You've heard about it whenever anyone talks about getting subscribers to your email list. But perhaps you weren't quite clear on how and what was required to build a lead magnet that will send people scrambling to get on your lists. Let's fix that right this moment.

What is a lead magnet and how do you implement them?

Since new leads are the lifeblood of any business, it's crucial that we get them. Basically a lead magnet is a valuable bribe offered in exchange for the prospects contact information.

The secret is to produce something for this purpose that is specific and benefits your audience now. Nobody wants to be waiting months for a benefit; provide them with something they can use today!

Here are 7 Great Ideas for Powerful Lead Magnets

1. Infographic – The visual content darling of the year, infographics tell a compelling visual story in an interesting, easy to digest manner.

2. Video – A video solving a specific problem your audience faces is always a winner. Not only that, a video can be used in many more mediums, spreading your lead gen efforts all over the place.

3. Short reports – When we say short, we mean short, as in “7 Tips for Solving your Specific Problem” short. They aren't going to read a novel from you just yet; make it short and sweet and charm them in the autoresponder followup sequence. These should run in the 10-15 page range.

4. Cheat Sheets, Mindmaps and Blueprints – These can be gold, as you can compress a ton of valuable info onto one sheet, and people gobble them up.

5. Content Webinar – As webinars get cheaper and easier to carry out, holding a content packed webinar that offers valuable information along with showcasing your wares is a great way to not only get subscribers, but sales at the same time.

6. Podcasts – Another simple way to distribute specific chunks of content and further brand yourself as an authority in your space is to give a digital download of a podcast as a lead magnet.

7. Coupons or free trials – These are extremely popular as they represent money, and everyone likes to save more of that. A terrific way to introduce your products and services.