5 Rules for Creating MRR-Revving Lead Magnets in Minutes (Not Hours)

What sets SaaS founders who’ve scaled beyond $50K/MRR apart from those struggling 60 hours a week to book a few demos? 

Lead generation. 

It’s your lumpy-growth-curve cure. Because product-market fit is only half the battle. YOU know SMBs, mid-market companies, or enterprises NEED what you’ve got — but they don’t. Not yet. That’s where lead gen comes into play.

And the cornerstone of any lead-gen strategy is your lead magnet: the “freebie” you exchange for email addresses. Discover how to create yours (FAST) with my 5 rules for MRR-turbocharging lead magnets. 

Get ‘em below in this 5-minute read, or kick back and watch the 30-minute training video. ⬇️

Lead Magnets Fuel Your Lead-Gen Machine

You forked out the cash to one too many agencies for your shiny, new website. And it didn’t move the needle an inch.

Why?

Because 70% of the people coming to your website are NOT ready to sign up for your product, do a demo, or get a trial. But the fact that they came at all is huge! You got their eyeballs on your solution. The trick is… KEEPING ‘em there.

How? Give them a quick win!

This is the job of your lead magnet — one way too many SaaS founders (& even veteran marketers) fail to pull off. But not YOU. Not with my Lead Magnet Builder Framework. 

It’s my secret to busting out lead magnets in under an hour that generate millions in profit for my companies. And I’m giving it to you for free. 

Top 3 Reasons SaaS Lead Magnets Flop

But first… let’s talk about why so many SaaS lead magnets are epic fails: 

Reason #1: Writer’s Block

You speak code, not Webster’s dictionary. So it’s no wonder the blank-Google-Doc syndrome plagues you (& most SaaS founders).

Reason #2: Zero Downloads

You pulled a 24-hour, Red-Bull-fueled writing spree to get that baby out only to watch it collect duston the digital shelf. No flood of email addresses as promised. Nowhere to send that nurture sequence that cost you an arm and a leg on Upwork. Nada.

Reason #3: Demand Dead-Ender 

Your lead magnet’s a hit! Email addresses are flowing into your CRM like the Amazon River. You haven’t smiled so wide since you closed your first deal, until… you’re met with blank stares on Monday morning’s Zoom call with your team. No demos booked. Zilch. 

Now, let’s talk about how to avoid these 3 common pitfalls…

5 Rules for Creating MRR-Rocket-Fuel Lead Magnets (FAST)

Ready to FINALLY crack the lead-gen-at-scale code?

Me too!

Let’s jump into the 5 rules to live by when creating a Beacon Lead Magnet:

Rule #1: Make It S.A.G.E.

Decision makers are BUSY (heck, who isn’t?)! Hit ‘em with an eBook or whitepaper, and you’ll lose ‘em. A useless checklist won’t do, either. Remember, you want to be the quick-win-giver, not the time-waster. 

And quick wins only come from lead magnets that meet these 4 criteria:

1. Short: Can your prospects read it in between Zoom meetings?
2. Actionable: Are they getting simple steps they can take today?
3. Goal Oriented: Do those steps help solve their problem?
4. Easy: Can they pull it off with less effort than Googling your competitor?

Rule #2: Double Align

Sure. Your lead magnet’s super helpful — but for whom? Your perfect-fit customer? Your business? If it doesn’t serve both, downloads won’t lead to demos.

 Always ask yourself this before creating your lead magnet, “What does a customer do to get ready to use my product?” 

 Let’s say, for example, you sell hiking gear in Seattle. How do you attract the right customer? With tourist brochures for the Space Needle? Nooooo! 

You offer them a free checklist like, “7 Things to Know Before Hiking Mount Rainier.” Some of the tips you give include taking the right backpack and wearing the right boots. Not only do you tell them what they need but also where to get it: YOUR store.

Get it? Your lead magnet solves part of the RIGHT person’s problem. And your SaaS takes care of the rest.

Rule #3: Test Your Name

Don’t believe what you’ve heard… people do judge books by their cover — especially the title! So don’t turn leads away with a clunker. 

My strategy for boring-proof titles? Test. Test. Test.

Email your current customers and ask if they want a copy. If only 2% - 5% say “yes” — then it’s back to the drawing board. 

Another strategy I use is posting my lead magnet title on LinkedIn and telling people to comment if they want a copy. If the idea POPS in the organic feed, then my next step is ads. 

Rule #4: Fuel Conversion Flow

Email is great! It’s your most lucrative channel. But it can also DRAIN your conversion flow. 

Here’s what I mean: you get their email on the landing page, send them to the thank you page to download the lead magnet, and then wait to ask for a demo in an email later. BIG mistake. 

Because the average email open rate is 20%. Even if they open the email, your chances of getting them to click through to your demo page are slim (just 2%). 

Try this instead: ask them to book a demo in your lead magnet. And watch your Google calendar EXPLODE. 💥💥💥

Rule #5: Reverse Engineer

Want to know a little secret I stole from the record industry (that’ll save you tons of time)?

Leverage proven formulas. 

It works for making hit songs AND for high-converting lead magnets. 

Simply Google common terms used in your industry and see if anybody’s running ads for lead magnets. Or visit your top competitors’ websites and check their gated resources (checklists, guides, etc). Whatever’s listed at the top is GOLD. Reverse engineer and run with it for your own SaaS lead gen. 

The Easiest Way to Build Your Lead-Gen Machine? 

Now you know how to make a high-performing lead magnet in under an hour, but what about the rest of your lead-gen machine? Your LinkedIn ads. Your emails. Your referral network.

I’m gonna make the ENTIRE process easy peasy for you:

Step 1: Stay tuned to my YouTube channel and blog for the Lead Gen Summer Series. Coach Marcel is back next week to teach top-of-funnel scaling strategies: the Pyramid Scaling framework, high-tempo testing, and optimal ToFu channels. EVERYTHING.

Step 2: Add the Lightning Bolt Lead Gen Stack to your SaaS-marketing arsenal today! You’ll get my 5 pro playbooks to build your lead-gen machine in weeks (NOT months) for less than you spend on Red Bulls in a week.

Why keep pulling all-nighters to crack the lead-gen-at-scale code when you could steal a page (or 5!) from my SaaS growth journey in minutes? 

Go on! Get it now.