform their future strategies, it’s highly beneficial to them, and their chances of converting could increase.

The other nice thing about white papers is that the more valuable information that is provided within the resource, the more information you can ask for in exchange.

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Why It Works: 

• Active language like “read how” gives the reader a sample of what they can expect 

• Personalized language calls out a common problem of their target audience: “CMOs face a major dilemma” 

• Tells the user what value they will receive with a clear CTA form to fill out

12. Free Trials & Special Offers

Let your services sell themselves. If your agency can afford to hand out a special offer or a free trial period, you have some time to woo your prospective clients. Offering a Free SEO Audit or Free Social Media Audit is a great lead magnet to get the ball rolling with a new prospect. 

Free trials sound great on paper, but they're not always financially feasible. If you can’t give out your services, maybe a free consultation is the way to go. Provide your leads with a marketing strategy if you think that will get your agency’s foot through the door. 

Why It Works: 

• Creates a sense of urgency, with the date being the focus 

• The brand is clear and evident 

• Communicates what the user is going to get

13. Private Groups

Private group lead magnets (like Facebook groups/LinkedIn groups, Slack channels, and email subscribers) are the perfect way to keep in touch with your leads. Many business owners like to network and connect with like-minded people, so they would likely be interested in a space to discuss their needs and challenges. 

Plus, it’s a great way to gain insight on related topics you could help them with down the road, use for content created, and more. Creating a group helps your agency generate qualified leads and ultimately know your audience better.

Why It Works: 

• Creates a sense of urgency with wording like “choose wisely” 

• Makes use of exclusivity words like “community” 

• Clearly states what value you’ll get by entering your email “save 30% of your time”

14. Behind-the-Scenes & Exclusive Content

If your agency has any behind-the-scenes content or ‘secret’ insights that could be turned into a lead magnet, definitely give it a try. The aspect of a secret or exclusivity is enough to capture a lot of people’s attention, and it could work very well to attract leads.

Why It Works: 

• Positions their company as the expert by using “learn from the pros” as their title also creates exclusivity

• Relevant image of a graph implying growth, i.e.: value the user will receive 

• Direct with minimal text and a clear CTA

15. Online Demos 

Does your agency have the capacity to offer a demo of something beneficial for your leads? Perhaps you could walk them through how to use a particular software or how to create an organic social media post to show that you’re there to help them save time and money.

Why It Works: 

• Lists the value you’ll get in easy-to-read, scannable bullet points

• Verifies the value of the demo with crowd-funded statistics, i.e., “why leading organizations choose Udemy” 

• Personalized CTA “get in touch” instead of something generic like “enter me,” for example  

16. Contests

Contests can be effective lead magnets as they give your prospects a chance to win something in return for their information. However, choosing the right prize will be the key to motivating them. Offering something or creating a contest that is not specific to your audience could lead to a bunch of irrelevant content submissions.

Your agency could give away a free consultation package valued at a certain amount, which could help with business costs. You just want to get them excited about your giveaway, so it has the potential to take off and help in lead generation efforts also.

Why It Works:

• The imagery clearly tells the user it’s a contest 

• Corresponding words like “win,” “spree,” “free,” and “discount code” are used 

• Enticing CTA that makes a user trade their contact details for a chance to win

17. Quizzes & Surveys

Quizzes or surveys are great lead magnet options as they provide valuable insights while also providing an opportunity to capture a prospect's contact information. Repurpose the insights you gather from your surveys and sprinkle them throughout blog posts, social media, etc.

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Why It Works:

• Intentionally asks a question in the headline to entice the user 

• Positions themselves as the experts by offering advice: 'you must clearly define your ideal clients'

• Simple, clean design with clear CTA that stands out

18. Online Events

Creating an online event gets everyone involved in one ‘gathering’ to discuss a topic they’re interested in. Simply ask people to input their email addresses in exchange for an invite to the online event. Just like that, you'll create a lead magnet that's effective and establishes authority.

Similar to a webinar, this lead magnet is intended to highlight industry thought leaders and give your prospects the opportunity to learn and exchange knowledge. However, online events tend to be much more interactive and include different topics or tracks that can appeal to different users.

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Why It Works: 

• Includes a countdown to create urgency 

• “Add to calendar” button for convenience 

• Clearly laid out details ie: date, time, virtual location, price

19. Live Chats 

Because chatbots are so popular, why not try one for your own agency? Set it up on your website and rely on the chatbot to sort any potential leads with pre-set qualifiers. No need to set up popup forms or any additional work. It can be a great option that filters your leads right to your CRM tool.

Why It Works:

• Sprout Social uses a chatbot that looks like it’s part of their team (even if it was) that personalizes the experience: ‘Team Sprout’ 

• The prompt is also personalized: ‘You’re becoming a regular around here’

• Utilizes clickable buttons to get a conversation started to make it easy to send in a request

Make Your Agency’s Lead Gen Tracking Scalable  

At the end of the day, any lead magnet ideas you use are only as good as the leads it’s generating. After all, what agency wants a lead magnet that doesn't result in more qualified leads? 

Just be sure to make it relevant to your target client, and create an unstoppable CTA while highlighting why this user should trust your agency. 

After you put in the effort to create your lead magnet, you’ll want to track your success along the way to adjust your agency’s lead generation strategy. Use AgencyAnalytics for your own campaigns to stay on top of all your lead acquisition metrics and streamline your marketing processes. 

Follow up with leads, create filters, and more without spending too much time.

AgencyAnalytics is the only reporting software made for digital agencies. Win back more billable hours by streamlining your client reporting using a comprehensive Demand Gen report template. Start your free 14-day trial today.