74 Proven Freebie Ideas to Grow Your Email List (Fast!)
You know that creating a freebie (or lead magnet) is one of the best ways to grow your mailing list. It can also be the first step to building a powerful sales funnel that makes you money on autopilot!
But with so many things on your hands, it’s not always easy to come up with good ideas or find the time to implement them.
If you’re short on freebie ideas and looking for some inspiration to get you going, you’ve come to the right place.
Below, you’ll find a list of 70+ freebie ideas that you can implement on your blog starting today!
74 Freebie Ideas for 8 Blogging Niches
Before we dive into specifics, I do want to list different types of freebies that bloggers in any niche can create.
I’ll be focusing on digital solutions only because lead magnets are normally delivered as digital products for instant download. These make the whole process easier for you and offer your target audience a quick win.
Better yet, these simple resources can effectively turn casual blog readers into potential clients without requiring you to invest in other marketing strategies, like paid ads.
Lead magnets any blogger can create
Here are a few ideas for the types of freebies bloggers in any niche can create:
- e-books
- Guides
- Mini-courses
- Case studies
- Content upgrade
- Private resource library (password-protected page on your website)
- Private Facebook group (exclusive access)
- Webinar replay
- Video tutorials
- Audio files or private podcast
- Myth buster
- Checklists
- Planners
- Cheat Sheets
- Workbooks
- Worksheets
- Income Reports
- Printables
- Templates
- Swipe files
- Design elements
- Toolkit
- Quizzes
- Audits
- Free consultations
- Gift guides
- Discount codes
- Exclusive offers
- Paid product sneak peek (free samples or a free trial)
- Challenges
- Behind-the-scenes content
Lead Magnets for Lifestyle bloggers
- Life Planner – Printable or fillable
- Mindset Planner – Printable or fillable
- Motivational quotes – Printable or templates
- e-Book chapter – As a taster for your paid product
- Home organization – Guide
Lead Magnets for Mommy bloggers
- 10 Ways to be more productive working from home – eBook
- Declutter your home over the weekend – Checklist
- Kids chores chart – Printable
- Coloring pages – Printable
- Educational resources – Password-protected resources page
Lead Magnets for Beauty bloggers
- Skincare – Guide
- Beauty tips and tricks – Video Training
- Homemade beauty products – Masterclass
- Brand partnership – Competitions and Giveaways
Lead Magnets for Fashion bloggers
- Sustainable fashion hacks – eBook
- Lightroom Presets – Template
- Shopping List – Guide
- Fashion or style guide – eBook
- Shop my outfit – Guide
- Fashion Rules – eBook
- A look inside my Capsule Wardrobe – Video
Lead Magnets for Travel bloggers
- Itinerary for [destination] in [X] days – Printable Guide
- Packing for a solo trip to [destination] – Checklist
- How to make money on the road – Email Course
- [X]-Day Road tip to [destination] – eBook
- Hiking trails in [destination] – Booklet
Lead Magnets for Food bloggers
- Meal Planner – Printable or Fillable
- 30 Minute Dinners Cookbook – eBook
- Food Photography – Mini Course
- Cooking Journal – Printable or fillable
- Fans Favorite Recipes – eBook
- Healthy eating – Masterclass
Lead Magnets for Business bloggers
- How to sell on marketplaces – Email Course
- 10 Tips for turning leads into paying clients – Cheatsheet
- How to make money online – eBook
- Email Marketing Templates – Doc
- Pinterest Graphics – Template
- How to start a podcast – Video Training
Lead Magnets for Personal Finance bloggers
- Finance Planner – Printable or fillable
- Profit and Loss Tracker – Spreadsheet
- 100 Ways to earn extra cash – eBook
- Family Budgeting – Spreadsheet
- A Beginner’s Guide to Investing – Booklet
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This post contains affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking one of those. I only recommend resources I have tested and loved! Read my full disclosure.
What are the most popular types of freebies?
The most popular types of freebies for every blogging niche are e-books, printables, online courses (either dripped via email or on a free course hosting platform), planners, checklists, cheat sheets, workbooks, and templates.
What should you consider before offering a free gift to your audience?
I hope your brain is popping with ideas for all the great things you could create!
But before you launch your new offer and start promoting it everywhere, there are at least a couple of things you need to consider:
1. Email service provider
If you haven’t started an email list yet, you must get your tech in order.
First, choose the email marketing software you want to use. It’s important to choose one you like from the start because switching suppliers later on isn’t the easiest task.
Over time, you’ll create several forms and robust email sequences, segment your audience, and embed forms on your website. If you want to switch to a different ESP later, that will potentially involve a lot of manual work on your end.
To avoid wasting your precious time later, it’s best to get things right from the start!
Take your time to review what each platform offers, what other tools it integrates with, and what kind of rates you can expect to be paying when your list grows.
When I started this blog, I tested four different services. Three of them are the ones I still recommend to bloggers and online business owners in any niche:
While I was playing with them, I contacted support a lot, asked many questions, checked their GDPR solutions, looked at the tools they integrated directly with, tested their form and email builders, and more.
It’s important that you like the interface of the tool you end up choosing because you’ll likely spend a lot of your time on it.
It’s just a tool, like WordPress or any other. But if you dread it, you won’t look forward to improving your content or working on it daily.
It is equally important to consider pricing and functionality. Depending on your blog’s plans, you may need a different setup.
For example, do you plan to sell your own products or services?
Look for a tool that either offers e-commerce features (each one of the 3 I listed does!) or one that integrates with your favorite cart software (such as ThriveCart, Shopify, SendOwl, etc).
Will email marketing be one wing of your business, or do you anticipate it to eventually become the #1 way you deliver content and connect with your audience?
The answer to this question may potentially determine how much you’re willing to spend and help you decide.
Flodesk, for example, is a great option for large lists because it offers a flat rate regardless of the number of new subscribers you get.
Click here to visit Flodesk and save 50% for an entire year!
ConvertKit excels at segmentation and tagging. This essentially means grouping your subscribers based on their preferences or actions.
In my opinion, it also has the best design capabilities. Their forms and landing pages are super attractive right out of the box.
It is a powerful solution that thousands of bloggers use and love. While its price is higher than most when your list grows, people who use it are generally serious about list building and consider it to be the best investment they have made.
Click here to start your ConvertKit free trial and see how it works!
MailerLite is another solid solution that both successful bloggers and online business owners trust. It’s free for up to 1000 subscribers, easy to use, and offers reasonable prices as you grow.
This is the tool I ultimately chose myself, and I have been happy with it so far.
Click here to check out MailerLite and get started for free!
I think you’ll be in good hands with any of these services.
2. Legal Setup
The next step (and it’s crucial) is to ensure that your blogging business is legally protected and compliant.
When thinking about list building, most bloggers jump headfirst into setting up their tech and skip the legal bits altogether. Don’t do that!
I actually recommend having legal pages on your website before anything else. In fact, I’d advise you to have these before signing up with an email marketing provider or partnering with any brands at all.
Even before embedding a simple form on your contact page, you should have a privacy policy at the very least. Better yet, consider getting a full bundle with all the necessary wording and cover yourself in every possible way from the start!
The penalties you could get for skipping the legal side of blogging can be massive. Don’t risk it!
Years ago, I got Lucrezia’s full bundle, and I have been using those fill-in-the-blanks policies for all of my websites ever since. The package includes everything bloggers need to have on their websites, as well as video tutorials and text-based lessons.
It wasn’t until recently that I felt the need to add a couple of extras to my legal toolkit, and so I got additional templates from Amira. These were specifically related to guest posts and sponsorships. However, as you’re starting out, an essential legal bundle is the perfect choice!
Next Steps
Now, are you ready to create your first free offer?
→ Check out my recent post about MailerLite, set up your account, create opt-in forms, and get started with email marketing.
→ Learn all about creating fillable workbooks in Google Docs or the coolest spreadsheet hacks with Dama.
→ Grab this FREE newsletter planner and put two years’ worth of emails on the agenda.
→ Learn how to create your own e-book from Ana’s signature course. Use the code EBB20OFF at checkout to save $20.
Conclusion
To make things easier, here’s my simple formula to come up with new freebie ideas and launch them:
- Start with market research: what is your ideal reader looking for, and what are your competitors lacking?
- Consider your blog’s latest content or most popular blog posts: what type of offer could add extra value to those posts?
- Revisit your goals for the year: Are you planning to release any paid offers (such as a digital product or online course)? Could you offer a taster or a lead magnet that would encourage subscribers to buy those next?
- Once you have a new lead magnet, do keyword research and come up with ideas for a topic cluster.
- Create helpful content around the same topic you cover on the freebie and promote it everywhere!
