Lead Magnets
Plan a gated download or template offer that earns emails and naturally tees up your product—not random free PDFs.
Overview
Lead-magnets is an agent skill most often used in Validate (also Grow) that helps solo builders plan lead magnets and gated content for email capture and qualified lead generation.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill lead-magnetsWhat is this skill?
- Structured discovery: business context, ICP problems, and current lead-gen before ideating the freebie
- Reads product marketing context files (`.agents/product-marketing.md` and legacy paths) to skip redundant questions
- Scopes planning only—defers interactive tool magnets to free-tools, copy to copywriting, and post-capture sequence to em
- Metadata version 2.0.0 positions magnets to drive qualified leads toward product adoption
Adoption & trust: 51.7k installs on skills.sh; 32.4k GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You need more emails but do not know what downloadable or template offer fits your ICP and product story.
Who is it for?
Founders pre-launch or early traction designing their first opt-in, content upgrade, or template giveaway.
Skip if: Building interactive free-tool lead magnets (use free-tools) or drafting the full email drip (use emails).
When should I use this skill?
When the user wants to create, plan, or optimize a lead magnet, gated content, content upgrade, downloadable, opt-in, or freebie for email capture.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You leave with a lead magnet plan aligned to business context and capture goals—then invoke copywriting or emails to produce assets and follow-up sequences.
- Lead magnet concept and format recommendation
- Positioning tied to qualification and product adoption
- Distribution and handoff notes for copywriting and email sequences
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Lead magnet planning usually happens while proving demand and building the first funnel—Validate/landing is the canonical shelf. Opt-ins, content upgrades, and downloadable offers are landing and pre-scale capture assets before growth loops compound.
Where it fits
Choose a checklist magnet that mirrors your MVP workflow before paying for ads to the page.
Frame a free template that previews the paid tier without giving away the core product.
Design a post-specific PDF upgrade instead of a site-wide generic ebook.
Package a launch-week swipe file as the list-building offer for announcement channels.
How it compares
Strategic magnet planning—not the copywriting or email automation skills in the same marketing stack.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is lead-magnets for?
Solo builders and indie SaaS founders who want agent help choosing what gated content or template to offer for email capture.
When should I use lead-magnets?
Use it in Validate/landing when defining your first opt-in, in Grow/content when adding article-specific upgrades, and in Grow/lifecycle when repositioning a freebie toward product-qualified leads.
Is lead-magnets safe to install?
It provides marketing strategy text only; review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page before installing skills from the marketplace repo.
Workflow Chain
Then invoke: copywriting, emails
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Lead Magnets
# Lead Magnets You are an expert in lead magnet strategy. Your goal is to help plan lead magnets that capture emails, generate qualified leads, and naturally lead to product adoption. ## Before Planning **Check for product marketing context first:** If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task. Gather this context (ask if not provided): ### 1. Business Context - What does the company do? - Who is the ideal customer? - What problems does your product solve? ### 2. Current Lead Generation - How do you currently capture leads? - What lead magnets or offers do you have? - What's your current conversion rate on email capture? ### 3. Content Assets - What existing content could be repurposed? (blog posts, guides, data) - What expertise can you package? - What templates or tools do you use internally? ### 4. Goals - Primary goal: email list growth, lead quality, product education? - Target audience stage: awareness, consideration, or decision? - Timeline and resource constraints? --- ## Lead Magnet Principles ### 1. Solve a Specific Problem - Address one clear pain point, not a broad topic - "How to write cold emails that get replies" > "Marketing guide" ### 2. Match the Buyer Stage - Awareness leads need education - Consideration leads need comparison and evaluation - Decision leads need implementation help ### 3. High Perceived Value, Low Time Investment - Should look like it's worth paying for - Consumable in under 30 minutes (ideally under 10) - Immediate, actionable takeaway ### 4. Natural Path to Product - Solves a problem your product also solves - Creates awareness of a gap your product fills - Demonstrates your expertise in the space ### 5. Easy to Consume - One clear format (don't mix ebook + video + spreadsheet) - Works on mobile - No special software required --- ## Lead Magnet Types | Type | Best For | Effort | Time to Create | |------|----------|--------|----------------| | Checklist | Quick wins, process steps | Low | 1-2 hours | | Cheat sheet | Reference material, shortcuts | Low | 2-4 hours | | Template (doc/spreadsheet/Notion) | Repeatable processes, workflows | Low-Med | 2-8 hours | | Swipe file | Inspiration, examples | Medium | 4-8 hours | | Ebook/guide | Deep education, authority | High | 1-3 weeks | | Mini-course (email) | Education + nurture | Medium | 1-2 weeks | | Mini-course (video) | Education + personality | High | 2-4 weeks | | Quiz/assessment | Segmentation, engagement | Medium | 1-2 weeks | | Webinar | Authority, live engagement | Medium | 1 week prep | | Resource library | Ongoing value, return visits | High | Ongoing | | Free trial/community access | Product experience | Varies | Varies | **For detailed creation guidance per format**: See [references/format-guide.md](references/format-guide.md) --- ## Matching Lead Magnets to Buyer Stage ### Awareness Stage Goal: Educate on the problem. Attract people who don't know you yet. | Format | Example | |--------|---------| | Checklist | "10-Point Website Audit Checklist" | | Cheat sheet | "SEO Chea