Lead Magnet Ideas for Coaches (+ Our Favorite Examples)

Magnets attract—and the right lead magnets will attract the right leads to your coaching business.

With over 77,000 business coaches in the US alone (plus personal coaches and other verticals), getting people interested in your coaching business can be overwhelming.

Creating lead magnets—valuable content you can give away in exchange for contact information—is one of the best ways to generate interest. 

The best lead magnets:

• Provide real value to your audience for free
• Give insights or help they can’t find elsewhere
• Offer help in the process of becoming a customer

Creating something that ticks all those boxes? That’s when the real magic happens.

Of course, you might cringe at giving away something for nothing. And it’s true–some people will download your eBook, watch your workshop, and simply walk away. But in the end, those people would never be good clients.

But some people—the right people—will digest your free content and see it as a taste of what they’ll get when they start paying you. Those are the people you want as clients.

Looking for inspiration? Glad you asked.

We’ll talk about 7 types of lead magnets (with 16 real-world examples) you can learn from and how to choose the right ones for your business.

1. Challenges

When to use it: In the Awareness stage, leads think about the problem they have and ways they can solve it.

Who doesn’t love a challenge? Whether you’re encouraging people to do five push-ups daily for a month or to complete some basic steps in building their business, a challenge gives your audience real advice and help without draining your time and energy on free consultations.

Quick tips for better conversions:

• Use your coaching experience: Consider this lead magnet as an introduction to your coaching services. What do you usually encourage new clients to do in the early stages of your coaching?
• Make it “challenging” but not unreasonable: Remember, new leads have very little commitment at this point. So, find a balance between too hard and too easy. When new leads complete a challenge that requires some effort, that probably means they’re willing to put in the effort required to benefit from your coaching services.

Example: The Remote Business Bootcamp from The Rainmaker Family

This five-day challenge from The Rainmaker Family encourages moms to start their own remote business. 

This challenge plays into The Rainmaker Family's primary offering—their coaching services to help busy moms create financial freedom by building a business from home. With the added benefits of a community and SMS support during the challenge, this is a no-brainer for someone interested in the topic and willing to put in the effort.

Example: 5-Day Major Media Challenge by Cheryl Hunter

This five-day challenge, delivered by email, is a smaller version of Cheryl's coaching on her website. It gives her audience real insights into the kind of information they’ll get from working with her while offering them value for free.

2. Checklists, Templates, and eBooks

When to use it: In the Awareness stage, when leads are looking for quick fixes to their problems

These are probably some of the most accessible lead magnets you can create, and while it’s fun to publish a bunch of these and get them out in the world, it’s not the most effective use of your time.

Instead, focus on building resources that can benefit your audience. Give them something real to work with, and you’ll help build trust in your offering.

Quick tips for better conversions:

• Give them a quick win: When you deliver a checklist or cheat sheet that is truly helpful to your audience, that quick win will stick in their minds. 
• Make it easy to digest: Nobody will sit around reading a 400-page eBook. Make it short and to the point, but pack it with real value.

Example: Free eBook from Jennifer Dawn Coaching

Jennifer offers coaching and consulting for business owners and team leaders. With this eBook, she stays on topic and gives readers a quick fix to a common problem.

Example: Free Fitness Program PDF from Nerd Fitness

Nerd Fitness plays into its unique brand and personality with this resource kit. Not only are the resources helpful, they’re playfully branded and full of references that only their target audience will understand (which is exactly the point).

3. Free Consultations

When to use it: In the Decision stage, when leads are ready to take the leap and choose between different providers.

Before someone commits to spending 1:1 time with your coaching services, they need to know what they’re getting into. That’s where consultations come in—they can help both you and your prospect see whether you are a good fit for their needs and goals.

Quick tips for better conversions:

• Give them something of value: A consultation call isn’t all about you, and it’s certainly not just about closing a deal. Before the call even starts, give them a clear understanding of what they’ll get from it, whether or not they choose to become a paying client.
• Set qualification filter: You don’t want your team to waste their time talking to people who are simply shopping around without any interest in paying for coaching. So, before a person can book a call, have them fill out a form with one or two simple qualifying questions. This will tell you whether or not this person is a good fit for your coaching.

Example: Complimentary Call from Red Zebra Coaching

Red Zebra offers coaching for small businesses that generally don’t have a large budget to spend. Offering a free consultation call and encouraging the prospect to ask questions to decide whether they trust her advice lowers the barrier to entry and gives the lead more confidence in purchasing down the road.

Example: Strategy Audit with Flourish Thrive Academy

The Flourish Thrive Academy offers a strategy audit for jewelry business owners with a slightly different approach. This free audit delivers clear value without any commitment or sales pitch. In the end, they mention that one of their coaching programs may help accelerate the business’ growth, but they offer that option very naturally, repeating that there are no obligations.

4. Courses, Training, and Workshops

When to use it: In the Consideration stage, leads are interested in finding a solution and want to learn more.

When your leads are aware of their pain points and are looking for solutions, this kind of resource can push them to consider something more. When you offer free training that gets to the heart of the pain points they want to solve, you’ll make them think: “If I can get this for free, what can I get as a paying client?” 

Quick tips for better conversions:

• Make it all about the pain points or goals: This is your chance to prove you know your audience well. When you can hone in on the things that concern them, you’ll capture their attention.
• Don’t hide a sales pitch behind a workshop: Nothing is worse than logging into a workshop or webinar that promises ideas and advice and getting a 1-hour sales pitch instead. Everybody hates that. You hate that. Don’t do that.

Example: Lead Magnet Workshop from UGURUS

UGURUS coaches agencies and freelancers to build their businesses. And as a great example of a lead magnet, they have a workshop on how to build a lead magnet! (Wow, meta.) Workshop attendees will get some great advice and a step-by-step process to build their lead magnet, something real and tangible that they can walk away with once it’s over. Talk about building trust! 

Psst… UGURUS is using Close to track new leads and convert them into new customers. Learn how here.

Example: Free Workshop with Tori Dunlap of Her First $100K

This is another core example of playing to your audience’s pain points. As a coach who helps women reach financial freedom, this workshop gives a clear solution to a fundamental problem in Tori’s audience. It gives them the necessary information (without turning it into a sales pitch).

Example: Mini-Course from Happen to Your Career

Courses don’t have to be big events—they can also be mini-series like this one from Happen to Your Career. This mini-course gives participants the tools they need to decide whether or not they want to pursue coaching with this company based on their career goals. 

5. Community

When to use it: In the Consideration or Decision stages, when a lead is ready to solve their problems and wants to find the right provider.

Building a community takes time and effort on your part. But it can be a great source of new leads once it’s running. Communities (whether on Facebook Groups, Slack communities, or anywhere else) allow your happy clients and new leads to live together in the same space and learn from each other. It can also be the right place to convince a new lead that your coaching services are above and beyond what your competitors are offering.

Want to see other ways to stand out? See how 10+ coaching businesses set themselves apart from the competition.

Quick tips for better conversions:

• Regularly post exclusive content in your community: This is a place to start conversations and include proprietary advice and ideas that people can’t find elsewhere.
• Feature the success of your happy clients: Putting the spotlight on people who are succeeding with your coaching services is a great way to encourage others to become paying clients.

Example: Free Community by Christine Gutierrez

Spiritual coach Christine offers a free community for her clients and interested leads. There, they can spend time with other women looking for the same things and get their feedback and encouragement.

Example: Private Facebook Group from Raising Capital

In a niche like the startup world, having a community to rely on is essential. Raising Capital provides that in its Facebook group, along with live Q&A sessions every week that allow interested group members to get real advice. 

6. Assessments and Quizzes

When to use it: In the Decision stage, when the lead is ready to purchase and wants to see tangible options.

This lead magnet is bottom-of-the-funnel, allowing you to aim directly at pain points and encourage leads to take the final steps to become paying customers. 

Quick tips for better conversions:

• Use quizzes to help leads and give you clear answers to qualifying questions: By including some of your top qualifying questions inside these assessments or quizzes, you’ll also be able to focus on the highest-value leads that enter your sales pipeline here.
• Give them something in exchange: The quiz should teach your leads something or provide them with a resource they can use, even if they don’t become clients.

Example: Free Training and Quiz from Women Rocking Business

This quiz from Women Rocking Business gives the lead clear insights into their skills while also learning about their needs and goals (and whether they’re a good fit for coaching). Aside from the quiz, leads also get free video training.

Example: Pillars Quiz from Patrice Washington of Redefining Wealth

If you offer different types of coaching, this assessment quiz can help you start the conversation on the right foot with a new lead. What Patrice does here is narrow down what a new lead is looking for in coaching, which allows her to reach out with the best options for that lead right from the start.

Example: Which Coach is Right Quiz by Nerd Fitness

For coaching businesses with a wide range of coaching personalities, this kind of quiz can be a great way to determine which coach best fits the lead’s personality. Nerd Fitness again plays into its unique branding while allowing new leads to find a fitness coach that matches their style and needs.

7. Exclusive Audio Content

When to use it: Awareness stage, when leads are still learning about the pain points they want to solve and the existing solutions.

Any kind of exclusive content is a great lead magnet. However, audio content is interesting because it allows leads to listen to you as a coach and get a sneak peek into your coaching style.

Quick tips for better conversions:

• Make it something genuinely exclusive: Whether that’s the way it’s produced or the content inside, make sure that this content is worth giving up their email for.
• Follow up with appropriate lead nurture: You’ve asked for their email address for a reason—make sure to follow up promptly with more related content.

Example: Free Audio from Marie Forleo

Marie offers training and coaching for business and life, and this audio is just a glimpse into the many resources available on her website. When a new lead signs up for this exclusive audio, they’ll get regular insights and other relevant content from Marie, hopefully encouraging them to switch to paying clients in the future.

Example: Free Meditation from Melissa Ambrosini

As a life and business coach keen on meditation, Melissa offers this free audio (and others) for new leads to try her proprietary meditations. In it, she promises 8D surround sound and advanced meditation technology to help listeners get even more benefits.

How to Choose the Right Lead Magnet for Your Coaching Business

We’ve just gone through a LOT of different options for lead magnets for your coaching business. And while all of them might seem like great ideas, it’s time for you to narrow down exactly which ones to choose for your business.

Here’s the point: you can’t do everything. Spreading tons of eBooks, cheat sheets, and inspirational quotes is easy and will probably get you more leads. However, high-quality lead magnets backed by a real strategy will bring you much higher-quality leads in the long run.

So, what can help you decide which lead magnet to start with?

Decide What Stage of the Customer Journey You Want to Target

As we saw above, each lead magnet best suits a particular stage in the customer journey. So, which part of the customer journey do you want to target with your lead magnet?

‎Of course, marketing your coaching business means having a mix of resources that target all stages of the customer journey. That said, depending on your sales model or current needs, you may want to target a different stage.

Want to raise awareness? Create a challenge, checklist, or eBook. 

Want to help people discover you when considering solutions to their problems? Build a community, set up a free mini-course, or host a workshop.

Want to add more hot leads to your sales team’s pipeline? Focus on the decision stage with free consultations, assessments, and quizzes. 

Choose where you want to target, and you’ll know which lead magnet will fit better.

Find Out What’s Relevant to Your Audience

There are two simple ways to do this. 

First, talk to your audience. 

There is no better way to learn what people need than talking to them. That may mean joining different groups online, spending more time listening on social media, or picking up the phone and calling people in your audience (either current clients or leads). Ask: What’s a hot topic in my niche right now? 

Second, consider the resources you’re constantly sharing with your paying clients. What seems to strike a chord with them? What gives them the biggest results? Then, consider condensing it into something you can give away for free.

For example, are you always going through the same steps to help people work through a certain problem? Turn those steps into a one-page checklist.

Or are you always giving the same advice to people at a certain point in their journey? Host a live workshop on that topic.

Being relevant means you care more about what your audience needs than what you need. If you focus on genuinely helping people, your lead magnets will attract high-quality clients.

Align Your Lead Magnet with Your Main Offer and Ideal Clients

Lastly, an excellent lead magnet needs to align with your offering. A fitness coach wouldn’t promote a workshop about baking cookies. It’s not aligned.

And before you think, Well, duh, I would never do that, remember that this can also happen in more subtle ways.

For example, let’s say a business coach who works with cleaning businesses creates a mini-course on door-to-door sales and getting more house-cleaning customers. That may seem aligned with their business, but what if their most successful clients are industrial cleaners? Are they attracting the right kind of leads with this course? Probably not.

Your main offering may be for a specific vertical, personality, role, or stage of life or business. If your lead magnet does not align with the type of client who sees success with your coaching, you won’t attract the right clients.

The more you know about your ideal clients, the easier it will be to create a lead magnet that is relevant to them.

Psst… Want to know more about building an ideal client profile for your coaching business? Learn more here.

Final Thoughts: So You Created a Fantastic Lead Magnet—Now What?

You’ve built a workshop, quiz, challenge, or course that is popping off the charts. People are signing up left and right, which means you have tons of new potential clients waiting for you.

Now what?

First, bring those leads into a system where you can track and communicate with them, like a CRM.

We may be biased, but we think Close is a great CRM for coaching businesses to keep track of new leads. It’s one system where your team sees a single source of truth—all communication, notes, and workflows live in the same tool.

You can bring new leads from other sources into Close and make sure your sales team reaches out to them as quickly as possible.

Second, set up automated nurture workflows to keep your business fresh in their minds. With Close, you can set up a workflow with emails, SMS, and even reminders for your team to make a phone call. You can also set up an automated trigger so every new lead entering the CRM gets an email immediately.

Finally, build a structured process with your sales team to contact new leads and get them rolling in the sales process.

“Our goal is speed to lead,” says Jonathan Hinshaw, Sales Director at UGURUS. “When a new lead comes in, one of our setters will call them within three minutes. This is a very natural phone call, checking in to make sure they got the download they requested, seeing how they heard about us, and asking if they’d be interested in talking to someone on our team.”

How does Jonathan’s team achieve speed to lead? With a secret weapon—Close CRM.

“Before, one setter would have trouble making 100 calls daily,” says Jonathan. “Now, we’re doing 200 to 250 daily calls with Close. Same time, same process, but the speed at which we can operate has increased 100 percent.”

Want to see how Close can improve your speed to lead? Watch our on-demand demo or talk to our team.