How to create a lead magnet: from a free PDF to selling your course or ebook

A lead magnet is a free resource that helps someone solve a specific problem and encourages them to leave their email address. It might be a checklist, an ebook excerpt, a template or a sample lesson. To launch one, you need the resource itself, a sign-up page, a way to grant access and a few emails that help the reader take the next step.

If you sell a course or an ebook, choose a topic linked to your paid product. Someone who downloads a product photography checklist may later need a product photography course. Someone who enters a giveaway for a random prize won’t necessarily become your customer.

Below, we walk through one example from idea to follow-up. This is a teaching example, not a customer story or a promise of sales results. heyhey is our product; the instructions are based on its documentation.

Contents

1. How to match a lead magnet to your paid product
2. 7 lead magnet examples for creators
3. A ready-to-use checklist
4. What to write on the sign-up page
5. How to deliver a PDF automatically in heyhey
6. Three sample emails after sign-up
7. How to tell if your lead magnet works
8. Common problems
9. FAQ

How do you match a lead magnet to your paid product?

Start with a small problem that comes up before someone buys your product. The free resource should be useful on its own. Your paid offer can then build on the same skill, help with putting it into practice or solve a harder problem.

In our example, a creator sells a product photography course for small shop owners. Their audience takes photos on a phone, has no studio and doesn’t know why the product’s colour looks different in the photo. A good first resource would be “Checklist: set up your product for a window-light photo”. The full course can then cover lighting, composition, a photo series for the shop and editing.

Before you create the file, finish these three sentences:

• I help [a specific person] achieve [a specific result].
• After using the resource, they will be able to [one action].
• If they want to go further, my product will help them [the next stage].

Talk to a few people from this group. Ask what they recently tried to do, where they got stuck and what they have already used. “Nice idea” on its own tells you very little. A specific difficulty and an example of a failed attempt help you choose the topic.

7 lead magnet examples for course and ebook creators

The ideas below show how a free resource connects to a paid offer. They are not a ranking of effectiveness: results depend on your audience, your promise and how you promote it.

Choose a checklist when your reader knows the task but forgets some of its steps. Choose a template when the hardest part is starting from a blank page. Choose a sample lesson when it helps to get to know your teaching style before buying. A mini ebook works when the solution needs context; page count is not value in itself.

You’ll find more formats in MailerLite’s guide to lead magnet ideas. Here we stay focused on one setup, so that after reading you can prepare your own version.

Ready-to-use checklist: set up your product for a window-light photo

You can copy the material below into a document, adapt it to your niche and export it as a PDF.

Goal: set up one station and take a test photo before the full shoot.

1. Choose one product and one detail the photo needs to show.
2. Clean the product; check for dust, the label and visible fingerprints.
3. Prepare a calm background that doesn’t pull attention away from the product.
4. Set up by a window and check which side the light is coming from.
5. Switch off extra lamps with a different colour temperature if they cause an unwanted colour cast.
6. If the shadows are too harsh, try bouncing the light back with a sheet of white paper on the other side of the product.
7. Clean your phone’s lens and keep the phone steady.
8. Take a test photo. Check the sharpness, the reflections and whether the colour matches the product.
9. Note down your setup so you can recreate it for the next photos.
10. Pick one photo and write down what you want to improve next time.

Below the checklist, leave space for three answers: “What worked?”, “What got in the way?” and “What do I want to learn?”. At the end you can add a short description of your course and a link to its curriculum. The reader should be able to use the checklist without buying anything.

Before publishing, open the PDF on a phone. Check the text size, that the links work and that it’s readable without constant zooming. Give the file a clear name, such as product-photo-checklist.pdf.

What should you write on a lead magnet sign-up page?

The page should explain what the reader gets, who the resource is for and what happens after they submit the form. You can use the text below as a template for the same photography example.

Headline: Set up your product for a window-light photo.

Description: Download a 10-step checklist for anyone who photographs products on a phone. You’ll prepare the background, the light and a test photo before the real shoot.

What you get: A PDF checklist with space for notes after your first attempt.

Button: Get the checklist

What happens next: After you submit the form, check your inbox. If sign-up requires you to confirm your address, click the link in the email. You’ll receive details on how to access the resource by email.

Make the description of the process match the setup you actually choose. If you also offer a newsletter and course offers, explain this at sign-up and say how often you’ll email. Link to the right privacy policy. Confirming an email address doesn’t, on its own, replace telling the reader what they’re signing up for.

At first, an email field is enough; add a name field only if you’ll actually use it. Leave phone numbers, company addresses or longer questions for the stage where you really need them.

How do you deliver an ebook or PDF automatically after sign-up in heyhey?

In the setup described here, you use a product of the Lead magnet type and connect it to the sign-up step of a funnel. The reader gets access to the files in the member area. The PDF is not an email attachment; the email helps them claim access. This distinction matters when you write the instructions on your sign-up page.

1. Create the product and add the file

Go to Products → Create product and choose the Lead magnet type. Fill in the title, description and thumbnail. Attach your PDF on the Files tab. A lead magnet is always free. A new product starts as a draft; publish it only after you’ve checked its content.

How this works in detail is covered in Creating your first product and Selling ebooks and downloads.

2. Connect the resource to the sign-up

Attach the product to the sign-up step in your funnel and publish the page. This setup grants access to the lead magnet once the form is submitted; a new member also receives an invitation to set a password. Adding a regular form to any page collects contacts, but doesn’t by itself link it to a specific product.

At sign-up, assign a recognisable tag, for example photo-checklist. It makes it easier to tell this group apart from people who signed up on another page. See how forms collect leads.

3. Decide how sign-ups are confirmed

In Settings → Marketing you can turn on “Require email confirmation (double opt-in)”. A new contact then waits for confirmation before receiving campaigns. Access to a free product and marketing subscription status are two separate things, so check both when you test.

4. Prepare the email sequence

In Marketing → Automations, create an automation and set the trigger and conditions for this group. You can use access being granted to a specific product together with the Subscribed to marketing condition. Remember the people who confirm later, though: also check the path that runs when their status changes to subscribed, with the right tag as a condition. Each path should add the reader to the right sequence only once.

Add steps for day 0, 2 and 4. In heyhey, the send day is counted from when the contact enters the sequence, not from the date the automation was created. Don’t activate a sequence with sample addresses or unfinished content. You’ll find the details in the automations and sequences guide.

5. Test the whole path

Use a test address of your own that hasn’t been on the list before. Go through sign-up, confirmation, setting a password and downloading the file. Also check a repeat sign-up by an existing contact, a person waiting for confirmation, and unsubscribing from marketing. Make sure the resource can be claimed on a phone and that emails don’t arrive twice.

Which plan is enough? Lead magnets, email sequences and automations are available on every heyhey plan. Starter includes 50 contacts, 1 product, 3 pages and 5 GB of storage. A lead magnet created as a product counts towards that limit: if you want a separate paid course or ebook alongside it, you need a plan with room for at least two products. Growth includes 5 products and 500 contacts; a custom domain and recurring payments also start at Growth. Check current pricing and full limits.

Three sample emails after sign-up

This is a suggested sequence for someone who has subscribed to your emails. Adjust the timing to your audience and to how you deliver the resource. Replace the parts in brackets with real information. The email that grants access to the product may arrive separately; don’t use your first email to repeat the same notifications.

Day 0: help them get started

Subject: Your product photo checklist: start with one shot

Hi! Thanks for signing up. You’ll find the checklist here: [link to the resource in the member area]. If this is your first time using my resources, also look out for the email with instructions for setting your password.

Pick one product today and set up by a window. A test photo is enough to begin with; you don’t need to shoot your whole shop straight away.

In my next email, I’ll show you how to compare two lighting setups. If anything goes wrong with the download, just reply to this email.

Day 2: give them the next exercise

Subject: Take two photos, changing only the light

Got your test photo? Take a second one after moving the product relative to the window. Keep the same background and framing so the difference is easier to compare.

Check the shadows, the reflections and the colour. Write down which version shows the product better and why. That note will come in handy at your next shoot.

What was hardest for you: the light, the focus or the background? You can reply in one sentence.

Day 4: suggest a matching product

Subject: From one photo to a consistent series for your shop

The checklist helps you set up a single station. If you want to shoot a full series of photos and learn how to edit them, I’ve created a course: [course name].

The curriculum covers [real module topics]. The course is designed for [audience], and before you start you’ll need [real requirements]. You’ll find the curriculum, price and terms here: [link to the course page].

If the checklist is all you need for now, keep using it. You don’t have to buy the course to keep access to what you’ve received.

Keep a working unsubscribe link in your marketing emails. Before inviting someone to buy, check that the contact doesn’t already own the offer: the Has offer condition in an automation helps you send customers down a different path.

How can you tell if your lead magnet works?

Look at the whole journey: page visit → confirmed sign-up → resource claimed → interest in the offer → purchase. A large number of downloads isn’t enough if the people signing up are outside the group you help.

Record where your traffic comes from. You can add parameters to the link on your social profile, for example utm_source=instagram, utm_medium=organic_social and utm_campaign=photo_checklist. This makes it easier to compare sign-up sources in your contacts and reports.

A sample calculation, not a benchmark: 200 visitors, 30 new sign-ups, 24 confirmations and 2 buyers mean a 15% sign-up rate and roughly 8.3% of confirmed sign-ups buying. With two purchases, the sample is too small to forecast a steady result. Compare the same group over a similar period after sign-up, for example the first 30 days of each group.

Change one thing at a time: the title, the promise, the format or the first email. If you change everything at once, you won’t know what helped. Add your readers’ replies to the numbers: sometimes one description of a problem explains more than a click-through rate.

Common lead magnet problems

People visit, but nobody signs up. Check that the headline promises a specific result and that the link reaches the right audience. “Free ebook” describes a format; “set up your station for a product photo” describes a use.

The contact is on the list but doesn’t get the sequence. Check the marketing status, the email confirmation, the tag, the trigger and whether the automation is active. An entry awaiting confirmation is not the same as a subscribed campaign recipient.

The reader can’t open the file. Check that the product is published, that it’s linked to the sign-up step and that the member has access. Test the link while logged in as the reader, not as an admin. In the setup described here, the files are protected by member area access.

People download, but show no interest in the offer. Compare the problem your resource solves with the problem your course solves. Don’t add more emails straight away; first ask your readers what they need next.

The same person gets two welcome emails. Check whether the sign-up, the tag and the product access trigger several parallel paths. Run a repeat sign-up from start to finish with the same address.

FAQ: lead magnets and free ebooks for newsletter sign-ups

What is a lead magnet?

A lead magnet is a free resource or tool that solves a specific problem for your reader and encourages them to leave their email address. Examples include a checklist, a template, an ebook excerpt and a sample lesson.

Does a lead magnet have to be an ebook?

No. It can be a checklist, a spreadsheet, a recording, a template or a sample lesson. The format should follow from the reader’s task. If one page solves the problem, you don’t need a long ebook.

How do I send a PDF after a newsletter sign-up in heyhey?

Create a Lead magnet product, add the PDF, publish the product and attach it to the sign-up step in your funnel. The reader gets access to the files in the member area, and a new member also gets an invitation to set a password. The PDF isn’t sent as an attachment. Test access to the resource and the marketing email subscription separately.

Are lead magnets available on heyhey’s free plan?

Yes. Lead magnets, email sequences and automations are available on Starter too. The plan includes 50 contacts, 1 product, 3 pages and 5 GB of storage. A lead magnet created as a product counts towards the product limit; a separate paid course or ebook needs a plan with room for another product.

Do I need my own website?

You don’t need to build a separate website. You can create the sign-up page in heyhey. A custom domain is available from the Growth plan, so when choosing a plan, separate the need for a page from the need for your own domain.

Can you create a lead magnet in 10 minutes?

In ten minutes you can draft a short checklist if you know the subject. Creating a genuinely useful resource, a sign-up page and emails, and testing access, takes extra time. There’s no single setup time that fits every project.

Does a lead magnet guarantee sales?

No. A sign-up shows interest in a free resource, not readiness to buy. Sales depend on, among other things, how well the audience fits, the quality of the resource, the offer and your follow-up. Track purchases and interest in your offer alongside the number of sign-ups.

Sources and scope of this guide

Our description of how heyhey works is based on its documentation: creating a product, delivering files, forms and email confirmation, automations and sequences and pricing. Plan limits checked in September 2026. The checklist, page copy, emails and calculations are examples prepared for this article, with no data on customer results.

Start with one resource and one sign-up page. Take a look at lead magnets in heyhey, then go through the whole path yourself as a reader before you share the link publicly.