Lead magnets do three essential things for B2B businesses: capture attention, turn interest into action, and pave the way for long-term relationships.
But let’s get one thing straight – not all lead magnets are equal. Some excel in attracting quality leads, while others might collect dust in your digital drawer.
So what should you do?
You focus on the ones that deliver tangible results.
In this article, you’ll learn about the five best B2B lead magnets that are actually working in B2B right now.
Note: After your lead magnet is ready to go, the next step is getting it in front of your audience effectively. For that, you’ll need a lead form that actually converts. That’s where GetLeadForms comes into play. Browse our selection of optimized lead form templates designed to capture attention and convert visitors into leads. Click here to explore your options.
Do lead magnets still work in B2B?
“To gate or not to gate?”
This is a burning question in the B2B marketing world these days.
On one side, we’ve got folks insisting that content should be free to consume for everyone.
But, most marketers are clinging to the old gated content strategy.
I’m neither at the end of these two spectrums. That’s why I raise an eyebrow whenever someone takes a rigid stance. Of course, I’m not against free content, but I also know that lead magnets are practical and helpful in B2B.
The question shouldn’t be about “should you” but “how you should.” The essence is in the execution. So my advice is for you to test it out.
Three reasons to use lead magnets in B2B marketing
Let me show you why you should include lead magnets in your efforts.
1) Middle-of-the-funnel engagement
Sure, you’re getting enough traffic at the top and converting those ready-to-buy leads into sales at the bottom.
But what about the middle of the funnel?
That’s where many businesses, perhaps even yours, tend to fumble.
Lead magnets could be your saving grace to nurture this interest and prep it for further conversion.
2) Building a solid email list
You’ve probably been leaning heavily on social media platforms and noticed your organic reach is declining. It’s not in your imagination.
Between 2021 and 2023 alone, Facebook’s organic reach plummeted from 6.53% to 4.32%, while Instagram went from 13.90% to 9.34%.
That’s a significant drop if you ask me.
Social platforms now push you to pay for visibility, or you can only watch as the platform keeps its users within walled content.
But here’s the thing – your email list is all yours, and it’s not going anywhere. On top of that, the ROI from email marketing tends to outperform other channels.
It boasts a return of $42 for every $1 spent.
Lead magnets can help you offer immediate value to your leads and subscribers and set the stage for longer relationships.
Moreover, you won’t have to constantly adjust to algorithm changes as your email list offers more stability and control.
3) Identify high-intent prospects
The third key advantage of lead magnets for B2B (especially when done right) is their role as built-in lead qualifiers.
Here’s the scoop: in one of our blog posts, I used our multi-step forms to go beyond just grabbing an email address.
I tossed in a pivotal question to sift out the casual from the committed visitors (notice how this lead magnet uses a qualifying question on the last step).
So, even if a lead isn’t fully invested yet, we still capture their details.
But if they click “Yes, I’m interested,” Then bingo! That’s a golden sign they’re a high-value prospect.
Implementing a similar lead magnet B2B strategy helps your sales squad zero in on those who have raised their hands and are curious about your offer.
What makes a good B2B lead magnet?
Some marketers throw together any PDF, add a form highlighting that it’s free, and call it a lead magnet.
And while that may have worked back in the day, times have changed.
A good lead magnet is so much more than a massive ebook or a white paper.
It’s planned, thought about, and crafted to serve and help your audience.
This brings me to another point and a misconception that needs some clarification: lead magnets aren’t sales weapons. You put it out there to attract the right people. Not as an express ticket to sales conversions.
If that’s clear, let’s dig into what separates the “so-so” from the “too good not to share” lead magnets.
- Closely aligned with your core product. Your lead magnet should extend naturally from your main product or service. If you’re offering CRM, provide something related to maximizing customer retention.
- Addresses a specific pain point. Instead of promoting your message or selling, focus on solving your audience’s problem.
- Easily digestible. We’re all busy, so your lead magnet should be quick to consume and concise.
- Offers genuine value. Offer something useful to make your leads think, “I need to do it, or apply this now.”
- It is helpful. A solid lead magnet should provide practical, actionable advice or tools to your audience.
Note: Got your lead magnet set? Make sure it doesn’t go unnoticed. You’ll need a lead form that converts just as well. Check out GetLeadForms for templates designed to grab attention and secure leads. Click here to explore.
The 5 best types of B2B lead magnets that are actually working today (with examples)
You might expect to see white papers and eBooks on this list, but that won’t be the case.
Instead, I’ll give you a fresh list that is fully useful to magnetize your audience.
Let’s dive into the list.
1. Free tools
Free tools are useful digital utilities that solve a specific problem or make a task more manageable.
A great example of this is Hubspot’s Website Grader. This is what it looks like:
It’s a nifty tool and a helpful, no-gimmick lead magnet.
All you need to do is pop in your email address and website URL, then boom! You get a comprehensive rundown of your site’s performance metrics, from SEO to mobile responsiveness and security.
Then, once you get the results, that’s the only time you’ll see a CTA button that will lead you to Hubspot’s service offer.
It is genius and strategic. You get the value first and not get shoved by sales tactics or overly aggressive marketing.
Besides this tool, here are some other great examples of free tools.
- Moz Free Keyword Research Tool (keyword generator)
- The Good’s Conversion Rate Optimization Calculator (conversion rate calculator)
- WooCommerce Role-Based Prices (a WordPress plugin for dynamic pricing)
What makes free tools awesome lead magnets for B2B is that they offer instant gratification. They give you quick, tangible results.
2. Checklists
Checklists are another unique lead magnet you should definitely try out.
They are easy to create, consumable, and still provide a ton of value to your audience.
In fact, I’ve experienced firsthand how effective they are.
Offering a checklist as a lead magnet and placing it in a better spot allowed me to increase our conversion rate from .55% to 1.1% overnight. Yep, you read that right, that’s more than a 2X increase in leads!
Curious to know how I did it? You can read the entire case study on this post.
P.S. Like the look of the form in the image? We made it using GetLeadForms. Don’t reinvent the wheel—grab this proven template for yourself. Click here to get it now.
Another excellent example of a checklist lead magnet is the one from Hootsuite. It offers a free social media strategy template through Google Slideshow. While their form might be a little overwhelming, the concept is great.
But it’s not a basic checklist. It provides useful links, descriptions, and tips to use it better.
Like the free tools, checklists offer immediate value. You can take the list and apply it straight away.
Apart from that, they’re easily consumable. Our checklist comprises 25 key steps, but you can sift through it in 5-10 minutes. The same goes for Hootsuite’s 32-slide lead magnet.
Overall, checklists are easy to create, simple, and valuable.
3. Templates
Who wants to reinvent the wheel when you can start with something already shaped like a wheel?
This is how templates work. They are pre-designed formats or workflows that save your audience tons of time. That’s the main reason why they are great lead magnets for B2B.
One prime example is Click Up’s Resource Planning Template.
It’s great for project managers and leaders who want to improve their team’s workloads and see all their tasks and resources in a single dashboard.
And here’s where it gets better. To get your hands on it, all you have to do is sign up for free. You can then edit and use it inside your Click Up account.
Templates offer direct solutions with minimal to no modification for your audience.
On top of that, by requiring simple signup to access these templates, you ensure that the leads you’re getting are invested enough to take that extra step.
It’s an intelligent way to get them used to what you or your software can do for them.
We take a similar approach at GetLeadForms with our templates.
We noticed that prospects to look at our multi step form templates prior to creating an account. So we connected the template to the product — when someone clicks ‘start with this template’ it cookies the template ID in their browser then immediately loads the template into their account upon signup.
Remember: Not all lead magnets need to collect email addresses at the top of the funnel. A lead magnet can also be lower in the funnel and used to drive direct signups for your product like in the case of the two lead magnets in this example.
4. Automated product demos and walk-throughs
Okay, let’s talk about super engaging lead magnet types – demos or walkthroughs.
Think of them as interactive guided tours of your product or service, where the user gets a hands-on experience.
They’re a top-shelf lead magnet for B2B businesses because they take advantage of the “try it before you buy it” factor.
For a concrete example, let’s use Hockey Stack’s Demo.
Hockey Stack is an analytics and attribution tool that combines all your advertising, website activity, and customer relationship data into one easy-to-navigate dashboard.
And they offer an expansive marketing influence report as their interactive demo.
This demo version shows you what data you can find inside their fully customizable and easy-to-navigate business intelligence tools.
The demo shows what your data from multiple platforms will look like once you use their software.
I can’t overstate the potential benefits of automated demos.
With targeted demos, you’re cutting through the noise and speaking directly to those genuinely interested in what you have to offer. It’s super helpful, especially in B2B businesses like:
- SaaS (Software-As-A-Service)
- Consulting services
- LMS or educational platforms
- Healthcare tech companies
5. Evergreen webinars, trainings, or interviews
This trio is the kind of content that keeps on giving. These are lead magnet gems you shouldn’t miss as part of your lead magnet strategy.
InsideSales.com even showed that 73% of B2B marketers attest that webinars are the best way to acquire high-quality leads.
So why are these formats so effective? Simple. They can be accessed over and over again.
Imagine you’re hosting a live webinar. You prepare for it, promote it, execute it, and then… it’s over.
But if you’ve recorded that webinar and made it evergreen, it can serve as a recurring lead magnet for months or even years.
Plus, it establishes you as an authority in your field, giving your audience a reason to stick around and explore what else you’ve got.
There are several standout evergreen webinars that B2B marketers swear by.
For instance, HubSpot has a range of on-demand training with certifications that delve into topics like SEO, content strategy, and email marketing.
Similarly, Neil Patel’s “Navigating the Future of AI: ChatGPT, Bard, and You” is another excellent evergreen webinar example.
Evergreen webinars help you sidestep those pesky pain points like inconsistent lead quality or high acquisition costs. You’re creating a magnet that works around the clock.
Bonus: Content Upgrades
So, I teased you earlier about content upgrades under “Checklists.” Let me discuss it more as a bonus gem of B2B lead magnets.
Creating lead magnets for qualified prospects in B2B is all about understanding what adds value for your audience, and content upgrades are a perfect example.
Content upgrades are additional resources or materials that go hand-in-hand with your main content.
This combo is great because you’re already wooing your readers with great content. Then, you level it up and help interested readers dive deeper and get more value.
Remember the case study I shared earlier, where I doubled our leads? That’s a great example of how content upgrades work.
What I did is I added a lead magnet of a comprehensive checklist for winning jobs on Thumbtack on a Thumbtack comprehensive review.
So, not only did our readers get an in-depth analysis of Thumbtack, but they also got a handy yet digestible guide.
Adding them to your high-traffic blog posts is like hitting the top and middle of the funnel all at once.
If my case study isn’t enough to convince you, here’s another proof that it works: James Scherrer of Wishpond found that articles with content upgrades had conversion rates 575% better than articles that didn’t feature one.
Trust me, you’re missing out on high-quality leads if you’re not using content upgrades.
There are also many ways to introduce content upgrades to your readers. Here are some of them.
- Scripts. Ideal for sales or customer service teams, these pre-written dialogues can guide your leads through common scenarios.
- Quick-Start Guides. A concise and easy-to-digest guide lets your leads start on a task or project immediately.
- Worksheets. These are excellent for educational content or complex topics.
- Cheat Sheets. A cheat sheet can be a set of best practices, tips, or even a glossary of terms your leads can refer to.
Final thoughts and additional resources for creating high-converting B2B lead magnets
No matter what other marketers say, the truth is that lead magnets still work and will continue to. But you must offer value and have an intelligent strategy on how and where to use it.
Also, remember that they aren’t simply for collecting emails but for building a community of potential customers.
Here are some resources to help you create B2B lead magnets:
1) Free Canva Lead Magnet Checklist Template: Grab this template I created and make it your own in Canva.
2) 7 Best Lead Magnet Landing Pages [With Examples]: Check out this list of the best lead magnet landing pages that I put together, for your inspiration.
2) High Converting Lead Form Templates: After your lead magnet is ready to go, the next step is getting it in front of your audience effectively. For that, you’ll need a lead form that converts. That’s where GetLeadForms comes into play. Browse our selection of optimized lead form templates designed to attract and convert visitors into leads. Click here to see our templates.
