How to Generate Lead Magnets

A lead magnet is a free or low-cost digital product or service you give away to attract your ideal audience, build trust, and grow your mailing list.

With Mainstack’s Storefront, you can set up and deliver lead magnets easily, while capturing email addresses for future marketing.

Think of it as giving value upfront → earning trust → converting leads into paying customers.

Here is the step-by-step guide on how to generate Leads

Step 1 — Choose Your Lead Magnet Format

Your lead magnet should be simple, valuable, and quick to consume.

Examples of lead magnets include:

Guides & E-books: “5 Editing Hacks for Better Reels”
Checklists & Templates: “Instagram Content Calendar Template”
Free Samples/Trials: A preview chapter of your eBook or 7-day access to a paid community
Video Tutorials: A short “How-To” training clip
Exclusive Resources: Presets, stock photos, cheat sheets

Step 2 — Set Up Your Lead Magnet on Storefront

Go to your Storefront dashboard
Click Create Product with AI.
Select “Digital Product” as your product type.
Title it clearly (e.g., “FREE Canva Template for Social Media Posts”).
Add the product description and image
Select FREE as the price or a token fee (e.g., $1–$3, use this option to filter serious leads).
Upload your resource (PDF, ZIP, MP4, etc.).
Complete the product set-up and publish.

Step 3 — Capture & Nurture Leads

When people claim your lead magnet, they automatically share their email address.
You can also set up a mailing list sign-up form on your Storefront or Link in Bio to capture even more leads.

Step 4 — Turn Leads into Paying Customers

Once someone downloads your freebie, they’re “warm”; they know you and trust you. Now it’s time to guide them into your offers:

Create an email campaign from your marketing dashboard, following these steps:

From your Storefront dashboard
Locate the product and click on the 3 dots (...)
From the pop-up menu, click Send Email to customers.
Proceed to title your campaign, then
Schedule emails to introduce your paid products or services.
Share exclusive tips to keep the leads engaged.
You can upsell any of the suggested products or services:

Paid digital products such as eBooks, courses, templates, etc.
Offer subscriptions for paid newsletters, private community access, etc.
Sell paid training, masterclass or 1:1 consultations
Run promotions; send new leads emails with discounts, bundles, or flash sales.

How a Free Guide Helped Ed Turn 500 Downloads into $5K in a Month

Ed is an Ads manager. As a lead magnet, he created a free guide on how to double sales with Meta Ads on a low budget. Over 500 people download it in one month. Their emails are added to his mailing list. Every week, he sends them guides, tips and a promo offer for his paid 1:1 premium service. 60 people opted in, and he made $5,000 in the first month, all from a freebie.

Tip: Don’t overcomplicate your lead magnet. The best ones are short, actionable, and directly connected to your paid offer.