My Lead Magnet Disaster (And What It Taught Me)
Want an invite free live workshop? Finally, create a high-converting, lead magnet that attracts hundreds of new people into your audience and actually leads to sales.
Last week, a friend and fellow business owner messaged me privately on Facebook.
She was frustrated. She’d spent weeks creating the perfect lead magnet in an effort to grow her email list:
✅ A beautifully designed PDF.
✅ Packed with high-value content.
✅ Followed all the expert advice.
Four months of promotion = 7 subscribers.
Ouch.
I felt that in my gut. Because I’ve been there.
For the longest time, I was stuck in the same loop: creating lead magnets that either didn’t attract the right people or simply didn’t convert.
Some were way too long while others were completely disconnected from my paid offer, meaning I was growing an email list full of people who were never going to buy from me.
And then there was the worst mistake of all: having no clear strategy at all.
Just making lead magnets for the sake of list building and hoping for the best.
That changed when I found a simple, repeatable formula that consistently brought in high-quality subscribers—people who were actually interested in what I sell. My most popular lead magnet has been requested 828 times (and counting).
And now, I want to help you do the same.
If you’ve been struggling with:
🚫 Slow email list growth (posting content but no one’s signing up)
🚫 No proper lead magnet to invite new people into your world
🚫 Overwhelm (you keep overthinking what to create, so you do nothing)
I’ve got you.
I’m hosting a free live workshop where I’ll walk you through my exact process for creating a premium lead magnet—one that attracts hundreds of the right people and actually moves them toward your paid offer.
I’m pulling back the curtain on what’s worked (and what hasn’t) so you can skip the mistakes and start seeing real results.
Why You Need a Lead Magnet (Especially as a Substack Writer)
Growing an email list is everything if you’re building an audience and business online.
👉 Substack is great because it provides a built-in audience and monetization features—but the reality is, not everyone wants to subscribe to another newsletter.
But giving them a valuable resource in exchange for their email? That’s a no-brainer.
People don’t wake up thinking, “I need to add more emails to my inbox today.”
But you know what they do wake up thinking?
“How do I get more clients?”
“How do I improve my writing?”
“How do I get more engagement?”
“How do I make money from my content?”
A great lead magnet turns casual readers into engaged subscribers who trust you. And when people trust you, they’re more likely to:
✅ Open your emails.
✅ Share your content.
✅ Eventually buy your paid products.
The WIFM Principle
If you think about it, humans are wired for self-interest. Every decision we make goes through a subconscious filter: What’s In It For Me? Hence the popular WIFM principal in marketing :
People don’t want more email newsletters—they want solutions.
That’s where a lead magnet comes in.
A lead magnet is a free resource you give away in exchange for an email address. The goal? Solve a problem so quickly and effectively that people want to hear more from you.
Instead of asking someone to subscribe to your Substack because “you send great content,” you’re giving them a compelling reason to join your email list right now.
This is how you convert casual readers into engaged subscribers who actually look forward to your emails.
What Makes a Lead Magnet Actually Work?
The best lead magnets are:
✅ Simple—solves one problem, not five.
✅ Fast—delivers results in minutes, not days.
✅ Highly relevant—specific to the problem your audience is experiencing right now.
People don’t want information—they want transformation.
They don’t care about all your expertise. They care about how fast you can make their life easier.
Lead Magnets Convert Like Crazy?
They are specific.
They promise a clear, fast win.
They solve a frustrating problem.
How to Create a Lead Magnet That Works in 3 Simple Steps
If you’re struggling to grow your email list, use this simple framework instead:
1️⃣ Identify a Frustrating Problem Your Audience Has
Ask yourself:
What’s one problem my audience complains about all the time?
What question do I keep getting asked over and over?
What’s something I solved for myself that I can now share with others?
2️⃣ Solve That Problem in 10 Minutes or Less
Your lead magnet should be:
Short & actionable—a tool, script, or template, not an essay.
Easy to implement—they should be able to use it right away.
Instantly valuable—so good that they wonder why you’re giving it away for free.
3️⃣ Make It Super Easy to Get
Put it on a landing page that collects emails.
Share it in your Substack columns.
Share it in your Social bio, LinkedIn profile, or website.
Bottom Line: Simplicity Wins
People don’t need more information.
They need faster solutions.
If your lead magnet can solve a frustrating problem quickly, people will gladly join your email list.
So ask yourself:
👉 What’s one small but irritating problem I can help someone solve in 10 minutes?
That’s not just your lead magnet—that’s your subscriber magnet.
If your lead magnet doesn’t answer that question instantly, it won’t convert.
🚫 Nobody wants a 50-page PDF they’ll never read.
🚫 Nobody wants a generic “free checklist” that doesn’t actually help.
🚫 Nobody wants a complicated tool that takes hours to figure out.
What they do want is:
✅ A quick win they can use immediately.
✅ A frustrating problem solved in minutes, not weeks.
✅ A shortcut that saves time or effort.
This is why the best lead magnets solve one very specific problem, very fast.
Now go create something simple, useful, and irresistible. 🚀
📌P.S: I’m hosting a free live workshop where I’ll walk you through how to create a high-converting, premium lead magnet that attracts hundreds of new people into your audience and actually leads to sales.
Want an invite?
Type “Interested” in the comments below or reply to this email and I’ll send over the details.
Thanks for reading
Esther xx
Interested