What's a Lead Magnet? ...and how could you use one?


Disclaimer: I've never tried this.

BUT - I think it could work. Let me know what YOU think, or go for it and share your results!


A Lead Magnet is an incentive, usually a PDF document, that you exchange for a piece of contact information.

Example: I was looking for a printable calendar for my office and I found one on a blog. It was free, but I had to type in my email to get the download.


What would it look like for a church or school to make use of a Lead Magnet?

Some initial ideas:

You're advertising your upcoming Science Camp. On the registration page, you say, "Get our free 7-day, Science-themed family devotional series!"

You're making a push for enrollment at the beginning of voucher applications. On your school's homepage, you create a new section: "Get our 5-step guide to a stress-free voucher application."

You have a page on your website meant for first-time visitors. You add a pop-up on this page that says, "New to reading the Bible? Download our 30-day reading plan."


These PDFs don't have to be fancy. Take an hour or two to put something helpful together.

In exchange for the digital resource, you receive the recipient's email address. SCORE!

In the Science Camp example, you can now follow up via email, "Registration closes in 3 days!"

In the School Choice example, you could send a personal email, "Hey there - just checking in to see if you need any more help applying. Also, we are a voucher school, so if you'd like to take a tour, I'd be happy to set up a time."

In the first-time visitor example, you could schedule an automatic email to go out to those who download. It could include a video from the pastor and a few links to past sermons.


So, what do you think? Might this work for you? Most email service providers (MailChimp, Constant Contact, ConvertKit) provide a way to create a Lead Magnet and embed it into your site.

Feel free to contact me if you need help!

Grace

Grace Ungemach

I offer digital marketing education written with ministry in mind. Subscribe to my free, weekly newsletter to learn something new every Friday.

Read more from Grace Ungemach

I've been putting in hours on this tool over the past few weeks. As a part of this project, I've visited a. lot. of church websites. Unless I can figure out how to automate this process, I'll be getting around to all 1,200. Maybe yours is next 👀 I've noticed: many, if not most, of the websites I've visited are relatively empty. There is usually a homepage with less than 25 words of basic info, a single sentence or graphic for an upcoming special event, and a Contact page. I don't fault anyone...

I've mentioned this concept in the past, but it's time to deep-dive. I'm calling it: The Long Conversation Method. Catchy, I know. Reply with better ideas, please. 😂 Let's start here. Think about all the ways the outside world can find you: Social media Your website Online ads A booth at festivals & farmer's markets Outreach events Print marketing: mailers, flyers, brochures, posters... What do all these channels have in common? They're all momentary. Someone visits your website for 2...

Sometimes the best marketing is a new & improved event! Here are a few small ways to tweak your event plan. Ask yourself if any of these apply to your events to give them a refresh in 2026. 1) Simplify it! Most of the time, advertising fewer things will attract more attention. It's counterintuitive, but it works. Think about it: If you came across a busy Facebook event or flyer with 250 words describing your event in minute detail... Vs. "Visit 123 Main Street this weekend for a free pumpkin...