Wait! I thought my book was a lead magnet!
Well, it is. But there’s a reason why Amazon has their “Look Inside” feature. (If you have a book on Amazon and you haven’t activated that feature, go do it now. We’ll wait…)
People like to try before they buy. A lead magnet gives them a taste of the wisdom they’ll find in your book and in working with you.
So, real quick review: What is a lead magnet?
A lead magnet is a piece of content you give away in exchange for a person’s name and contact information. You can have one main lead magnet for your product or services, or you can have many. A lead magnet is also known as an ethical bribe, lead generator, or content upgrade (usually paired specifically with a blog post or podcast subject).
Use a Lead Magnet to Build Your List Before You Launch Your Book
Most indy publishers don’t have a large marketing budget. Or any real marketing budget, for that matter. They can’t afford to take out a full page ad in the New York Times or Forbes Magazine, or place the book in airport bookstores (at approximately $11,000+ per month per store).
Having a list of people who are interested in your topic and what you have to say about it sets you up with warm leads for your book launch. While not every person on your list will buy your book (that’s an understatement, right there), hopefully enough of them will not only buy, but help you spread the word.
Sales Beget Sales
If you’ve chosen at least one of your book categories well, a relatively small number of sales will move your book onto the Amazon subcategory bestseller list (this can be as few as 10 – 25 books on launch day). If a book does well in a subcategory, Amazon starts showing it to people searching that subcategory and the category above it. It may be included in the “Hot New Releases” listings which gives you even more exposure. Having a list of people who can help you give your book a strong launch helps you gain traction on Amazon.
What Should You Use for a Lead Magnet?
An excerpt from your book makes a great lead magnet. It gives people a real life taste—what the book is about, your writing style, the level of information in the book. Many fiction authors who write in series format will write a special prequel or shorter length first novel that they make either permanently free or keep at a discounted price. It’s a lead magnet for the series.
You can also use an infographic, a quiz, an assessment, even a special report that lays out the problem that you solve in your book. (In my new book, More Leads, Less Work, I talk about the various types of lead magnets and how to deploy them.)
You can even use blog posts as lead magnets. Have a content upgrade that is in alignment with your book (and the blog post of course) that people have to opt into (give their name and email address) in order to get the information.
Another way to use blog posts as lead magnets is to do what I’m doing with Don’t Sell Your Book! I’m putting completed chapters on my blog (Start Here) and allowing people to read the book as I write it. I have an opt-in specifically for that series of posts. People who want to make sure they don’t miss a chapter can sign up to be notified whenever a new chapter appears. When I’m ready to publish, I’ll not only ask people to buy the complete book (It’s a different, more cohesive experience to read the book in full as opposed to reading chapters spaced out over weeks and months), but I’ll also ask them to share the book on social media and, if appropriate, to their own lists. Most of my readers are entrepreneurs who have written a business book or who are somewhere in the process of writing their book (even if only in the “thinking about it” stage). They probably know other people like themselves.
Lead Magnets Can Help Speed up Your Sales Cycle
Your business book is a tool to market your services. Done right, it increases your authority, credibility, and visibility. It helps people get to know, like, and trust you. It brings people into your sales funnel.
In some instances, your lead magnet short cuts the process. It puts people directly onto your email list so you can engage with them. It also brings people to your book (a longer, more in-depth experience) which helps them by giving them the information they want and need while showcasing your expertise.
Lead magnets are used before, during, and after your book goes on sale. Build your list with a lead magnet so you have a list to launch to, even if it’s small. I advise my clients to strategically place lead magnets in the form of content upgrades throughout their books, and to always offer a lead magnet and/or call to action at the end of their books. Use a lead magnet to continue marketing your book after the launch.
Lead magnets build your list and people on your list become clients. If you’re not using lead magnets, you need to start. Learn how: MORE LEADS LESS WORK.
