Writing A Lead Magnet Landing Page [9 Best Practices]

 

For small business owners, lead magnets are an excellent content marketing tactic, giving you a chance to acquire valuable contact information from prospective buyers. Hopefully the content you’re offering in exchange for this information is high-value and compelling—otherwise it won’t be successful. But another key to success is the lead magnet landing page—the page on your site that exists specifically to “sell” the content you’ve created. If visitors are intrigued by your offering, the landing page should seal the deal, getting them to input their contact information to gain access to the content.

It might sound simple to create a lead magnet landing page, but landing pages aren’t always as straightforward as they seem. Not only must the writing be clear and on-point (an aspect that is challenging enough on its own!), but there are a variety of other factors at play that could discourage visitors from following through.

Emma Goode, social media consultant and founder of 24Fingers, regularly creates landing pages for her clients and has a recommended list of best practices to follow. If you're getting ready to craft a landing page for your newly created lead magnet, check out her suggestions and the lead magnet landing page examples below before getting started. Following this advice will give your page a leg up when it goes live, hopefully delivering a steady stream of leads to help grow your business.

 

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9 Lead Magnet Landing Page Best Practices

1. Focus your landing page on a single content offer.

The lead magnets you create over time will be different from one another and may attract different audiences. Goode warns against lumping them all together in a single landing page. You’ll have the best chance at selling a content offering by creating a distinct page for it and directing your copy to a specific audience—the one that will be most intrigued by it. Additionally, trying to present multiple offers on the same page can be confusing for visitors.

 

2. Make sure all the important points appear “above the fold.”

Traditionally, “above the fold” means the upper half of a newspaper’s front page; on your website, it’s the bottom of the screen. Be sure to craft the copy so that the important information—what the offer is, the benefits, and the action you want people to take (i.e. download something)—appears on screen without the need to scroll down further.

 

3. Write clear, concise copy that speaks to the target audience.

Now is not the time to be wordy or use complex language. Describe the benefits of your offering in a simple, clear, and concise way. If, for example, you’re a life coach and you’ve created a goal-setting workbook as a lead magnet, your copy should focus on how people will benefit from downloading and using it. (Stay away from writing copy that focuses on the benefits of goal-setting, as that’s not what you’re selling!) Write directly to the audience (using the word “you”), and remember to put yourself in their shoes—what is their current problem? Are they aware of it? Will they be compelled enough by your copy to take action?

 

4. Think mobile-first.

User experience makes a big difference in how visitors will view your offering, and many of today’s internet users are on mobile devices. (In 2019, more than half of web traffic came from mobile users!) That means your landing page must be mobile-friendly. Use web-safe fonts to guarantee your text looks the way you intend it to on any device. Use a simple design. Check the page’s loading speed on mobile (it must be fast!). And, similar to the advice above, keep your copy brief.

 

5. Keep the number of form fields to a minimum.

Your landing page will include a form for people to fill out in order to access your offering. But as Goode points out, just like in real life, when you ask people too many questions, they tend to stop answering. “Limit the number of form fields to only those pieces of information that are crucial.”

A first name and email address should always be required, and might be sufficient for some offerings. Whether you decide to ask for more depends on your preferences and whether the content you’re offering is top-of-funnel, mid-funnel, or bottom-of-funnel. (Does it target readers who are still researching various solutions to their problem, or does it target people who are looking for a specific solution—i.e. you?) What you ask may also depend on whether you’re a B2B or B2C company. B2B companies may also want a company name; B2C companies might want a phone number. At any rate, use the minimum number of fields you think you can get away with—going overboard could diminish your conversion rate.

 

What is a good conversion rate for lead magnet landing pages? Across industries, a typical conversion rate is between 1% and 3%. If you get more than that, you’re doing well!

 

6. Remove most of the navigation menu options.

“Landing pages should contain a minimal number of elements so visitors stay focused on the main objective—taking the action you want them to take,” says Goode. So you won’t want to include your usual navigation menu as it appears on other pages; you also want to avoid linking to pages on other sites. Remove any links that could transport people away from the page, even if those links are just taking them to other places within your site such as your blog or product pages. (The fewer exit options, the better.) Exceptions could include linking your logo back to your home page, and perhaps a privacy link (which is sometimes a necessity).

 

7. Enhance your landing page with great visual design.

Typography, colors, and other visual elements not only improve the attractiveness of a landing page but they also help visitors understand your message and call attention to the desired action. Your call-to-action button, for example (i.e. “Download the checklist”) should be a color that stands out from the rest of the colors on the page. Use attractive product images or videos (think customer testimonials!) to show the value of your offer. Also, consider using icons to replace text where applicable.

 

8. Check and recheck form functionality.

Before launching any landing page (i.e. before spending any money), test to make sure the form works properly. Try completing and submitting the form yourself, even inputting information in incorrect formats to ensure valid information collection. Also, check that you receive notifications each time a form is filled out.

 

9. Do A/B testing on your lead magnet landing pages.

To maximize conversions, you’ll want to continuously work to improve your landing pages. A/B testing is a strategy that allows you to make small changes and experiment. It involves creating different, modified versions of the page to see which one converts best. Goode recommends allocating a small amount of your budget—as little as $50—to test over the period of a few days to get valid data that will help you tweak things further. “Only test one thing at a time so you know what’s making the difference—maybe a headline, imagery, or price point (the same price point but wrapped up differently). If you test too many variables you won’t know which one made the difference.”

Well-designed landing pages help you connect with visitors and build your brand; they can even help you better target your marketing, so it’s well worth your time to do it right! Over time, if you’re not seeing the conversions you hoped for, reevaluate both your landing page and the content offering itself—you may need to tweak the offering to make it more appealing to visitors. Fresh Scribes Canva templates make it easy to create attractive lead magnets—take a look at our shop and download one of our kits today!