How to create powerful SaaS Lead Magnets + examples

Bonus: 7 lead magnet distribution tactics

and

Oct 05, 2025

Hey - it’s Alex, this time together with content marketing experts Ugljesa Djuric & Genevieve Michaels!

Over the last 12 months, we have already covered a lot of different angles of content marketing and GTM foundational assets, including:

✅ How to create powerful Case Studies

✅ 20+ content pages to generate high-quality inbounds

✅ Guide on building a strong founder brand on LinkedIn

Today, we’ll break down exactly how to create SaaS lead magnets that do three things:

1️⃣ Attract your ICP,

2️⃣ Fill your pipeline,

3️⃣ and build trust

- with examples you can steal.

In case you missed the last 3 episodes:

✅ Get your first Investment Guide

✅ The perfect product pages for your SaaS

✅ How to test your messaging to find message-market fit

A quick word from our sponsors

Today is episode 101 of MRR Unlocked. So it’s time to say thank you 🙏 to all the sponsors who supported my work so far.

SEMrush - Award-winning SEO Tool
Attio - AI-native CRM that’s built for the future
Topo - AI SDR Agents running your outbound playbook
Oscr AI - Turn any content into engaging posts
Bluebird - Leading European SaaS recruiting agency
Dofollow - B2B SaaS Link-Building Specialists
Path digital - B2B SaaS website agency
Ahrefs - A free Google Analytics 4 alternative
Turf - The #1 community platform for SaaS companies
Anima - Europe’s fastest-growing healthtech company
Bucket - Make features customers love
Trackdesk - Affiliate Marketing Software for SaaS
Reviewflowz - Review & Testimonial Software for SaaS
Emlen - The Buyer Experience Solution for B2B sales
Clarify – The autonomous CRM for founder-led sales
ARRtist – The conference for B2B software/AI founders
Paddle - All-in-one payment infrastructure for SaaS

👉 Reach 20.000+ SaaS operators with sponsored content. Sponsor the next newsletter.

Definition of Lead Magnet

Leads aren’t just emails! With everyone prioritizing content, the purpose of lead magnets is now not only to “get emails” but also to get attention from the right people (your ICP).

Lead magnets can take a lot of forms: gated or ungated, webinars, e-books, reports, etc., but the core definition remains the same - a content asset to attract the attention of your ICP (after all, it is called a lead “magnet”).

Why Lead Magnets are (still) relevant

Buyers are drowning in generic LinkedIn posts and blog spam. Lead magnets cut through the noise, but only if they

are hyper-relevant
offer genuine value
solve a problem

In 2025’s ‘fast fashion SaaS’ era, this might be the only way to get real attention.

5 reasons why lead magnets are/stay relevant:

1️⃣ Great foundation to repurpose content from

Lead magnets present an ideal raw material for repurposing original ideas into various content formats and topics.

E.g. - Out of one original research or a bigger guide, you can get

5-10 smaller blog posts
15, 20 LinkedIn posts
Scripts for video content, etc.

P.S. Remember when I shared a framework on how to turn 1 content ideas into 50+ content pieces.

2️⃣ You get Leads/MQLs (emails) + Option to nurture/follow up

The primary advantage of lead magnets is that you can identify individuals with an interest relevant to your product.

You get their email address.

So you know who they are and can nurture them or warm outreach to them.

Lead magnets are usually the second step in your content funnel.

Either you

Run ads, and then the second step is to get them to a report (lead magnet).
Have SEO written content, and the CTA is to download the lead magnet
Write LinkedIn posts, use the “COMMENT” method, and move people from the LinkedIn post to the lead magnet.

3️⃣ You get more attention

Given that these are usually downloadable assets, they lend themselves to a reading experience beyond scrolling.

If a prospect has downloaded an asset, that’s a signal that you’ve grabbed their attention.

Plus, surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), content that is ‘gated’ gets a higher value attributed.

People think that’s really valuable. I want that.

4️⃣ You can build trust through Thought Leadership content

Original insights from your product, customer surveys, or your own experience as a founder are perfect material for a lead magnet. great way to build trust with your ICP and give them the confidence that you are an expert in your niche.

Creating lead magnets (valuable content for your ideal customer profile) puts you in a good position - they recognize you as a thought leader.

And we all know, at the end, people buy from people they trust.

5️⃣ Relevancy (from your buyer’s perspective)

This one sounds obvious. But, like other forms of content, lead magnets are most useful when the topic/content itself is relevant for your buyers.

Given that you will be addressing the most relevant pain points of your ICP through lead magnets, from your buyer’s perspective, they are a great source of information about topics in your niche.

By now, you know why lead magnets work. Now let’s talk about the different types of lead magnets.

The Value Hierarchy for SaaS Lead Magnets

There is not just one type of lead magnet.

We believe you can cluster them into 3 hierarchies:

1️⃣ Tactical: Templates, examples, checklists, calculators

These are pure gold because they solve immediate problems of your ICP.

Your prospect downloads it, plugs in their data, and starts seeing results.

Why do these work so well? Plug-and-play value.

2️⃣ Educational: Guides, ebooks, courses, webinars

These require time investment but deliver deeper insights. They work when you’re solving a specific, urgent problem your ICP faces right now.

The key? Focus on “how-to” rather than “what is.” Your prospects want step-by-step processes, not theory.

Best formats: Step-by-step guides, detailed case studies with metrics, and recorded webinars with actionable frameworks.

3️⃣ Inspirational: Industry reports

Lowest conversion potential, but highest shareability.

Prospects download these to stay informed, not to solve immediate problems. They skim them, maybe share them, but probably don’t come away with actionable takeaways to implement.

Now that we have an idea about the value hierarchy, let’s look at examples of some of the best lead magnets within each category.

Overview of different types of lead magnets

A lead magnet can take many different forms—many different types of useful content can help you reach potential buyers... But there are a few established formats marketers tend to rely on.

Templates, Guides & E-Books

Convertible Note Template → by Cake Equity (tool for equity management)
Cold Email templates → by Lemlist (a tool to send emails + LinkedIn messages)
LinkedIn posts templates for founders → by Alex (GTM advisory for SaaS founder)
40 SaaS product video examples → by Magier (a design subscription service)
E-Books on website optimizations → by Webflow (CMS software)
Sales Coaching Guide → by Grain (a video meeting recording software)

Courses & Masterclasses

Video selling master class → by Vidyard (tool for sending video messages)
Course on video creation → by Tella (a tool for creating videos)

Events & Webinars

Sculpt conference → by Clay (tool for GTM engineering)
SaaS Happy hour → by paddle (a billing software for SaaS)

Calculators

Webinar ROI calculator → by Livestorm (a tool to run webinars)
Startup Equity dilution calculator → by Cake Equity (tool for equity management)

Mini tools

LinkedIn Headline generator → by Taplio (a LinkedIn scheduling tool)
Webcam test → by Livestorm (a tool to run webinars)
AI conversation rank checker → by Octolens (social monitoring tool)

Industry reports & research

This includes your own research, but you can of course also bring together multiple industry leaders, who can be internal and external to your company.

2024 research - state of meetings → done by Calendly (tool for scheduling meetings)
SaaS pricing reports → done by Valueships (Pricing consultancy)
SaaS GTM report → done by Chartmogul (a SaaS subscription management software).
SaaS billing report → done by Chartmogul (a SaaS subscription management software).
State of Insurance Agencies 2025 → done by GloveBox and ContentMonk

What defines a good lead magnet? What makes them good?

Now that you know different types of lead magnets, let’s understand what makes up a really good lead magnet.

✅ Specific and relevant content (for ICP)

The content of the lead magnet needs to be relevant and specific for the target audience. Think about the problems they are facing, their KPIs, and the information they need to make decisions.

Creating content that helps them in their daily workflows is the best way to get them hooked.

✅ Subtly selling the product

The best lead magnets, even if they are top to middle funnel, sell at least the need for the product. Even if they don’t directly mention the product, they speak to problems the ICP has that the product can solve.

We recommend always educating on the problem and plugging your product as (one) solution to fix it.

In most cases, you can subtly sell your product:

Add product visuals (if possible)
Add your branding to the asset
Add a footer with your 1-sentence value proposition / CTA

✅ The right distribution

Is your lead magnet where your ICP is actually looking?

Good, successful lead magnets are promoted to your ICP on the customer-facing channels they prefer

So make sure you invest in distributing the lead magnet, not just producing it - or no one will see the results of your hard work.

You know what good formats are and how to make good lead magnets, now let’s see how you can actually start making them, step-by-step

The best way to create valuable lead magnets

Step 0: Know your ICP

You can’t create valuable content for “everyone.”

Before starting with anything, work on your Ideal Customer profile

Step 1: Decide on the main goal of the lead magnet

Different goals need different approaches: Do you want to:

Create awareness: Use inspirational content that introduces your category
Make them consider: Use educational content (e-books, guides, templates)
Help them decide: Use ROI calculators, case studies, and implementation templates

Step 2: Find topics

Stop guessing. Start listening. Get inspiration from -

Sales call recordings (what questions come up every time?)
Support tickets (what confuses new users?)
Lost deal reviews (why did they choose competitors?)
Customer interviews (what almost stopped them from buying?)

Step 3: Choose the right content format

Different topics fit naturally with different content types.

So think about what type of format is the best fit for your topic.

Is it video content? Is it a notion page? A webinar?

Step 4: Ship fast, Start small

Here’s where most founders fail. They try to create the ‘ultimate’ resource on their first attempt.

A better approach is to start small.

Instead of

❌ ”The Ultimate Cold Email Guide”

start with

✅ “3 email templates for better cold emails”

Start with a simple one-pager. Test it. See if people actually want it. Build on that as you go.

Step 5: Distribute, distribute, distribute

Don’t wait for perfect.

You need data (impressions, downloads, likes, feedback, etc.), which you’ll get only if people see what you’ve built. Understand where your ICP lives, and find ways to make the lead magnet accessible to them (we have an entire section on distribution later in this episode).

So distribution is key.

We recommend:

✅ Start early on with distribution / sharing your lead magnet

✅ Spend as much time on distribution as on creating the content

Step 6: Get feedback early and iterate

Here’s the question that matters: “Was this immediately useful?”

Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback.

Most founders ignore feedback and keep promoting mediocre content.

Common feedback patterns that you might get -

“Too generic” → Add specific examples and numbers
“Too long” → Create a summary version
“Missing X” → Add the missing piece as an update

Step 7: Repurpose content

Once you have a winning lead magnet, make the most out of it.

E.g. - Turn your:

Guide into a webinar series
Template into a video walkthrough
Case study into LinkedIn content series

One good lead magnet can easily fill a month’s worth of content (minimum).

7 tactics to distribute lead magnets & examples

We’ve talked about the importance of distribution. So let’s have a look at 7 actionable tactics that you can implement right away to get more eyeballs on your next lead magnet.

1️⃣ Value-first outreach campaigns

Most outreach sucks because it’s all about you.

Flip it.

Instead of pitching, send your resource first.

If they care, they will respond. And then you can still ‘pitch’.

The framework: “Saw your recent post about [specific challenge]. We just created a [resource type] that helped [similar company] solve exactly this. Worth a look?”

Or here’s a DM I’ve tested a few months ago 👇

I’ve shared a full guide on social selling tactics, including value-first LinkedIn DMs.

2️⃣ Secondary CTA/Banner on website

We recommend that your website has 2 CTAs, one primary CTA (e.g., Book a demo) and one secondary CTA (e.g., Read success stories).

Or you can also add a banner on top of your website to promote your new lead magnet.

3️⃣ ‘Comment below’ LinkedIn posts (from Founder, key employees)

Post valuable insights, then offer the full resource to engaged commenters. You must have seen this at least once (I’m sure more).

The formula:

Share a screenshare/visual/snippet of your lead magnet in your post
End with: “Want the XY for free? Comment ‘XX’ below and I will send it your way”
DM the resource to everyone who comments
Follow up with additional value, not sales pitches

Some examples:

4️⃣ Embed Lead magnet on your blog site

Every blog post should have a relevant lead magnet offer and find ways to internally link lead magnets across blogs..

Pro tip: Match the lead magnet to the blog topic. Don’t offer a “Complete GTM Guide” on a post about email deliverability.

5️⃣ Partner distribution (e.g., via micro influencers)

Target micro-influencers in your niche. Think about newsletter writers, LinkedIn creators, podcast hosts, etc.

6️⃣ Webinars to discuss findings

Turn your lead magnet into live content. Host a webinar walking through the key insights, then offer the full resource as a follow-up.

7️⃣ Social Ads (especially LinkedIn thought leadership ads)

If your lead magnet performs well, you can turn it into social ads - e.g., running LinkedIn Ads or Instagram Ads where you promote the content.

Lead magnets still work if they’re specific, valuable, and distributed smartly. Start small, test, and double down on what resonates.

Got a lead magnet that worked surprisingly well for your SaaS?

👉 Reply to this email. I’d love to feature a few examples in a future edition.

Happy growth 🚀

Alex & Ugljesa & Genevieve

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3️⃣ Work 1-on-1 with me - GTM Advisory for SaaS founders from €0 to €1 million ARR

A guest post by

Ugi Djuric

Founder and CEO at Ops24.ai and ContentMonk.io